Chris Caporale sports@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader photo by Chris Caporale Menominee Indian sophomore Taylor Olson gets trapped by two Rosholt defenders in Friday’s Central Wisconsin Conference-8 loss to Rosholt.
It took 26 offensive rebounds, and 14 second-chance points for a Central Wisconsin Conference-10 foe to finally hand the Menominee Indian girls basketball team its first loss of the season, 34-27.
Without reigning CWC-10 player of the year Ania Smith, the Hornets used a sizable height advantage to attack the offensive glass and earn easy baskets under the hoop.
“We focus a lot on crashing the boards hard,” Rosholt head coach Megan Boldig said. “We work on that a lot in practice, defensively boxing out and offensively always crashing the boards.”
The Eagles had led the entire first half, using post touches and solid passing to accumulate a 15-6 lead with 2 minutes and 40 seconds remaining in the opening period. The shots started falling for the Hornets in the waning minutes with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 15-12 heading into the break.
Both teams battled back and forth over the opening 10 minutes of the second half, with neither team holding larger than a 3-point lead.
“We were moving it around and getting the good shots we needed to get and just not looking to attack the rim,” Rice said. “Obviously, without Ania in the game, that’s something that we were lacking.”
The offensive rebounding, combined with the defensive play in the second half allowed Rosholt to jump on a 9-0 run over the span of nearly five minutes to take a 27-21 advantage.
“We really just worked on getting ourselves set inside and having good defensive position and making sure every single time we are boxing out and having someone weakside,” Boldig said. “Once we started doing that and not letting them have those second-chance looks, we were doing a good job.”
Rosholt shot 20 percent from the field, a percentage that would leave many teams in the presence of the Eagles’ in a large deficit, but Menominee Indian shot 19 percent from the field.
The Hornets (6-1, 4-1 CWC-10) were able to get the the free throw line in the second half, to finish 14-of-24 shooting from the stripe on the night on 23 fouls for the Eagles. Menominee Indian (6-1, 4-1 CWC-10) managed just six free throw attempts in the loss.
“Offensive intensity wasn’t there,” Rice said about the 12-point second-half performance. “We just weren’t looking to attack gaps and make two people guard us against a 2-3 zone. We just stayed back and were too complacent with the 3-point shot.”
Senior guard Taylor Mahkimetas led the Eagles with 9 points, including one 3-pointer, while sophomore Mercedes Waupoose grabbed four rebounds to lead Menominee Indian.
Rosholt was led by senior Bre Richter’s 10 points and 15 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive glass. Junior forward Molly Andreae tallied seven offensive rebounds for the Hornets as well.
After a 16-2 conference record from a season ago, combined with the previously undefeated start to the season shows the team exactly what the Eagles will have to make up for while Smith is sitting out.
“We’re missing out on the size and the post presence of Ania right now,” Rice said.
Rosholt (34)
S. Richter 1 0-0 2, Stroik 1 3-4 5, Kaminski 0 6-8 6, Mlodik 1 0-0 2, B. Richter 4 2-6 10, Andreae 2 3-6 7, Yenter 1 0-0 2.
Menominee Inian (27)
Lyons 1 0-0 2, Chevalier 1 0-0 2, Webster 0 2-2 2, Waupoose 2 0-0 4, Mahkimetas 3 2-2 9, Munson 2 0-0 5, Corn 1 1-2 3.
Rosholt 12 22 — 34
Menominee Indian 15 12 — 27