Who says a pair of freshmen can come up big for a girls basketball team?
The Lena Wildcats, that’s who.
Ella Thomson and Alisa Finger scored 24 and 10 points, respectively, for the Wildcats on Jan. 29 in a 51-21 M&O Conference win over Gillett on their home court.
Three-point shooting helped Gillett stay close in the first half, as Maggie Kaczmarek connected on a trio of threes and Clara Schaal added another as the Tigers trailed 14-12 at one point in the first half.
However, Gillett didn’t score again until midway through the second half. By then, the Wildcats had scored the final 11 points of the first half to take a 25-12 lead into the locker room and also scored the first 13 points of the second half for a 38-12 advantage.
The Tigers didn’t make a two-point basket in the game until Sophie Limberg’s 3-point play with three minutes to go in the game.
The Wildcats also picked up a 40-27 win over the Tigers Dec. 11 in Gillett.
“They’re faster, quicker, stronger and more athletic than us,” coach Mike Kaczmarek said. “They’re deeper than us. There’s nothing else we can do.”
Thomson and Finger were the only players in the game to score in double figures. Thomson added a game-high 14 rebounds to go with her 24 points, while Kaczmarek scored all nine of her team-high points in the first half for the Tigers.
Lena improved to 16-1 overall and 10-1 in conference play with the win, while Gillett dropped to 10-7 overall and 7-4 in the conference.
“How do we rebound?” Kaczmarek said. “I don’t know. We have to continue to grow, that’s all we can do.”
Meanwhile, Lena coach Tim Goldschmidt is counting on some of his younger players like Thomson and Finger to pick up their game now that senior Madi Thomson — Ella’s sister — is finished for the season after reinjuring her knee Jan. 8 during a 49-35 home loss to Crivitz.
It’s the only loss of the season for the Wildcats, but since then, they have rattled off five straight wins, including a 72-51 victory over Merrill Jan. 19 and M&O wins over Wausaukee, St. Thomas Aquinas, Coleman and Gillett.
The Wildcats still have several games to play before the regular season wraps up, including a rematch with Crivitz Feb. 17 on the Wolverines’ home court.
Goldschmidt said one of his team’s goals is to return to state for the second time in three seasons after falling in overtime to Albany/Monticello in the WIAA Division 5 state championship game in 2024.
If the Wildcats do advance to state, it’ll be with a different team than two years ago. Eight of the 15 players on the varsity roster – six freshmen and two sophomores – were still in middle school the last time the Wildcats played for a state title.
“There’s a long way to go, so we’re taking it one game at a time,” Goldschmidt said.
