Rocket girls persist in peaceful place

The Cedar Grove-Belgium High School girls’ basketball team had the game in hand at West Bend West last Thursday.

Then the Rockets didn’t.

But they escaped with a 56-49 win.

After taking a 26-4 lead in the game’s first 10 minutes, the Rockets held a 30-15 advantage at halftime.

The Spartans clawed their way back in the second half, getting as close as 51-49 with 101 seconds left.

The Rockets’ defense then stiffened, and they went 5-for-6 on free throws in the last 37.8 seconds to seal the victory.

Seniors Sophie Beightol and Grace Konzak each went 2-for-2, and senior Aubrey Marti went 1-for-2.

“We knew we weren’t losing this game,” Konzak said.

“We just needed to play better defense and our offense all around. Everybody needed to start shooting. We finished strong with our free throws at the end.”

Beightol, whose shots made it 53-49, said she “just knew they have to go in.”

The Rockets’ coach Abi Lucas was frustrated with how the game nearly got away but was happy her team pulled it out.

“We hung on. At the end of the game when it counted we did what we had to do to win the game,” she said.

Beightol had 19 points, and six rebounds. Senior Olivia Bahr had 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Marti had eight points and Konzak had seven.

The Rockets did everything right in the first half, forcing turnovers and draining shots as the Spartans’ frustration level grew.

“We came out hot, brought some energy. We had a hard time maintaining that energy this game to say it nicely,” Lucas said.

“You’ve got to give it to West Bend. They never gave up. They made the shots they had to make.”

The Spartans got back into the game in part because of rebounding. They often had multiple chances to score on offense on any given possession. The Spartans outrebounded the Rockets, 50-30.

“We missed so many box outs,” Lucas said.

Beightol, the team’s second-leading scorer and rebounder behind Bahr, picked up her fourth foul with nearly nine and a half minutes to play.

“We had to pull her. She’s our biggest defensive player. Without her we just kind of lose a spark. She’s also the first one down the floor so we rely on her in transition,” Lucas said.

“I think sometimes we just get a little too comfortable and we find ourselves having to fight back in the end,” Beightol said. “We got it together, figured it out.”

The Spartans focused some of its defensive effort on Bahr.

“She still made some shots that were hard shots. They were physical against her,” Lucas said.

She also praised guard Laila Arrowood, who played several minutes in the second half when Beightol was sitting.

The game’s atmosphere was eerily silent, save for the squeaking of sneakers and the entertaining public address announcer Herb Justman, a Grafton postal carrier known for donning festive hats during holidays.

The number of fans would perhaps have filled half of the Rockets’ gym, but they looked sparse in the West Bend High Schools Fieldhouse. The Spartans’ fans came alive toward the end as the game got closer.

“It was really quiet. We need to be more energetic to get us all going. That was not in the entire gym at all,” Konzak said.

“It’s so quiet. I don’t know how to turn up the energy. Our boys are on the road too. That doesn’t help,” Lucas said.

The Rockets, 8-5 overall and 2-2 in the Big East South Division, get an 11-day break before hosting Kohler on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

Lucas said the time will be useful.

“We can refocus and go back to those basics,” she said.

Ozaukee making improvements

A first-half hole was too much to dig out of for the Ozaukee girls at Kiel last Friday.

The Warriors fell behind by 19 and lost 71-46.

Guard Savannah Quade scored 16 points on 4-for-7 on three-pointers and grabbed five rebounds. Ellie Rodgers had 12 points. Paige Kurlinski had four points and six rebounds. Mya Schroeder had seven points.

“We have seen some improvements.  Our defense continues to play well,” coach Linda Weyker said.

“We are still inconsistent on the offensive side of the ball. It was good to see Ellie Rodgers and Savannah Quade have a better night of shooting the ball. They seemed to be gaining more confidence.  Addison Schubert continues to play tough defense on the court.”

Taavi Seager had 24 points and six rebounds for Kiel.

The Warriors, 3-6 overall, were to play at Kohler on Tuesday, Jan. 7. They host Sheboygan Lutheran at 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, and play at Sheboygan Christian on Tuesday, Jan. 14.