ASSUMPTION SLIPS PAST MCDONELL IN WIAA STATE GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT D-5 SEMIFINAL
Updated: Mar 11, 2022
Zaleski Sports
GREEN BAY – Again and again, the Wisconsin Rapids Assumption girls basketball team has found a way to win tight games. Add the pressure of doing at the state tournament and the Royals were unfazed.
After Chippewa Falls McDonell overcame an 11-point deficit to take a one-point lead with a little more than one minute to go, Maleia Kolo scored inside for the Royals with 54 seconds to go and the Assumption defense held off two late shot attempts to earn a 36-35 win in a Division 5 semifinal at the 2022 WIAA State Girls Basketball Tournament on Friday at the Resch Center.
Assumption (27-3) will take on undefeated Randolph (30-0) for the Division 5 championship at 11 a.m. Saturday as the Royals attempt to win back-to-back state titles.
Assumption led 33-22 before McDonell mounted a comeback, outscoring the Royals 13-1 to take a 35-34 lead on a basket by Amber Adams with 1:08 remaining.
Assumption attacked immediately as Cristin Casey found a cutting Kolo for a basket with 54 seconds to go to quickly regain the lead.
The Macks ran the clock down before missing a floater in the lane, and after an offensive rebound Assumption blocked a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the Royals into the championship game for the second year in a row.
The Royals’ bench accounted for 23 of their 36 points, with freshman Anna Schooley leading the way with 10 points and seven rebounds. Sarah Shaw added eight points and Kayla Kerkman scored seven in the victory.
Marley Hughes had 10 points and Emily Cooper hauled down 10 rebounds for McDonell (25-4).
Saturday's championship game will be televised live on WAOW-TV 9 of Wausau, and an audio broadcast will be available at zaleskisports.com.
Royals 36, Macks 35
McDonell 17 18 - 35
Assumption 24 12 - 36
MCDONELL (35): Destiny Baughman 0-4 0-0 0, Marley Hughes 4-7 2-4 10, Emily Cooper 1-11 2-2 5, Lauryn Deetz 4-9 0-2 8, Abigail Petranovich 0-8 0-0 0, Amber Adams 2-5 2-3 6, Emma Stelter 1-1 0-0 2, Sydney Flanagan 0-0 0-0 0, Aubrey Dorn 2-5 0-2 4, Laneyse Baughman 0-0 0-0 0. FG: 14-50. FT: 6-13. 3-pointers: 1-17 (Cooper 1-9, Deetz 0-2, D. Baughman 0-3, Hughes 0-3). Rebounds: 35 (Cooper 10). Turnovers: 13. Fouls: 10. Fouled out: none. Record: 25-4.
ASSUMPTION (36): Ainara Sainz de Rozas 0-3 1-2 1, Izzy Jungwirth 1-2 0-0 3, Kayla Kerkman 3-5 0-0 7, Cristin Casey 0-2 0-0 0, Maleia Kolo 1-3 0-0 2, Sarah Shaw 3-7 0-2 8, Addi Vollert 1-3 0-0 2, Kendall Duellman 1-4 0-0 3, Anna Schooley 5-10 0-0 10. FG: 15-39. FT: 1-4. 3-pointers: 5-13 (Shaw 2-4, Jungwirth 1-2, Duellman 1-2, Kerkman 1-3, Vollert 0-1, Sainz de Rozas 0-1). Rebounds: 28 (Schooley 7). Fouls: 10. Fouled out: none. Record: 27-3.
2022 WIAA State Girls Basketball Tournament
March 10-12, at Resch Center, Green Bay
Thursday, March 10
Division 3 Semifinals
No. 1 Waupun (26-3) 47, No. 4 Whitefish Bay Dominican (18-10) 29
No. 2 Freedom (28-1) 66, No. 3 St. Croix Falls (24-5) 36
Division 4 Semifinals
No. 1 Mineral Point (29-0) 55, No. 4 Westfield (27-2) 45
No. 2 Laconia (25-4) 50, No. 3 Neillsville (25-3) 39
Friday, March 11
Division 5 Semifinals
No. 1 Randolph (30-0) 47, No. 4 Highland (26-4) 25
No. 2 Wisconsin Rapids Assumption (27-3) 36, No. 3 Chippewa Falls McDonell (25-4) 35
Division 2 Semifinals
No. 1 Green Bay Notre Dame (27-1) vs. No. 4 Menomonie (25-3), 1:30 p.m.
No. 2 Reedsburg (28-0) vs. No. 3 Pewaukee (25-3), approximately 3:15 p.m.
Division 1 Semifinals
No. 1 Kettle Moraine (25-3) vs. No. 4 De Pere (24-4), 6:30 p.m.
No. 2 Brookfield East (25-3) vs. No. 3 Appleton East (24-4), approximately 8:15 p.m.
Saturday, March 12
Championship Games
Division 5: Wisconsin Rapids Assumption (27-3) vs. Randolph (30-0), 11 a.m.
Division 4: Mineral Point (29-0) vs. Laconia (25-4), approximately 12:45 p.m.
Division 3: Waupun (26-3) vs. Freedom (28-1), approximately 2:30 p.m.
Division 2, 6:30 p.m.
Division 1, approximately 8:15 p.m.