Wildcats clinch share of DC title with win over Indees

The Blair-Taylor girls basketball team won its own conference title while knocking Independence/Gilmanton out of first place with a 53-52 road win on Saturday.

With both teams playing for Dairyland Conference titles — the Indees in the Large Division and the Wildcats in the Small — the Independence High School gym has a tournament-like atmosphere. With five minutes remaining, it looked like the Indees were going to emerge as the only conference champion, but the Wildcats kept battling.

I/G held a 49-42 lead with five minutes showing on the clock, but B-T began to chip away.

Andrea Waldera made a jumper and then converted a three-point play with 2:45 remaining when she made a shot while being fouled and then sunk the free-throw. Samantha Aguilar tied the game with a basket with 2:15 left.

The Indees regained the lead on two free throws by Nora Schank about 30 seconds later then Hannah Ekern stole the ensuing inbound pass. The Wildcats fouled, sending Shauna Dejno to the free-throw line, but the I/G sophomore missed her attempt. 

The Wildcats took advantage when Elissa Smetana knocked down a three-pointer from the corner with one minute remaining. 

Arabelle Kniseley missed the potential go-ahead shot on I/G’s next possession, but I/G got the rebound with 35 seconds left. After a timeout, the Indees got the ball to Makiyah Scow who was called for an offensive foul on her drive to the basket. 

Aguilar made a free throw at the other end for B-T but missed the second. The Indees got the rebound and pushed the ball down the floor before Ekern was fouled on a shot attempt with three seconds remaining.

The freshman guard made the first shot from the charity stripe but missed the second. Dejno rebounded the miss, but her put-back attempt was blocked by Aguilar just before the buzzer sounded. 

“Tonight’s game had the atmosphere of a tournament game from beginning to end,” B-T coach Jesse Lien said. “I was proud of my ladies for never giving up in the second half when things didn’t look good.”

Lien complimented his team’s offensive execution down the stretch. 

“I can’t say enough about how hard these ladies played,” Lien said.  

The game was mostly close as the teams were tied at 27 at halftime. The Indees went on a run to take a 10-point lead early in the second half and held an advantage until late. 

The win, combined with a 60-38 win over Osseo-Fairchild on Friday, gave B-T a tie for first place in the DC-Small Division at 14-6, equaling Cochrane-Fountain City. The Wildcats finished the regular season with an 18-6 overall mark and began Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament play at home against Alma Center Lincoln on Tuesday. 

The Indees came into last week with a one-game lead in the DC-Large but also lost to Whitehall, which allowed Eleva-Strum to surge for the conference title with a 16-4 mark to I/G’s 15-5. The Indees finished the regular season with a 19-5 record.

The teams are favored to meet again on Saturday of this week. The top-seeded Indees will play the winner of the game between (9) New Lisbon and (8) Alma/Pepin on Friday. Should they win and B-T beat ACL then either (5) Cashton or (12) Wonewoc-Center on Friday, they’ll play in Independence for the regional title on Saturday.

The sectional semifinal is set for next Thursday at La Crosse Central and the sectional final will be Saturday at La Crosse Logan.