ONALASKA — A nice drive and basket in the lane by freshman Kayla Ketelhut had the Onalaska High School girls basketball team within four points of visiting Holmen with 9 minutes, 34 seconds left in an MVC matchup at John Shelton Court on Thursday.
But the Vikings didn’t give the Hilltoppers much of a chance the rest of the way in posting a 51-36 victory.
Holmen scored 14 of the final 17 points and didn’t allow Onalaska another field goal after Ketelhut’s basket with 9:34 on the clock.
Senior Danika Rebhahn made two 3-pointers, and junior Macy Kline made four free throws in the final 2:29 as the Vikings (2-5, 1-1) snapped a three-game losing streak and evened their conference record.
The Hilltoppers (1-5, 0-1) didn’t score after Ketelhut’s basket in the paint until senior Jenna Gansen made two free throws with 7:42 on the clock and one more with 2 seconds to go.
“We defended well all night,” Holmen coach Nate Johnson said. “Late in the game, we did a much better job of getting to shooter.”
Junior Charley Casey scored 12 of her game-high 16 points in the first half as the Vikings built a 27-19 advantage. She also had 15 rebounds and led three double-figure scorers for Holmen, which also received 11 apiece from Kline and freshman Makenzie Nunemacher.
“We ran a lot of our offense through (Casey),” Johnson said. “When she got doubled, she was able to find open girls.”
Rebhahn, whose 3-pointers gave the Vikings a 40-33 lead with 8:49 left and a 45-35 advantage with 5:16 to go, added eight. Nunemacher made all eight of her attempted free throws in the second half.
Gansen scored 11 points and sophomore Finley Walters 10 with two 3-pointers to lead Onalaska in its conference opener. The Hilltoppers have lost two straight since a nonconference win over Chippewa Falls McDonell on Friday.
