This story is sponsored by: The Marshfield Tiger Booster Club
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – In the Marshfield girls basketball team’s first meeting with D.C. Everest, the Tigers were able to hold Evergreens’ center Taylor Hodell to six points in a 10-point loss.
In the rematch Friday, the Tigers didn’t have an answer for Everest’s 6-foot-4 senior center.
Hodell scored 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, leading undefeated D.C. Everest to a 55-35 victory over Marshfield in a Wisconsin Valley Conference matchup at the Boson Company Fieldhouse at Marshfield High School.
Hodell, who has committed to play collegiately at NCAA Division II Northern Michigan, scored six points and grabbed five rebounds in the first quarter that sparked a 17-4 run over the first 7 minutes.
Marshfield’s Ellie Kummer, who signed to play at NAIA Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee on Thursday, hit a 3-pointer and McKayla Scheuer had a steal and basket in the final 35 seconds to close the gap to 17-9 at the end of the quarter.
However, every time Marshfield tried to make a run, it was Hodell – on one end of the court or the other – that put an end to it.
Hodell scored eight Everest points in a row, the final basket ending a 6-0 run by the Tigers, to put the Evergreens back up by 10 late in the second quarter.
“The first time around (against Everest) we controlled her and their guards made shots,” Marshfield coach Heidi Michaelis said. “This time, she absolutely dominated. We tried zone, we tried man and she does a good job of being patient and coming clean, and her teammates the ball where she can get it.”
Everest (21-0, 11-0 Wisconsin Valley Conference), ranked No. 1 in the WisSports.net Division 1 state coaches poll, took a 32-19 lead into halftime and Hodell scored all six of its points in the third quarter.
Another 3-pointer from Kummer helped Marshfield close to within 38-27 heading into the fourth.
Marshfield wouldn’t score for the first 3:40 of the fourth quarter and Hodell helped put the game away, scoring six points in the first 2 minutes in a 12-0 run that pushed Everest’s lead to 50-27.
“In the zone, you have to bump her every single time and you have to have two people on her, and obviously it didn’t work,” Michaelis said. “If you go man, it’s even harder. You could pack it in, but their guards will make shots. You have to pick your poison and tonight, we picked the layups. You have to protect the lane better than we did and it’s something we have to do better if we want a chance to compete.”
Marshfield shot just 11 of 42 from the field, while Hodell alone was 13 of 18 shooting for Everest. Caitlin Michaelis had 11 points and Ema Fehrenbach added 10 in the loss for Marshfield.
The Tigers (15-6, 7-4 Wisconsin Valley Conference) play at Wausau East on Thursday in their regular-season finale. The game will be broadcast on WDLB-AM 1450 and wdlbwosq.com at 7:30 p.m.
Evergreens 55, Tigers 35
D.C. Everest 17 15 6 17 – 55
Marshfield 9 10 8 8 – 35
D.C. EVEREST (55): Hannah Tipple 0-4 0-0 0, Jordyn Ostrowski 0-0 0-0 0, Haley Kroll 1-5 0-0 3, Kaylie Kohel 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor Petit 3-6 1-1 7, Katelyn Schmoll 2-2 0-0 6, Mackenzie Mathies 1-7 2-4 5, Makayla pagel 2-4 1-2 5, Taylor Hodell 13-18 3-4 29, Emily Bauman 0-0 0-0 0. FG: 22-46. FT: 7-11. 3-pointers: 4-18 (Schmoll 2-2, Kroll 1-4, Mathies 1-7, Pagel 0-1, Tipple 0-2, Petit 0-2). Rebounds: 35 (T. Hodell 14). Turnovers: 13. Fouls: 13. Fouled out: none. Record: 21-0, 11-0 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
MARSHFIELD (35): McKayla Scheuer 2-6 0-0 5, Meg Bryan 0-0 0-0 0, Caitlin Michaelis 4-12 0-0 11, Sara Dasler 0-0 0-0 0, Natalie Zuelke 0-1 1-2 1, Maddie Nikolai 0-0 0-0 0, Martha Kupfer 0-0 0-0 0, Ellie Kummer 2-11 2-4 8, Ema Fehrenbach 3-11 4-6 10, Hannah Meverden 0-1 0-2 0. FG: 11-42. FT: 7-14. 3-pointers: 6-17 (Michaelis 3-8, Kummer 2-7, Scheuer 1-2). Rebounds: 21 (Kupfer 6). Turnovers: 14. Fouls: 11. Fouled out: none. Record: 15-6, 7-4 Wisconsin Valley Conference.