Pacelli was not phased by the sparkling 30-0 record of Eleva-Strum entering the WIAA Division 5 Girls Basketball state title game, as the Cardinals dominated from the beginning en route to a 70-40 victory.
The Cardinals claim their first WIAA state title in their first state tournament appearance.
Aliza Kulig knocked down a three-pointer for Eleva-Strum on the first possession of the game, but unfortunately that proved to be the high water mark for the Cardinals from Eleva-Strum. Pacelli answered with an 11-0 run over the next three minutes, and never looked back.
The first half lead got as high as 15 points, before a bit of a late run by Eleva-Strum made it 35-25 in favor of Pacelli at halftime. Junior Jaedyn Zdroik scored 11 points in that opening period, and it was just the beginning for the Cardinals standout.
Zdroik would post the rare state tournament triple-double, recording 20 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists in the game.
Leading by ten points at halftime, Pacelli continued to push their advantage, which reached 20 points with more than 10 minutes left in the game. The lead would reach as high as 32 points before the Cardinals settled for the 70-40 win.
In addition to the strong performance from Zdroik, senior Ella Van Order scored 19 points, with junior post player Haylee Cisewski adding 14 ponts and seven rebounds.
As expected, Pacelli held a dominating edge in almost every category, including out-rebounding Eleva-Strum 52-37, holding a 17-6 edge in points off turnovers, 34-12 advantage in points in the paint, and 17-8 edge in fast break points.
Eleva-Strum was led by 12 points from Avery Glenz, though she struggled from the field, making just three-of-16 shot attempts. Glenz did finish with eight rebounds and three assists as well. Senior Aliza Kulig added 11 points and six rebounds for the Cardinals.
Pacelli captures its first state title in its first WIAA state tournament appearance, finishing the season 25-4.
Eleva-Strum suffered its first loss of the year, ending at 31-1. The Cardinals take home their first hardware at a state tournament, as the silver ball in 2026 is just their second appearance at state.
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].
