LA CROSSE — The streak continues for the Aquinas High School girls basketball team.
But Central made the Blugolds work as hard as they have for any of their 120 straight MVC victories on Tuesday night.
The RiverHawks did everything they needed to do in the first half before Aquinas did everything it needed to do in the second.
As the Blugolds ramped up the defensive pressure, Central began to fade. And when junior Liv Dickinson drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 11 minutes, 8 seconds remaining, they not only had their first lead, they had the lead for good in what became a 50-45 victory at the Mark Sutton Memorial Gymnasium.
Junior Ava Fernholz scored 15 of her team-high 18 points in the second half, and Dickinson drilled three 3-pointers — her last one capped a long possession and could have been the dagger with 3:09 left — as the Blugolds (14-2 overall, 6-0 MVC) took over sole possession of the conference lead.
The RiverHawks (13-1, 5-1) — ranked first in Division 2 for this week’s Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski Sports media poll — lost for the first time this season after leading by as many as 12 points in the first half.
“I felt like they were way mor physical, way tougher than us in the first half and they offensively rebounded the ball,” Aquinas coach Dave Donarski said of the RiverHawks, who scored the first six points and led 20-8 after senior Chloe Ackerman hit a shot from the baseline with 5:48 left in the half. “The first two possessions, I think they had six shots, and that’s not acceptable on our side.
“I challenged (Aquinas players) in a big way. I felt like our toughness was much better in the second half.”
The Blugolds trapped more, forced more turnovers and forced their way back into the game. That severely limited shot selection for Central, which didn’t make a field goal until senior Alahnna Simpson hit a 3-pointer with 7:29 left in the game.
Central made six field goals during a 20-point second half, and four of them came in the final 1:37.
Aquinas — ranked fifth in Division 3 — leaned on Fernholz during critical stretches of the second half.
After she hit a 3-pointer with 33 seconds left in the first half to get the Blugolds within seven, Fernholz scored eight of their points during a 15-1 run that gave them command of the game for the first time.
Fernholz also assisted on a Sammy Davis basket during that stretch, which ended when she scored on a jumper in the lane for a 37-29 Aquinas lead with 7:48 left.
“We clearly need a spark,” said Fernholz, who made 3 of 6 shots from the floor, 9 of 10 free throws and had four assists and two steals. “Being an upperclassman now, I felt like that was my job.
“In other games, I haven’t been looking to attack (the rim), which I should be. In this game, my team kept telling me to attack, and I was feeling confident.”
Simpson, and Eastern Illinois commit, scored 18 points to lead Central and became the program’s all-time leading scorer.
Davis, committed to Bradley University, added 12 points, nine rebounds and four steals for the Blugolds, who also received nine points on three 3s from Dickinson.
Sophomore Malayah Simpson added 12 points for the RiverHawks, and they all came early in the game. She scored her final basket on a drive through the lane for an 18-8 Central lead with 6:11 left in the first half.
“We gave up some buckets later in the (first) half, but I thought we played solid, especially defensively,” Central coach Quartell Roberson said. “In the second half, we didn’t come out of the gate very well. We gave up some offensive rebounds and just didn’t have the gusto we need.
“It’s a big game, and we were giving everything we had in that first half. There was a lot of adrenaline.”
