By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield Columbus Catholic girls basketball team ran off to a 6-1 start, which included a victory over Owen-Withee, one of the top teams in the state.
Since that huge win in early January, the Dons have been up and down with a 7-7 record since, but seem to be playing some of their best basketball at the end of the season.
Before a loss to Fall Creek in a Cloverbelt Conference crossover game on Friday, the Dons had won three in a row, including a pair of hard-fought wins over Loyal and Augusta.
Columbus (13-8) hopes to regain that momentum going into the WIAA Division 4 playoffs Tuesday with a regional quarterfinal at home against Cornell (2-17).
When the Dons have been playing their best, it is largely because of their defense. Columbus closed strong in recent wins against Granton and Loyal, and in a 66-61 win over Augusta last Monday, the Dons’ defensive pressure and tenacity led to numerous fastbreak opportunities and easy baskets.
“We’ve got to play with that defensive intensity we can play with, we’ve got to rebound and we’ve got to go knock down shots,” Columbus coach Darin Green said after the win. “If we’re able to do those three things, we’ll move along.”
The Division 4 regional is littered with Cloverbelt Conference East Division teams – the top four seeds are from the conference – and should Columbus get through it, third-seeded Greenwood and top seed Owen-Withee are possible opponents.
The Dons split with O-W and beat Greenwood by double digits both times they played during the conference season. In order to reach the sectionals in Spooner on March 19 and 20, Columbus might have to beat them both again.
Senior Paige Albrecht has led the Dons in scoring all season, averaging 16.5 points a game for a team that scores 47 a contest.
Albrecht, who scored a career-high 27 points in last week’s win over Augusta, said the Dons are still waiting to play their best basketball.
“We’re working on it,” she said. “We know we can play better than we did. We know what we need to work on going into the playoffs.”
WIAA Division 4 Marathon Regional
Tuesday, March 9
Regional quarterfinals
No. 7 Cornell (2-17) at No. 2 Marshfield Columbus Catholic (13-8)
No. 6 Northland Lutheran (4-18) at No. 3 Greenwood (13-8)
No. 8 Abbotsford (0-22) at No. 1 Owen-Withee (18-4)
No. 5 Athens (7-15) at No. 4 Loyal (9-13)
Thursday, March 11
Regional semifinals
Higher seed hosts
Saturday, March 13
Regional final at Marathon, 1 p.m.
Friday, March 19
Sectional semifinal at Spooner, 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 20
Sectional final at Spooner, 7 p.m.
