G-E-T girls open with loss

The Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau girls basketball team tipped off their season with a loss in their home opener against Bangor last Monday.

Bangor took control late in the first half as the Red Hawks could not stop a balanced offensive output from the Cardinals in a battle of the red birds.

G-E-T falls to 0-1 with the nonconference loss. The Red Hawks were scheduled to host Holmen on Tuesday, with their next scheduled game on Monday, Jan. 4 against Arcadia at home.

Bangor 52 G-E-T 40

Tied at 14 entering the latter stages of the first half, a 13-6 run into halftime gave the Cardinals an advantage they would not relinquish.

A pair of layups put Bangor up 18-14 before Anna Puent knocked down a midrange jumper to pull back within a possession. The Cardinals answered with a running layup, then after a G-E-T timeout a three from Taylor Jacobson made it 23-16. Kylie Schmitz answered for the Red Hawks with another jumper, but Bangor responded with a fastbreak off the inbound to get the two points right back. G-E-T had a chance to turn the tide with a steal on Bangor’s next trip down the floor, but the outlet pass was intercepted and turned into another Cardinals’ layup. Genna O’Neill hit her second three of the first half in the final minute, helping G-E-T stay within striking distance at a 27-21 halftime deficit.

The Red Hawks struggled to find the bottom of the net in the second half, aside from the offense of Lindsey Lettner. The junior guard had nine second-half points after being held scoreless in the first half, but G-E-T would not get the scoring they needed to make a comeback.

Leading G-E-T in scoring were nine-point efforts from Lettner and O’Neill, followed by six from Rachel Amoth, five from Kayli Bratberg, four from Aleah Hunter, three from Jada Helmers and two each from Puent and Schmitz.