It was a tale of two halves for top-seeded Oostburg, who struggled and found themselves down at halftime, but rallied for a 63-50 win over fourth-seeded Mosinee in a WIAA Girls Basketball Division 3 State Semi-Final on Thursday afternoon at the Resch Center.

Oostburg shot just 24% from the floor in the opening period, while Mosinee finished the half at 48%, and it resulted in a surprising 30-22 lead at the break for Mosinee.

Junior Addy Henrich led the Indians with 12 points in the first half, while sophomore Paetyn Jirschele had nine points. The Indians turned it over 10 times in that first half, but shot a high percentage and limited Oostburg offensively to build the lead.

That lead didn’t hold long, however, as Oostburg came out firing in the second half, going on a 14-0 run to open the period and take a lead they’d never relinquish. Finally, the shots fell, to the tune of 43% overall, including six-of-11 on three-pointers in the second half.

The Flying Dutch defense continued to swarm, and would force 18 turnovers in the game, while they committed just four themselves.

Oostburg got a scare in the second half when star senior Ady Ketterhagen went down, appearing to aggravate a hip injury. However, she’d exit on her own power and return to the game a short time later, scoring 11 points in the second half barrage.

Riley Ketterhagen led Oostburg with 18 points, Ady added 14, and younger sister Kinsley Ketterhagen chipped in with 12.

Mosinee was led by Addy Henrich, who scored a team-high 17 points. Freshman sensation Pacyn Stoffel added 13 points and 12 rebounds, with Paetyn Jirschele scored 11 points.

Oostburg advances to the Division 3 state title game for a second straight year, as the defending champions are making their seventh appearance in the title game overall.

Wisconsin Dells will play for its first girls basketball state title after a 77-71 victory over Kettle Moraine Lutheran in a WIAA Division 3 State Semi-Final.

It was a highly competitive game between two outstanding teams, but the Chiefs were able to close things out to remain unbeaten.

The first half was full of action, as Wisconsin Dells shot a blistering 59.1% from the field, five-of-seven from deep, and nine-of-12 from the free throw line. That helped overcome 11 first half turnovers and allowing Kettle Moraine Lutheran to grab 11 offensive rebounds, with the Chiefs holding a 40-37 advantage at the break.

Sophomore Jaz Alwin had 16 first-half points on her way to 20 overall, as Ashiya Hopkins had a strong first half with 13 points. Sophomore Mya Mayer helped keep Kettle Moraine Lutheran in it, leading the Chargers with 13 points and five rebounds before intermission.

Wisconsin Dells would not relinquish the lead in the second half, though Kettle Moraine Lutheran managed to keep things close most of the way. Even as Wisconsin Dells took a double-digit lead with 2:36 remaining, the Chargers knocked that down to a four-point advantage with just under a minute remaining, though ran out of steam from there.

Senior Natalie Backhaus had 18 points in the second half to help close things out, finishing with a team-high 23 points to go with six rebounds, six assists, and four blocks. Sophomore Jaz Alwin added 20 points while Ashiya Hopkins finished with 15 and senior Josie Griffin chipped in 11. Wisconsin Dells finished with a 60% shooting percentage in the game, helping them overcome 24 fewer shot attempts than the Chargers.

Kettle Moraine Lutheran was led by sophomore Brooklyn Luehring, who scored 20 points before fouling out. Mya Mayer was the only other player in double figures for the Chargers with 17 points.