ONALASKA — The Luther High School girls basketball team tightened things up at the top of the Coulee Conference with a 57-29 victory over first-place Arcadia on Tuesday.
The Knights (7-7, 3-3) held the Raiders (12-6, 6-1) to 11 first-half points and won for the fourth time in five games. The loss allowed West Salem (8-6, 6-1) to move into a tie for the lead and moved Viroqua (10-4, 5-1) to within a half-game of it.
Luther had nine player score, and sophomore Tessa Gloede’s 10 lead the way.
Sophomore Cara Unke scored nine, and sophomore Brinley Schmitz and junior Addy Palubicki eight each for the Knights, whose next two conference games are against Viroqua (Feb. 5) and West Salem (Feb. 6).
“Really proud of our girls,” Luther coach Ryan Svendsen said. “Played intense and focused on the defensive end from the very start.
“Our offensive balance and sharing of the ball was the best it’s been all year.”
Holmen 44, Central 36
LA CROSSE — The Vikings (10-5, 4-4 MVC) dealt the RiverHawks (13-3, 5-2) a tough loss at the Mark Sutton Memorial Gymnasium.
Central — fifth in Division 2 for this week’s Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski Sports medial poll — has lost three straight and fell two losses behind first-place Aquinas while playing without injured senior and Eastern Illinois commit Alahnna Simpson.
Freshman Ellie Apuan scored 24 points with a pair of first-half 3-pointers, but no other RiverHawks were able to reach double figures.
Holmen was led by sophomore Makenzie Nunemacher’s 17 points, and senior Macy Kline scored all 13 of her points in the second half. Kline made 5 of 7 free throws and Nunemacher 3 of 4. Sophomore Reese Tierney added seven points for Holmen, which has won three of its past four games.
Aquinas 69, Sparta 25
LA CROSSE — Senior Sammy Davis scored 22 of her 25 points in the first half as the Blugolds (16-2, 8-0 MVC) extended their MVC winning streak to 122 games after building a 53-13 halftime lead at the Reinhart Athletic Complex.
Davis made 9 of 13 shots and 7 of 10 free throws and had three of her team’s 24 steals.
Junior guard Ava Fernholz added 10 points with two 3-pointers and three steals, while senior Alaina Elias recorded a team-high seven rebounds and a team-high five steals.
Sophomore Hadley Alderson scored eight points and junior Liv Dickinson seven for Aquinas, which is fifth in Division 3 for this week’s Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski Sports media poll.
Onalaska 65, Logan 4
ONALASKA — The Rangers (3-13, 0-7 MVC) made two free throws in the first half and two more in the second, finishing the game without a field goal.
The Hilltoppers (14-4, 5-2) played without top scorer Kayla Ketelhut and were led by junior Oliva Passehl’s 18 points. Passehl made three of her five 3-pointers during a 12-point first half.
Junior teammate Natalie Marso added 14 points for Onalaska, which had nine players score.
West Salem 68, Black River Falls 28
BLACK RIVER FALLS — The Panthers (8-6, 6-1 Coulee) moved into a tie for first place by stomping the Tigers.
Senior Josie Brudos, who scored the 1,000th point of her career last week, had a team-high 24 and made her only 3-pointer during an 18-point first half that gave West Salem a 42-14 lead.
Sophomore Ava Hendrickson scored 11 of her 16 points in the second half for the Panthers, who have won three of their past four games.
Caledonia 80, Decorah 50
CALEDONIA — The Warriors (16-4) bounced back from a 57-55 loss to Red Wing on Monday and won for the ninth time in 10 games.
Senior Aubrey Klug, who became the team’s leading career scorer last week, scored 37 points and made six of Caledonia’s nine 3-pointers. Klug has scored 53 points in two games this week.
Senior Nicole Banse added 12 and freshman Ashlyn Reinhart 10 points for the Warriors, who also received eight from senior Kensey King and outscored Decorah by 15 points in each half.
Melrose-Mindoro 56, Whitehall 50
MELROSE — The Mustangs (7-8, 5-7 Dairyland-Large) built a seven-point lead by halftime and held off the Norse from there to end a two-game losing streak.
Senior Cooper Zeman made three 3-pointers and scored a team-high 23 points for Melrose-Mindoro, which hosts Luther on Thursday.
Senior Anna Radcliffe added 11 points for the Mustangs, who also received nine from senior Calysta Bautch.
