By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – Going into Saturday’s WIAA Division 1 regional final against Superior, Marshfield sophomore guard Taylor Varsho stood 53 points shy of breaking the Tigers’ single-season scoring record.
The way she played against the Spartans, Varsho looked like she could get it all in one day.
Varsho scored 20 of her season-high 34 points in the first half to help the Tigers roll to a 65-42 victory Saturday afternoon at the Marshfield High School Fieldhouse.
Marshfield (21-2) advances to the Division 1 sectional at Wausau West next weekend and plays the Warriors (20-4) at 8 p.m. Friday, following the first semifinal contest between Eau Claire North (17-7) and River Falls (12-11). The sectional final is at 7 p.m. Saturday at West.
Marshfield defeated West twice during the regular season.
This is the eighth straight season Marshfield has made it to the girls sectionals, and the Tigers are searching for their fifth trip to the WIAA state tournament during that span.
Varsho did set two school records during the game. Varsho made seven 3-pointers to break the single game record of six that she had already tied twice this season and was originally set by Liz Buttke in the 2003-04 season. The seven long-range bombs also set the new single-season mark for 3-pointers, giving her 63 on the year. She came into the game tied with Katie Wolff’s mark of 56 that she set two seasons ago.
Varsho now stands 19 points shy of breaking Jamie Braun’s season mark of 465 points set in 2005-06.
“You just get a big smile on your face,” Varsho said of her record-setting performance. “It’s so nice to have a teammate come up to say, ‘You’re on fire.’ It’s a great win for us. Next Friday, that’s another step up.”
Varsho scored 11 of the Tigers’ first 12 points, including a pair of 3-point shots and a three-point play, to push Marshfield to an early 14-8 lead.
The 5-foot-6 guard didn’t let up in the second quarter as she made three straight 3-pointers. Eleni Seitz scored all seven of her points in the second quarter, and with Varsho’s 20 first-half points, Marshfield led 32-19 at the break.
“She’s different (from the past Marshfield standouts) in the respect that she’s a kid that can miss a few shots and it does not faze her at all, she’s going to come right back,” Marshfield coach Heidi Michaelis said. “She has no conscience, which as a shooter and scorer, makes you pretty tough because nothing seems to bother her.”
Varsho’s sister, senior Andie Varsho, got into the act in the third quarter as the two combined to score 17 of Marshfield’s 20 points – 11 by Taylor, six by Andie. A 12-0 run to close the quarter put the Spartans out of reach at 52-29.
Marshfield’s defense was just as impressive as Varsho’s array of long-range shots and transition layups.
The Tigers frustrated Superior guard Betty Jo Nelson, who came into the game as one of the top scorers in the state at 21.2 points a game, and held her to 14 points.
“We’re never going to wow anyone, necessarily, in our half-court offense,” Michaelis said. “I really think we’re as quick of a team as I’ve ever had and they’re willing to work on the defensive end. When you are willing to work as hard as they do on the defensive end and are willing to throw their bodies around like they are, it makes good things happen for us.”
Tigers 65, Spartans 42
Superior 8 11 10 13 – 42
Marshfield 14 18 20 13 – 65
SUPERIOR (42): Ashlee Knight 1 0-0 2, MacKenzie Newman 2 0-0 4, Raya Kosey 0 0-2 0, Janelle Strewler 3 3-4 9, Betty Jo Nelson 6 2-3 14, Christa Diedrich 2 0-0 4, Chelsea Breimon 1 0-0 2, Cassy O’Neil 0 2-2 2, Samantha DeMeyer 2 0-0 5. FG: 17. FT: 7-11. 3-pointers: 1 (DeMeyer 1). Record: 13-11.
MARSHFIELD (65): Becky Boehning 1 0-1 2, Amy Krogman 0 0-0 0, Taylor Varsho 13 1-2 34, Andie Varsho 4 0-0 8, Leah Ripp 0 0-2 0, Kelsey Weigel 1 2-5 4, Alyssa Brenner 1 2-4 4, Amelia Eckes 2 2-2 6, Sarah Wolff 0 0-0 0, Eleni Seitz 2 3-6 7. FG: 24. FT: 10-20. 3-pointers: 7 (T. Varsho 7). Record: 21-2.
