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By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – Following a late rally to tie the game, the Marshfield girls basketball team didn’t score from the field in the final 2 minutes and lost its regular-season and Wisconsin Valley Conference finale to Wausau West 65-61 on Thursday night at Marshfield High School.
Maddie Michaelis scored on a nifty left-handed layup, Meg Bryan drilled a 3-pointer and Corianne Johnson scored inside for a 7-0 run for the Tigers to tie the game at 60-60 with 1:57 to go.
Wausau West’s Maddie Schires responded with a three-point play on the Warriors’ next possession and they led the rest of the way.
Marshfield missed three of four free throws and all three of its shots from the floor to close out the game.
The Tigers finish the regular season with a 10-12 record and a 5-7 mark in the WVC. Despite a number of close losses throughout the season, including another one Thursday, Marshfield is poised to make a run in the WIAA playoffs. The Tigers will play either Shawano or Antigo on Feb. 23 at home in a Division 2 regional semifinal.
“Hopefully, we right ourselves by Monday and get our mind set to really get after it and get prepared for the tournament,” Marshfield coach Heidi Michaelis said. “That was always the goal, to be the best team we could be going into the tournament. I think we are where we want to be.”
Neither team led by more than three for the first 15½ minutes of the game until Michaelis made a 3-pointer and two free throws to put Marshfield up 35-30 with 1:36 to go in the first half.
West (15-7, 7-5 Wisconsin Valley Conference) scored at the buzzer and went on a 10-0 run a couple of minutes into the second half to open up a 49-41 lead.
Despite a devastating leg injury to senior center Hannah Meverden that left the team clearly shaken, the Tigers responded positively to stay in the game.
Katie Osinski scored the next seven Marshfield points to keep the Tigers within striking range before the 7-0 run tied it.
Bryan had 13 points, Meverden had 12, and Michaelis and Osinski each had 11 for Marshfield.
“We didn’t play well coming out of halftime,” Heidi Michaelis said. “I think we put ourselves in a position where we could have been up more. We didn’t make shots, we didn’t clear boards, we made mistakes, and the next thing you know it was tied.
“Then Hannah got hurt. It is hard for any team to watch someone to be in that position. To our kids’ credit, they found a way to balance and right the ship. I told them I was proud of them.”
Warriors 65, Tigers 61
Wausau West 32 33 – 65
Marshfield 35 26 – 61
WAUSAU WEST (65): Malena Tonelli 0-1 0-0 0, Kadie Deaton 7-15 4-8 18, Kiley Deaton 0-0 0-0 0, Shpresa Shabani 0-3 0-2 0, Shelby Samz 1-7 4-6 6, Maddie Schires 6-9 5-5 19, Tess Hauer 5-10 6-8 16, Grace Michalske 1-2 1-2 4. FG: 20-47. FT: 20-31. 3-pointers: 3-12 (Schires 2-3, Michalske 1-2, Ka. Deaton 0-1, Tonelli 0-1, Hauer 0-1, Shabani 0-1, Samz 0-3). Rebounds: 33 (Samz 9). Turnovers: 13. Fouls: 18. Fouled out: none. Record: 15-7, 7-5 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
MARSHFIELD (61): Kaydee Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Meg Bryan 3-14 4-6 13, Maddie Michaelis 3-8 3-4 11, Desirae Weisenberger 1-3 0-1 2, Hannah Meverden 6-8 0-0 12, Corianne Johnson 2-4 0-0 5, Katie Osinski 5-7 1-1 11, Jenna Jakobi 2-6 3-4 7. FG: 22-51. FT: 11-16. 3-pointers: 6-23 (Bryan 3-13, Michaelis 2-7, C. Johnson 1-2, K. Johnson 0-1). Rebounds: 30 (Jakobi 6, Meverden 6). Turnovers: 14. Fouls: 23. Fouled out: none. Record: 10-12, 5-7 Wisconsin Valley Conference.