Heights girls hope to make playoff noise

They haven’t won a game in three weeks.  They’ve lost five in a row — with four coming by double digits. But Wisconsin Heights’ girls basketball team still believes it can cause some havoc this postseason. The Vanguards are the No. 2 seed in their six-team playoff pod. And after receiving a first-round bye, Heights will meet the winner of third-seeded Palmyra-Eagle and sixth-seeded Johnson Creek Friday at 7 p.m. in a WIAA Division 4 regional semifinal. The regional finals are Saturday, and if the seeds hold, Heights will head to Waterloo. “We have an opportunity in this regional, but we have to start shooting the ball better,” Heights coach Bill Sullivan said. “We see the ball go in in practice and warm-ups but we struggle to finish open shots and shots inside the paint.  “We will need to focus on the little things and hopefully our offensive struggles come to an end. We would love to see the girls have success during this regional.” The Vanguards’ final week of the regular season was a rough one. Heights suffered a 62-49 setback to Waterloo on Feb. 1. New Glarus defeated the Vanguards, 61-25 on Feb. 5, and Cambridge also defeated Heights, 56-41 on Feb. 6. Against Waterloo, the Vanguards built a 30-22 halftime lead, but watched it vanish in the second half. Hanna King led the Vanguards with 17 points, while Kylee Doherty added 10. “We played well in the first half and then could not buy a basket in the second half,” Sullivan said. “Waterloo was more aggressive the second half and we panicked with the pressure, which led to three consecutive unforced turnovers and they converted those into points.  “A one-point lead ballooned to a double-digit lead and then we were in chase mode the rest of the game. We struggled to put two halves of basketball together.” In Heights’ loss to New Glarus, the Glarner Knights built a 40-15 halftime lead and never looked back. Kylee Doherty led the Vanguards with seven points. “We struggled all night shooting the ball from everywhere on the floor,” Sullivan said. “New Glarus shoots the ball well and shoots a high percentage and pushes the pace in transition. They are able to go deep on the bench and most kids can score.” Against Cambridge, the Vanguards trailed, 17-13, at halftime and hung with the Blue Jays most of the night. Once again, though, Heights’ inconsistency on offense was its downfall. King again led the Vanguards’ offense with 14 points, while Doherty added 11. “We played solid defense in the first half, but could not get shots to fall,” Sullivan said. “We are getting quality shot selection from the girls, but they will not go in and that is the name of the game.”   Feb. 5 NEW GLARUS 61,  WISCONSIN HEIGHTS 25 Heights ………….. 15 10 — 25 New Glarus ……. 40 21 — 61 WISCONSIN HEIGHTS (fg ft-fta pts) — VanRiper 1 1-2 3; Duhr 2 0-0 4; King 2 0-0 5; Bartel 2 0-2 4; Teela 1 0-2 2; Doherty 3 1-2 7. Totals 11 2-8 25. NEW GLARUS — Krals 1 0-0 3; Yaun 2 0-0 5; Atwell 2 0-0 4; Nommensenn 1 0-0 2; Eichelkraut 1 0-0 2; Schadewalt 4 0-0 11; Klosterman 1 0-0 2; Benson 8 4-5 22; Maclean 1 0-0 2; Marty 2 0-0 4; Thompson 2 0-0 4. Totals 25 4-5 61. 3-point goals: WH 1 (King 1); NG 7 (Karls 1, Yaun 1, Schadewalt 3, Benson 2). Total fouls: WH 6; NG 10.   Feb. 6 CAMBRIDGE 56,  WISCONSIN HEIGHTS 41 Heights …………. 13 28 — 41 Cambridge ……… 17 39 — 56 WISCONSIN HEIGHTS (fg ft-fta pts) — Payne 0 2-4 2; VanRiper 3 0-0 6; Duhr 2 0-2 4; King 6 2-2 14; Bartel 1 0-0 2; Teela 0 2-2 2; Doherty 4 3-6 11. Totals 16 9-17 41. CAMBRIDGE — Downing 0 3-4 3; Roidt 2 0-2 6; Holzhueter 3 6-6 12; Stenklyft 2 1-2 6; Schmude 3 4-7 10; Freeland 7 5-14 19. Totals 17 19-35 56. 3-point goals: WH 3 (Roidt 2, Stenklyft 1). Total fouls: WH 19; C 27. Fouled out: Payne, Holzhueter.