B-T girls win big to end regular season

It’s playoff time for the Blair-Taylor High School girls basketball team, one of the best in the region and state. 

The second-seeded Wildcats (23-1 this season) closed the regular season with a pair of routs last week, taking care of Independence on the road on Tuesday before visiting Melrose-Mindoro and allowing just 33 points on Thursday.

Blair-Taylor hosted Brookwood (3-21 this season) in a Division Five regional first round game on Tuesday and would play the winner of No. 7 Wonewoc-Center and No. 10 New Lisbon on Friday with a win. The regional final is scheduled for Saturday.

Should B-T win the regional, they would return to Independence for the sectional next Thursday. Their opponent would likely be Bangor, the only team to defeat the Wildcats — 66-47 on Dec. 23 — this season. 

Blair-Taylor 65 IHS 19

A 25-point lead at the break combined with allowing just five points in the second half to the host Indees (8-14 this season) was a recipe for success on the road last Tuesday for the Wildcats.

B-T scored the first 10 points in the game and maintained a double-digit lead throughout. The Indees were within 11 at 25-14, but B-T scored the last 14 points of the first half.

Junior Lindsay Steien scored 27 to lead all scorers for the Wildcats, and senior Chloe Wagner added 14.

Callie Zastrow paced Independence with 11 points.

B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls-points)—Thompson 2/2-0/0-1-0-4, L. Kidd 0/0-0/0-1-0-0, S. Kidd 1/5-0/0-3-2-2, Frederixon 0/4-0/2-1-0-0, Steien 12/21-1/2-9-2-27, Waldera 0/3-1/2-0-1-1, Ca. Wagner 1/1-1/1-3-0-3, Kindschy 3/9-0/2-4-2-8, Fremstad 1/4-0/0-2-2-2, Ch. Wagner 5/13-4/4-7-2-14, Lofgren 1/3-0/0-1-1-2, Kohel 1/1-0/0-0-0-2.

Blair-Taylor 77 Mel-Min 33

A similar spread on Thursday provided another big cushion for the Wildcats, helping the visitors close the regular season in the win column and finish a perfect 15-0 in Dairyland Large Conference play.

Blair-Taylor outscored the Mustangs (11-13, 9-6 Dairyland Conference) 42-16 in the first half before adding 35 more points in the second half.

Junior Kierstyn Kindschy led the Wildcats with a career-high 21 points, and Steien added 20. Junior Abby Thompson finished in double digits as well with 14.

B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls-points)—Thompson 7/12-0/1-5-1-14, S. Kidd 0/0-0/0-0-1-0, Frederixon 0/0-0/0-0-1-0, Steien 8/15-4/5-2-4-20, Waldera 2/4-0/0-2-1-4, Ca. Wagner 0/0-0/0-1-0-0, Kindschy 7/9-1/2-8-3-21, Fremstad 0/2-1/2-9-1-1, Ch. Wagner 4/10-0/2-8-2-8, Lofgren 2/5-3/3-3-1-7, Kohel 0/1-0/0-1-0-0.B-T girls win big to 

end regular season

By Benjamin Pierce

Times Staff

It’s playoff time for the Blair-Taylor High School girls basketball team, one of the best in the region and state. 

The second-seeded Wildcats (23-1 this season) closed the regular season with a pair of routs last week, taking care of Independence on the road on Tuesday before visiting Melrose-Mindoro and allowing just 33 points on Thursday.

Blair-Taylor hosted Brookwood (3-21 this season) in a Division Five regional first round game on Tuesday and would play the winner of No. 7 Wonewoc-Center and No. 10 New Lisbon on Friday with a win. The regional final is scheduled for Saturday.

Should B-T win the regional, they would return to Independence for the sectional next Thursday. Their opponent would likely be Bangor, the only team to defeat the Wildcats — 66-47 on Dec. 23 — this season. 

Blair-Taylor 65 IHS 19

A 25-point lead at the break combined with allowing just five points in the second half to the host Indees (8-14 this season) was a recipe for success on the road last Tuesday for the Wildcats.

B-T scored the first 10 points in the game and maintained a double-digit lead throughout. The Indees were within 11 at 25-14, but B-T scored the last 14 points of the first half.

Junior Lindsay Steien scored 27 to lead all scorers for the Wildcats, and senior Chloe Wagner added 14.

Callie Zastrow paced Independence with 11 points.

B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls-points)—Thompson 2/2-0/0-1-0-4, L. Kidd 0/0-0/0-1-0-0, S. Kidd 1/5-0/0-3-2-2, Frederixon 0/4-0/2-1-0-0, Steien 12/21-1/2-9-2-27, Waldera 0/3-1/2-0-1-1, Ca. Wagner 1/1-1/1-3-0-3, Kindschy 3/9-0/2-4-2-8, Fremstad 1/4-0/0-2-2-2, Ch. Wagner 5/13-4/4-7-2-14, Lofgren 1/3-0/0-1-1-2, Kohel 1/1-0/0-0-0-2.

Blair-Taylor 77 Mel-Min 33

A similar spread on Thursday provided another big cushion for the Wildcats, helping the visitors close the regular season in the win column and finish a perfect 15-0 in Dairyland Large Conference play.

Blair-Taylor outscored the Mustangs (11-13, 9-6 Dairyland Conference) 42-16 in the first half before adding 35 more points in the second half.

Junior Kierstyn Kindschy led the Wildcats with a career-high 21 points, and Steien added 20. Junior Abby Thompson finished in double digits as well with 14.

B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls-points)—Thompson 7/12-0/1-5-1-14, S. Kidd 0/0-0/0-0-1-0, Frederixon 0/0-0/0-0-1-0, Steien 8/15-4/5-2-4-20, Waldera 2/4-0/0-2-1-4, Ca. Wagner 0/0-0/0-1-0-0, Kindschy 7/9-1/2-8-3-21, Fremstad 0/2-1/2-9-1-1, Ch. Wagner 4/10-0/2-8-2-8, Lofgren 2/5-3/3-3-1-7, Kohel 0/1-0/0-1-0-0.