This story is sponsored by: Valley Communities Credit Union
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
Click this link to listen to the complete postgame interview with Marshfield coach Heidi Michaelis
View video highlights of the game at allmarshfield.com.
MARSHFIELD – In preparing for the first of what it hoped was many big games during the next week, the Marshfield girls basketball team found out something it could have never prepared for.
Marshfield junior guard Taylor Varsho, the Wisconsin Valley Conference Player of the Year, suffered a season-ending ACL knee injury during practice Tuesday, leaving a gaping hole for the Tigers to fill.
Marshfield put forth a valiant effort Thursday night against Superior, but didn’t have enough offensive firepower and dropped a 44-31 decision to the Spartans in a WIAA Division 1 girls basketball sectional semifinal at Marshfield High School.
The Tigers (20-4) missed Varsho’s slashing and scoring ability, as well as her ball handling skills, and couldn’t keep pace with a Superior team that forced 16 turnovers and held Marshfield to 10 of 32 shooting from the field.
Superior (18-6) moves into a sectional final against Eau Claire North (22-2), a 43-40 winner over La Crosse Central in the other sectional semifinal. The sectional final is at 3 p.m. Saturday at Marshfield High School.
“The kids had a great mindset going in, they knew that they had to step up and do more, especially on the offensive end,” Marshfield coach Heidi Michaelis said. “We were good defensively, and solid, but offensively, obviously, we were really hurt because a lot of our sets go through Taylor. She deals with the ball and that pressure, having that one less ball handler, definitely hurt us.”
Marshfield came out determined early. After not scoring for the first 2:40 of the game, the Tigers used a 10-2 run to close out the first quarter – six coming on a pair of 3-pointers by Alyssa Brenner – and led 10-4 after eight minutes.
From that point on, the Tigers missed their offensive leader in Varsho, who scored 21 points a game this season in setting the school’s single-season scoring record of 483 points.
Marshfield turned the ball over on eight of 10 possessions during a stretch where Superior posted a 16-5 run to pull ahead 20-15.
Brenner hit her third 3-pointer and Eleni Seitz (10 points, eight rebounds) hit a pair of free throws to cut the Spartans’ lead to 24-20 at halftime.
The turnover bug bit the Tigers again in the third quarter. A 9-3 run by Superior, which included five points from Jessica Lindstrom, made it 33-25. Tiffany Stargardt made a free throw to end the run, but the Tigers turned the ball over on five straight possessions and trailed 38-28 after three quarters.
“I thought the kids responded really well, it was just a matter of that we had our opportunities,” Michaelis said. “You have to take care of the ball, and if you don’t that, you for sure have to make the shots you get. We had too many lost opportunities with making too many bad passes and too many mistakes.”
Marshfield did not score a basket in the fourth quarter, missing all nine of its attempts (six from 3-point range) and scored just three points on seven free-throw attempts. Neither team scored for 3:20, but the Tigers couldn’t take advantage as they tried to mount a comeback, missing on four straight trips down the court.
“We didn’t knock down shots and that’s part of the game,” Michaelis said. “That’s perhaps feeling a little bit of the pressure to score more. Those shots maybe go in with ‘T’ out there. It is what it is and I’m proud of the way the girls battled all year. They accomplished a lot. It’s sad, but mostly I’m sad for Taylor, with the abrupt end to it, and I’m sad for the seniors because I don’t think any of us envisioned it ending the way it did tonight.”
Brenner finished with a game-high 15 points on 4-for-8 from 3-point range to lead the Tigers. She is one of four seniors graduating, a group that also includes Seitz, point guard Sarah Wolff and reserve Becky Boehning, that helped Marshfield win its fourth-straight Wisconsin Valley Conference championship and fourth-straight 20-win season.
“They were a fun group. This was one of the most fun years I’ve ever had,” said Michaelis, who is 189-47 and has won seven WVC titles and reached the sectionals nine times in her 10 years as Tigers’ coach. “I have fun every year, but it was the easiest year as far as dealing with the kids and no drama. They got a long and were so coachable. From beginning to end, they improved as much as any team I’ve ever had.
“Eleni Seitz had a great year. As the year went on, she got stronger and stronger. Alyssa Brenner is one of the most fun kids I’ve had the chance to coach. She knocked down 3s and played really well tonight. Sarah Wolff, she got the ball up and to where we wanted all year for us. She was so unselfish. Becky Boehning, playing a tough role, coming every day to practice and not getting a lot of time, but that says a lot of her and of the kids in the program that want to be part of something special.”
Spartans 44, Tigers 31
Superior 4 20 14 6 – 44
Marshfield 10 10 8 3 – 31
SUPERIOR (44): Abby Clemons 2-5 0-0 4, Raya Kosey 2-5 2-2 6, Natalie Kintop 0-0 0-0 0, Jessica Lindstrom 4-10 0-0 9, Hailey Kontny 4-12 4-5 12, Cassy O’Neill 0-1 0-0 0, Samantha DeMeyer 4-6 4-7 13. FG: 16-39. FT: 10-14. 3-pointers: 2-8 (Lindstrom 1-2, DeMeyer 1-1, Clemons 0-2, Kontny 0-2, Kosey 0-1). Rebounds: 23 (Kontny 7, Clemons 5). Turnovers: 13. Total fouls: 13. Fouled out: none. Record: 18-6.
MARSHFIELD (31): Mary Wolff 0-0 0-0 0, Tiffany Stargardt 0-0 0-1 0, Leah Ripp 1-12 0-1 3, Sarah Wolff 0-1 0-0 0, Alyssa Brenner 4-11 3-4 15, Eleni Seitz 4-7 2-2 10, Courtney Bauer 1-1 0-0 2, Brianna Hill 0-0 0-0 0, Becky Boehning 0-0 0-0 0. FG: 10-32. FT: 6-11. 3-pointers: 5-19 (Brenner 4-8, Ripp 1-11). Rebounds: 22 (Seitz 8, Stargardt 5). Turnovers: 16. Total fouls: 13. Fouled out: Brenner. Record: 20-4.