Bears standing tall heading into season

Don’t make the mistake of assuming the Bonduel High School girls basketball team, despite having only two seniors, is inexperienced.

The team has three players with starting experience, including Jen Dowden, a 5-foot-11 junior who is a third-year starter and was a first-team all-Central Wisconsin Conference-8 selection last year.

Dowden led the team with 181 points (12.9 points per game), was second in the conference in rebounding (8.6 per game) and was third in the conference in free-throw percentage (54 of 71).

Starters Alexa Reinke, a 5-foot-10 junior forward, and Deanna Zernicke, a 5-foot-6 junior guard, also return, along with seniors Morgan Sorenson and Courtney Schmidt.

“With Jen (Dowden), Lexi (Reinke) and D (Zernicke) with three years of varsity experience, we should do better than what we’re picked,” said Bonduel coach Missy Dowden, who is also Jen Dowden’s mother. “The five that I have left from varsity last year have experience. We’re putting three new people into roles this year.”

Six others, all juniors and sophomores, will fight for playing time.

The juniors making the jump to varsity this year have the added advantage of having grown up playing with Reinke, Zernicke and Jen Dowden.

“Most of the girls that I moved up to varsity have been playing together since sixth grade,” Missy Dowden said, “so the juniors are all back together now. They’ve done a nice job working together with each other.”

The team lost four seniors from last year’s 14-10 (7-7 Central Wisconsin Conference-8) team: Taylor Rusch, who was second in scoring, Whitney Sorenson, Libby Bonnin and Maggie Carselo.

The coach said she will make some changes based on the differences in personnel.

“This is probably my tallest group, which is different,” Missy Dowden said. “I’ve usually got one or two who are tall here and there. This year I’ve got four girls that are at least 5-foot-10. That’s nice. That’s a totally different situation than we’ve ever had.”

The height advantage will allow the Bears to play more than just Jen Dowden and Reinke inside, which the coach hopes will open up opportunities for the other girls.

“Other teams are going to be double-teaming Jen, so the other girls have to step up,” she said.

Bonduel had 34 girls come out for basketball.

“This is the first time I’ve had 34 girls in the gym,” Missy Dowden said. “You have to take your time to watch them and put them in different groups to see what they can do. I was hoping to get 30, and we’re up to 34.”

The good turnout will allow the program to have a C team.

“The only problem is that varsity and JV have games locked in, and we’re having some trouble finding enough games for the C team,” Missy Dowden said. “We’re one of the only teams in the area that has that many girls out.”

The coach expects Amherst and Wittenberg-Birnamwood to be strong in the Central Wisconsin Conference-8.

“Amherst is strong. They lost two girls, one starter,” she said. “Wittenberg-Birnamwood lost three seniors last year. They have a couple back that will hold the team strong, but that will be a close match.”