Neillsville never trailed and pulled away for a 58-31 win over Lomira on Thursday to open the Division 4 session at the WIAA Girls Basketball State Tournament.
The Warriors jumped out to a 32-20 halftime advantage and really turned the screws on Lomira in the second half, outscoring the Lions 26-11 after the break.
Junior post player Tessa Warren couldn’t be stopped, going for 13 points and six rebounds in the first half, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds, well above her scoring average of seven points per game coming in.
Warren teamed with fellow junior Madi Davel to do most of the damage for Neillsville, as Davel had 14 points and eight rebounds. It was a total team effort on the defensive side for the Warriors, who limited Lomira to just 23.4% shooting and forced 13 turnovers. Neillsville held a dominating edge inside, outscoring Lomira 23-4 in the paint, while also holding a 16-2 advantage in points off turnovers.
Lomira struggled to find the range in the first half, shooting 30.8%, but the second half managed to be even tougher for the Lions, who made just three-of-21 field goal attempts after halftime.
Lomira was led in scoring by sophomore Josie Christian, who scored 13 points. Sophomore Kennedy Goebel contributed nine points.
It is the third trip to the state championship game for Neillsville, who captured their only state title in 2012 while competing in Division 4. The Warriors are making their seventh appearance at state overall.
Albany/Monticello may be elevated to Division 4 by the WIAA’s Tournament Performance Factor, but the Space Stallions showed they have no problem competing up, taking down Saint Mary Catholic 4 in a Girls Basketball State Semi-Final.
The Space Stallions used an 11-0 scoring run late in the half to build a 25-16 lead at halftime, and never looked back. The lead went as high as 19 points in the second half and Albany/Monticello would finish it out.
The defense came to play right away for Albany/Monticello, who limited Saint Mary Catholic to just 29.2% shooting before halftime, also forcing eight turnovers. It was a balanced scoring attack for the Space Stallions in the first half, with five different players reaching the scoring column though none hit double digits.
Molly Olson would wind up the top scorer in the game for Albany/Monticello, finishing with 14 points. Emersen Butts had nine points to go with a team-high eight rebounds, while Emma Thompson added eight points as well.
Autumn Crowe was the only one who really got going for Saint Mary Catholic, scoring a game-high 16 points. She would add six rebounds and three assists as well.
Albany/Monticello won a Division 5 state title in 2024, and advances back to a championship game in a higher division.
Travis Wilson serves as the Bound Wisconsin Manager. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisBound or reach him at [email protected].
