Sports
Blue Dukes Girls Earn Their Own Trip to State
Sophomore Elisabeth Johnston paces three players in double figures with 13 points in 44-42 victory over New Berlin Eisenhower.
The Whitefish Bay girls basketball team plays a slow and methodical type of game. Sometimes the Blue Dukes might look too hard for a decent shot, but sometimes their methods pay off. Saturday afternoon it paid off in a big way, as they overcame a five-point halftime deficit to score a 44-42 thrilling victory against New Berlin Eisenhower in a WIAA Division 2 sectional championship game.
Whitefish Bay (21-5) faces either Luxemburg-Casco (24-1) or Beaver Dam (21-4) in the state semifinals about 3:30 p.m. Friday in Madison.
Sophomore Elisabeth Johnston paced three players in double figures with 13 points.
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“We’re a young program and we’re developing young confidence,” said Whitefish Bay coach Greg Capper. “We have lots of players who practice shooting in big time situations like this. We try to keep them calm and say ‘Look when it’s your turn and you feel it, shoot it.’”
Shooting and confidence didn’t come early for Whitefish Bay. After taking a 2-0 lead, New Berlin Eisenhower asserted its prowess and jumped out to an 11-5 lead after one quarter. Junior sensation Nicole Bauman and senior Sara Potts led the way, Potts hitting a key 3-pointer to extend the lead.
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The second period saw both teams trading baskets, with Whitefish Bay shaving a single point off the deficit to trail 23-18 at the half.
The third quarter set the tone for Whitefish Bay as it was able to run its methodical offense and find quality shots. Johnston opened and closed the quarter with a clutch 3-point shot, and Whitefish Bay used a 9-2 run late to take a 34-30 lead into the final quarter.
Perhaps Eisenhower succumbed to the pressure early in the fourth quarter, as it began to force shots, especially from beyond the arc. Senior Anna Hahn forced a pair of 3-pointers that misfired, and Whitefish Bay was able to capitalize.
Eisenhower was not about to go down without a fight as it slowly crept back into the game. Bauman, who had a game-high 22 points, almost singlehandedly brought the Lions back into the game when she hit a crucial 3-pointer to cut the lead to 41-38.
Moments later Bauman launched another three, but was fouled in the act and sent to the line for three free throws. The first two shots relied on the shooter’s bounce before falling through the net, but the third shot was nothing but net.
Eisenhower then pressured the inbound pass, but Blue Dukes senior Jessica Switzer was able to break free for a layup.
Eisenhower forced up another long range jumper, and a battle for the rebound ensued. Whitefish Bay came up with the ball, but a controversial foul was called on Eisenhower junior Taylor McArthur for reaching in. Despite Eisenhower coach Gary Schmidt’s protests, Fuda made the first of two shots, making it 44-41 in favor of Whitefish Bay.
Eisenhower had one last ditch effort, but sophomore Katie Lang was fouled on her drive to the hole. She made the first free throw, but the second seemingly was purposely missed. Eisenhower captured the rebound but could not get a shot off in time.
Capper explained his team’s play down the stretch.
“We were hoping they would play some man to man, we know this kind of pressure,” said Capper. “It’s just been a long time since we had to play against it.”
A trip to Madison is on the horizon for the Blue Dukes.
“We’ll be fine there. The team is going to watch to boys play and know what it’s like playing in front of 10,000 people.” said Capper. "We asked them to step away from being fans and put yourself on the floor and ask what is it going to take to block out all the distractions. It’s a whole other level of concentration.”