HOLMEN — The Prairie du Chien High School girls basketball team is focused on continuing the success it earned a year ago.
The Blackhawks have the luxury to do that rather than start over with the return of every single player from a team that won 19 games under veteran coach Paula Shedivy last season.
“We have definitely built a lot of chemistry together,” senior guard Tannah Radloff said after visiting Prairie du Chien beat Holmen 61-53 in a nonconference game at Bernie L. Ferry Fieldhouse on Tuesday. “Going into another season together just builds on that, and I feel very confident about us this season.”
That was on display Tuesday night as the Blackhawks (5-0) continued an unbeaten march through their schedule by scoring 10 of the first 12 points and holding a double-figure lead for most of the night against the Vikings (0-2).
This experienced group from Prairie du Chien had little trouble asserting itself against a Holmen rotation that includes four freshmen in a game that wasn’t quite as close as the final score. The Blackhawks have won their games by an average of 25.6 points.
The Vikings made 11 3-pointers — they were 1 for 23 from 3-point range in their first game — to remain within striking distance, but a couple of runs to get within eight points in the second half were as close as they could get.
“The biggest thing for us was keeping the ball out of the paint,” Shedivy said of her team’s defensive approach. “We left their shooters open, but we knew (Charley) Casey was a tough player inside, and that’s something we knew we had to do.”
Casey was held to seven points but led the team with 10 rebounds. She had to be a force on the boards for Holmen to have a chance to win, but fighting that battle alone against the Blackhawks’ collective height was too difficult.
With senior Rita Achenbach at 6-foot-1 and Radloff and senior Tessa Czajkowski Higgins — both 5-10 — next to her, Prairie du Chien’s size provided an advantage the entire night.
Senior Greenlee Krahn scored 17 points to lead the Blackhawks, and she made three 3-pointers along the way. Czajkowski Higgins added 16 and sophomore Karly Kramer 10. Kramer scored six of her points during crucial possessions early in the second half.
Senior Imani Toso found her range from the 3-point line in an effort to get Holmen back in the game. She connected on a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions after Prairie du Chien had taken a 36-25 lead.
But Kramer answered the first with a 3 of her own and the second with an offensive rebound, putback and free throw to keep her team’s lead at 42-31. Prairie du Chien followed the three-point play with seven more points to make it 49-31 with 9 minutes, 56 seconds left.
Junior Macy Kline scored a team-high 13 points for Holmen. Senior Danika Rebhahn added three 3-pointers and 11 points, and Toso finished with nine on three 3s.
But none of that could stop the Blackhawks from winning their fifth straight game and plowing forward in search of an eighth straight winning season. Prairie du Chien has won at least 17 games the past six seasons and has an overall record of 125-25 since the start of the 2018-2019 season.
“One thing I like about this team is they are gutty,” Shedivy said. “They are long and lengthy, and they have that drive to be great. They aren’t afraid to get on the floor and mix it up for the ball.”
She also likes the depth her team enjoys with a number of scorers able to lead the way. The Blackhawks used their size to separate from Holmen, and she said the execution of that impressive.
“Getting the ball inside was important for us,” she said. “We had a number of girls slashing hard and wanting the ball inside, posting up. That was great to see.
“We talked about getting it there and did a great job of that.”
