On a night in which scoring came hard for both teams and defense took center stage, the Baraboo High School girls basketball team gutted out a 37-31 victory over the visiting Wisconsin Dells.
It was a neck-and-neck battle throughout, but the Thunderbirds (3-1) were able to surge just enough in the final minutes of play to edge the Chiefs (2-1).
“It boils down to, who can hit shots. And at the end of the game, pretty much, they hit more shots than we did,” said Wisconsin Dells head coach Bob Buss.
The Chiefs did get a big game from sophomore Jaden Ward, who recorded a double-double with a game-high 18 points and 12 rebounds. Ward’s dozen rebounds were almost half of her team’s total, as the Chiefs were out-rebounded by the Thunderbirds, 37-29.
“She (Ward) rebounded the ball real well, had a couple putbacks, and-ones, so she was really active around the glass,” Buss said. “But overall as a team, we have to do better.”
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Both teams struggled on the offensive end in the early going, as Wisconsin Dells took a 12-11 lead in the break at halftime. Buss said his team’s defensive effort stood out in the first half.
“I think we are improving every game, every day with our defense. The effort was outstanding,” Buss said. “They (Baraboo) missed a lot of shots, but they didn’t have a lot of good looks. That’s obviously attributed to our defense and our effort.”
In the second half, Baraboo finally started to make some shot, building a 25-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. But in the fourth, Wisconsin Dells finally started to find some offense. Ward scored with about 5 minutes left in the game to cap an 8-0 run to tie the game at 25.
Baraboo freshman Emily Kieck, who led the T-Birds with 12 points, sank a floater in the lane with 40 seconds left to give Baraboo at 35-29 lead. Kieck was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line down the stretch to help seal the win.
“She’s an awfully talented player,” Baraboo head coach Michael Behl said of Kieck. “She came up big when we needed her to.”
Wisconsin Dells had its opportunities late in the game, but for the most part, was unable to cash in, as Baraboo closed the game on a 12-6 run.
“It just came down to, they made a few more plays than we did at the end,” Buss said. “We had a couple good looks that just didn’t go in.”
It was the first loss of the season for the Chiefs, who opened with wins over Westfield (44-37) and River Valley (34-33).
Some of the offensive struggles the Chiefs are experiencing early on are not unexpected. Before the season, coach Buss predicted it might take some time for his players to pick up the new up-tempo style of play his teaching them. But on the defensive end, the Chiefs are playing well.
“One thing for sure, we’re getting better every day,” Buss said. “The girls are working hard. I can’t question their effort at all. I think it’s just taking a little time for each of them to know their role. I think they work together pretty well.
“I think defensively we’re ahead of where I thought we would be now, but offensively, we have a little work to do.”
The lady Chiefs return to action on Friday night, when they play host to defending South Central Conference champion Adams-Friendship.
BARABOO 37, WISCONSIN DELLS 31
Wisconsin Dells;6;6;5;14;—;31
Baraboo;3;8;14;12;—;37
WISCONSIN DELLS (31) — Aga Sron 1 0-0 2, Jaden Ward 7 4-8 18, Carly Pfeifer 2 1-2 5, Marissa Fernandez 1 0-1 2, Dana Percival 1 2-2 4. Totals: 12 7-13 31.
BARABOO (37) — Emily Kieck 3 5-6 12, Isabel Schmelzer 3 0-1 6, Jenna Leibfried 1 2-2 4, Caroline Zimmerman 4 1-2 9, Claire Tomaw 2 0-0 4, Josie Schaefer 0 2-2 2. Totals: 13 10-13 37.
3-point goals — WD 0, B 1 (Kieck). Rebounds — WD 29 (Ward 12), B 37 (Schmelzer 11, Zimmerman 10). Assists — WD 1 (Hunter Hickey), B 5 (Schmelzer 2). Steals — WD 9 (Ward 3), B 11 (Kieck 4). Total fouls — WD 14, B 12.