CHIPPEWA FALLS — The Central High School girls basketball team took a top-ranked program with a future Big Ten Conference player on it down to the wire on Thursday.
The RiverHawks, who spent most of the season ranked among the top 10 in the Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski Sports media poll, trimmed a 21-point halftime deficit to five with 1 minute, 43 seconds left but couldn’t get any closer in what became a 69-60 loss to Rice Lake in a WIAA Division 2 sectional semifinal.
Central (20-7) trailed by 10 points before an Alahnna Simpson steal set up an assist on an Ellie Apuan 3-pointer that had the RiverHawks with 60-53 with 2:06 left. That forced a Rice Lake timeout, which was followed by another turnover.
Simpson tipped the ball to Apuan for that steal near the foul line and the freshman took the ball three-quarters court for a contested layup with her left hand to make it 60-55 with 1:43 to go.
The Warriors (24-3) attacked immediately and scored with a basket from Addison Schmidt before a Central missed 3-pointer and University of Wisconsin commit Adaline Sheplee made a pair of free throws to quickly push the lead back to nine.
Sheplee finished with a game-high 26 points, and Schmidt added 15 for Rice Lake, which made 18 of 21 free throws in building its 42-21 halftime lead.
The RiverHawks, whistled for 19 fouls and lost senior Emmerson Keeney to fouls in the first half, were led by Apuan’s 24 and Simpson’s 19. Apuan and Simpson both scored 14 points in the second half.
Division 3
Wisconsin Dells 76, Aquinas 52
REEDSBURG — Senior Sammy Davis scored 26 points, but the Blugolds (24-3) only scored 16 points in the first half and couldn’t recover from a slow start.
The third-ranked Chiefs (27-0) led by as many as 27 points in the second half before Aquinas twice cut the deficit to 14. Junior Eva Willenbring added eight points for the fifth-ranked Blugolds.
There is more in this game in a separate story on the website.
Division 4
Pardeeville 52, Luther 40
BARABOO — The Knights (17-10) had their season come to an end at the hands of the Bulldogs (26-1).
Pardeeville had just four players score, but seniors Bronte Hulberg and Ava Wagner combined for 35 on a game that included a slow start for Luther.
Sophomore Cara Unke scored 10 of her team-high 12 in the second half for the Knights, who faced a 27-14 deficit after one half. Sophomores Brinley Schmitz and Jaeyda Livingston added eight points apiece for Luther, which was playing in its first sectional since 2014.
The Knights closed out their season with eight wins over their final 10 games.
