This story is sponsored by Forward Financial Bank
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – In order to stay in control of its goal of winning a second-straight Wisconsin Valley Conference title, the Marshfield girls basketball team had to beat first-place Wausau West on Friday night at Marshfield High School.
With so much on the line, the Tigers played possibly their best overall game of the season. Marshfield shot 55 percent from the field and overcame a nine-point deficit to beat West 70-66, sending the Warriors to their first Valley loss of the 2016-17 season.
Marshfield has won three straight and is now 5-6 overall and 4-1 in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, one-half game behind West (10-3, 5-1 WVC) for first in the standings.
Sophomore Jenna Jakobi scored a career-high 21 points, including a key three-point play with 21.5 second to play that turned a two-point lead into a 70-65 advantage.
“We found out before the game that Hannah (Meverden) wasn’t going to play, so it was just ‘Fight, leave everything on the floor,’” Marshfield coach Heidi Michaelis said. “We can live with anything if they do that. When you play hard, good things happen.
“I told Jenna, ‘Tonight’s the night. Put it all together.’ She came up with some crazy stuff for us. When you have 21 points and 10 rebounds, that’s a great game.”
Marshfield started strong, jumping out to a 12-7 lead behind six points from Ema Fehrenbach and four from Jakobi.
However, after Fehrenbach picked up her second foul and went to the bench with 13 minutes to go in the half, West took advantage and went on a 16-3 run to go up 23-15.
Caitlin Deaton and Maddie Schires each hit a 3-pointer in the run for the Warriors.
Marshfield’s Corianne Johnson nailed a 3-pointer to stop the run and the Tigers fought back to take a 34-33 lead after a basket by Meg Bryan.
Schires hit her second 3-pointer of the half in the closing seconds to put West up 38-35 at halftime.
Caitlin Deaton, who scored 17 points in the opening half with the help of three 3-pointers, was stymied in the second half as Marshfield held her to just two more points on 1 of 7 shooting.
With the loss of Deaton’s offensive firepower, Marshfield was able to forge ahead.
The Tigers scored 15 of the first 18 points in the second half. A 3-pointer from sophomore reserve Shantel Nienast put Marshfield up 50-41 with 10:27 left.
West got to within a point after a rebound and basket by Tess Hauer, but never did regain the lead.
Jakobi made 4 of 6 from the free throw line, and after a miss, she stole a pass, scored and was fouled. She made the free throw, putting the Tigers on top 69-64 with 21.5 seconds to go.
After a West basket, Fehrenbach made one of two at the line with 11 seconds left to put the game away for the Tigers. She finished with 16 points, as did Bryan, who hit four 3-pinters in the win.
West had 15 second-chance points, but only two in the second half as the Tigers buckled down on the defensive end and held on with an efficient offensive performance (24-for-44 shooting).
“We shoot a high percentage when we take care of the ball,” Michaelis said. “You can’t give up 18 possessions for no reason. If you are looking for force the issue moving the ball up, that’s one thing, but the unforced ones, we had them again tonight, that kills you in a possession. If you take care of it, pass it 10 times, you are going to get a good shot. We have good shooters and when those shooters start hitting, it opens up the inside for Ema.”
Marshfield is off until Jan. 21 when it hosts Waunakee in a nonconference game at 2:30 p.m.
Tigers 70, Warriors 66
Wausau West 38 28 – 66
Marshfield 35 35 – 70
WAUSAU WEST (66): Alexa Sheehan 1-2 0-0 3, Caitlin Deaton 7-21 2-2 19, Lauren Conley 0-1 0-0 0, Shelby Samz 2-8 0-0 5, Maddie Schires 3-10 2-2 11, Tess Hauer 5-5 0-1 10, Kadie Deaton 3-11 5-6 12, Sarah Snoeyenbos 3-4 0-1 6. FG: 24-62. FT: 9-12. 3-pointers: 9-24 (C. Deaton 3-8, Schires 3-8, Samz 1-2, Sheehan 1-2, K. Deaton 1-4). Rebounds: 31 (Snoeyenbos 8). Turnovers: 16. Fouls: 21. Fouled out: K. Deaton. Record: 10-3, 5-1 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
MARSHFIELD (70): Shantel Nienast 1-1 0-0 3, Meg Bryan 6-14 0-0 16, Kaydee Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Jenna Jakobi 8-11 5-9 21, Corianne Johnson 2-5 1-2 6, Maddie Nikolai 1-4 6-7 8, Ema Fehrenbach 6-9 4-6 16, Katie Osinski 0-0 0-0 0, Sophie Koehn 0-0 0-0 0. FG: 24-44. FT: 16-24. 3-pointers: 6-17 (Bryan 4-12, Nienast 1-1, C. Johnson 1-4). Rebounds: 26 (Jakobi 10). Turnovers: 17. Fouls: 14. Fouled out: none. Record: 5-6, 4-1 Wisconsin Valley Conference.