#cedarburg

WEST BEND – Cedarburg hit the big perimeter shots to get the lead, then used defense and offensive rebounding to preserve it.

The Bulldogs, after falling behind by six early in the second half, knocked down three 3-pointers to eventually take the lead for good against West Bend West with just less than three minutes to play. Junior forward Clare Diener, who led Cedarburg with 19 points, began the rally with a triple and knocked down two free throws in the final seconds to seal a 45-40 North Shore Conference victory and keep pace near the top of the league. The Bulldogs got two offensive rebounds off of missed free throws in the final minute.

“These girls have been playing ball on their own and have worked hard at their individual skills and now it’s kind of for us to put all the pieces together,” Cedarburg coach Dave Ross said. “We struggle a bit with that because we’re very young. We allow them a lot of freedom to use their strengths.”

“I think I kind of just let the game come to me and be patient with shots,” Diener said. “When I found the open opportunities, I was knocking the down with confidence.”

Diener may have been the star, but sophomore guard Reagan Pahl had arguably the most pivotal sequence when she got a steal and, following a timeout, drilled the triple that put the Bulldogs in front at 40-39. Cedarburg never trailed after that.

“Reagan is really aggressive on the defensive end, so it translates to points on the offensive end,” said Diener of Pahl. “She’s always getting up in people’s face and guarding the best player on the team. She brings a lot of energy on both ends.”

The Spartans generated many good looks off of their drives to the basket in the second half, but had difficulties finishing layups. “One word: finish,” West coach Joe Pintens said. “You have to finish. It’s that simple. If you look at all the layups we missed and all the inside blocked shots, this isn’t even a game. We had absolutely marvelous shots. If you don’t finish, you’ve got to get second shots and third and fourth and fifth until you do. We didn’t do that, and three threes. Boom, boom, boom.”

Cedarburg had the early momentum of an even first half. The Bulldogs scored the first six points with a basket each from three different players. Diener, who had 11 first-half Cedarburg points, knocked down a baseline jumper during the opening spurt and later hit another shot from the right side to give the Bulldogs a 10-5 lead.

West took off on a 13-2 run over the next three and a half minutes. Senior guard Ellie Meurer, who had 16 of her team-high 19 points in the first half, began her dominance during this stretch. She went on a personal 8-0 flurry, highlighted by a 3-point play on a mid-range jumper and a 3-pointer from the left wing that produced a six-point Spartans advantage. Sophomore guard Mia Sallinen tied the game earlier in the run with a triple from the same spot as Meurer’s.

“Ellie does so much that, if you don’t know the game, you don’t know that she’s doing it,” said Pintens of Meurer. “She is offensively our leader and knows exactly what’s going on on the floor. Defensively, she’s got to guard their best player every night and still has to help. Tonight, we wouldn’t let her help because she’s guarding Clare Diener, who’s the best shooter in this part of the state.”

“We just made a lot of errors in the first half,” Ross said. “I thought we should have been a lot better. West Bend West is well-coached, we know what they’re doing and they still get things done.”

Diener scored five more points and sophomore guard Ella Rolison, who finished second for the Bulldogs with 10, added four during the last five minutes to help the Bulldogs force a tie game at the break. Meurer canned two more threes during this frame for West’s lone points during the closing 12-6 Cedarburg run.

The Bulldogs continued their momentum into the second half. Rolison scored on an inside basket before Diener knocked down her second 3-pointer to give the road squad a 29-25 lead.

West junior guard Bella Baker, who shined in the Spartans’ previous game vs. West Bend East with 24 points, got her rhythm going to lead a 10-0 West run. She scored two inside baskets, the latter of which produced a 3-point play. The Spartans regained their largest lead from the first half at 35-29. Baker finished second for West with 11 points.

Cedarburg then got its perimeter game and defense working to retake the lead. Diener and freshman wing Mary Stroebel each hit threes to tie the game before Rolison scored following a Bulldogs’ steal.

“She’s just an outstanding shooter,” said Ross of Diener. “She’s probably the best shooter that I’ve ever coached, and I’ve been coaching almost 30 years. We want the ball in her hands and we’re always trying to find a way of getting her open.”