Girls Basketball: Suring scratches out win over Lena

SURING — Kylee Stelzer spent much of the second half on the bench in foul trouble, but when she got back on the court, she played a clutch role in helping the Suring girls claim a 45-41 Marinette and Oconto Conference victory over Lena on Friday.

Stelzer, a junior, picked up her fourth foul at the 11:47 mark of the second half and the hosts up 25-22. When she checked back in at the 4:51 mark, the Eagles were on the wrong side of a 33-32 score.

After Lena couldn’t convert a pair of one-and-one free throw opportunities, Stelzer made her first big shot, drilling a 3-pointer with 3:10 left to give Suring a two-point lead. Suring senior Stephanie Huth then turned a Lena turnover into another field goal to put the team up four and force the visitors to take a timeout with 2:57 left.

Much like the rest of the game, the Wildcats continued to battle despite being down. Lena freshman Chaela Rabas hit a 3-pointer before a fastbreak bucket by junior Kennedy Marquardt gave the visitors a one-point lead with 2:10 left.

Suring quickly drove the ball down the floor, with junior Paige Krueger tallying the go-ahead field goal with just under two minutes to play. After the Eagles made a defensive stop, Stelzer connected on another 3-pointer to put the hosts back up four.

“My teammate really brought me up. I was struggling a lot in the first half and I just had to get my head in the game,” said Stelzer of how she came through when her team needed her despite scoring just two points before returning to the game. “I executed in the right way and it worked out.”

This time, Suring was able to hold the lead, with Stelzer making two free throws and Krueger adding another to push the lead to seven.

Lena senior Lily Potter hit a triple with under four seconds to play, but the Wildcats soon ran out of time.

Despite coming up short and having the team’s record fall to 0-7 overall, Lena coach Tim Goldschmidt was pleased with the effort the Wildcats displayed.

“We sometimes struggle to score, but all they need is a little confidence,” said Goldschmidt. “Once a few shots started falling, you could see our confidence build a little bit. We got a little more aggressive and it got us right back in the game.”

“They (his team) didn’t give up and they hustled until the end and that’s all I can ask.”

It was Suring that got out to a lead at the start of the game. Krueger scored eight points and helped the Eagles take an 11-2 lead with under five minutes to play in the first half.

Lena was able to get a little rhythm going before halftime though, as Marquardt scored seven of the team’s nine points before halftime, when Suring led 19-11.

The teams traded runs in the second half, with Lena whittling down the deficit before Suring would tack on a couple points to regain control. Krueger continued to power the Eagles, while the Wildcats had several players knock down shots.

After Lena trimmed the deficit to one with just under nine minutes to play, Suring used a 7-1 run to go up 32-25. Lena responded with an 8-0 run to take the lead before Stelzer returned to the court.

Krueger made nine fields and knocked down eight free throws to finish with 26 points. She also had eight rebounds, four steals and four blocks.

“Paige had a huge game for us when we needed her the most,” said Suring coach Mitch Woulf, who credited the team’s other close games as a reason why it was able to come out on top against Lena. “She is a big-time player for us and it was great to see her go off tonight.”

Stelzer tallied eight of her 10 points in the final five minutes of the game — the junior also grabbed five rebounds. Junior Kelsey Smith grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out three assists, while Huth chipped in five points.

It was Marquardt that paced the Wildcats with 15 points. Senior Lillian Sellen had six points, while freshman Natalie McNurlen, junior Chloie Potter and Rabas all had five points.

Lena 11 30 — 41

Suring 19 26 — 45

Suring (45): Kate Mahoney 0-0 2, Kylee Stelzer 4-5 10, Paige Krueger 8-14 26, Stephanie Huth 1-3 5, Kelsey Smith 0-0 2.

Lena (41): Natalie McNurlen 3-3 5, Lillian Sellen 0-0 6, Kennedy Marquardt 5-7 15, Chloie Potter 1-2 5, Brianna Spratlin 0-4 2, Chaela Rabas 0-0 5, Lily Potter 0-0 3.

sports@newmedia-wi.com