Pius XI (27-0) will continue its pursuit of a perfect season in the Division 2 championship final tomorrow evening after rolling to a 55-30 win over Waunakee in the semifinal.

Both teams struggled to score points in the first quarter with Waunakee possessing a 9-4 lead heading into the second period. The game’s storyline was written in the second quarter.  The Lady Popes exploded for 24 points to head into halftime with a commanding 29-14 lead. Pius XI led by as many as 25 points in the second half and cruised to the win.

Gabby Green sparked the Lady Popes’ balanced offense with 16 points. She connected on all six shot attempts from the floor to help Pius XI to a 50 percent shooting percentage.

The Warriors were led in scoring by Kaelin Franklin with eight points. Jada Dayne contributed with six points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

Pius XI will play for its second State championship, having also won the Division 1 title in 2010.

Cedarburg (24-2) advances to the Division 2 championship game Saturday evening as result of its 51-41 victory over River Falls in the semifinals.

After River Falls (15-12) took its only lead of the game with the first basket of the game, the Bulldogs reeled off 14 straight points and led 16-14 at the end of the first period.  The Wildcats responded early in the second period and went on a 14-2 run to tie the game at 18-18, but Cedarburg built a 27-20 advantage by intermission.

The Bulldogs built a second-half lead that reached 13 points in the fourth quarter.  The closest the Wildcats would get down the stretch was seven points with three minutes to play.

 Ady Schreiner, Kylee Marks, Allie Barber and Kendall Lynch each tossed in 10 points for a balanced Bulldog scoring arsenal. Barber also led the team in rebounds with 11. Karly Murphy scored a game-high 19 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to lead the Wildcats.

The Bulldogs will be playing in the final for the first time. Their only other State Tournament appearance resulted in a loss in the Division 1 semifinals in 2006.