Eagles fall in regional semis

In a year of uncertainly, Sauk Prairie’s girls basketball program took some positive steps forward. So, while the second-seeded Eagles’ season ended with a disappointing 72-67 loss to visiting third-seeded McFarland in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal game last Friday night, there certainly were no regrets. “Basically, we got a year in, and everyone’s super thankful for the opportunity with the things that were going on with COVID in the winter and late fall,” Sauk Prairie interim coach Aaron Andres said. “So we had a mindset to take advantage of every opportunity and were thankful for every opportunity. “The girls played and practiced that way. We knew just based on the system switch from coach (Amber) Fiene to myself that there would be a lot of learning to do. I thought the girls did a nice job of willing to do those things and to try things that were maybe outside their comfort zone.” After former coach Amber Fiene stepped down last summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Andres took over and led Sauk Prairie to a 9-9 overall record. The Badger North Conference, though, opted not to have a conference season with several schools unable to compete due to restrictions in Dane County. Yet, that didn’t prevent the Eagles from compiling as tough of a schedule as possible and taking more positive steps for a program that has struggled for most of the past decade. “It was a huge commitment from the families and girls and the coaching staff and their families,” Andres said. “They sacrificed a lot of social time with their peers. “It was definitely a learning curve. But thankfully we had a quality experience. We had some quality seniors including Naomi (Breunig) and Olivia (Breunig) and they carried us through some of the trouble and we some quality input from a well-rounded group of girls outside of that, that sophomore group and that junior group.” Highlights for the Eagles included a late-season victory over rival DeForest. “After the game, one of the seniors said they hadn’t beaten them in their career in high school,” Andres said. “But it’s the competitive games you remember the most.” While the team bonding activities were limited due to the pandemic, the Eagles still found time to entertain themselves. “We played a game of hide-and-seek in the high school after a practice,” Andres said. “One of the girls brought the wrong color jersey to a game. Silly things like that will stand out.”  The Eagles graduate five seniors including Naomi Breunig, who will play basketball at Winona State (Minn.), and Olivia Breunig, who plans to play volleyball at UW-Oshkosh, along with Cassie Radl, Ava Roach and Skylie Wardrop. “Hopefully we leave a positive legacy, just the way we persevered through the pandemic,” Olivia Breunig said. “We were real grateful to have a season that was somewhat normal. “The way we were able to lead everyone, I hope the underclassmen can take that into next year and make the most of every moment. It was kind of scary not knowing if we were even going to get to play.” But the Eagles — with support from their families, coaches and school staff — made it happen. “The team meant a lot to me,” Olivia Breunig said. “The seniors worked well with the younger players. It was a group of girls that was a lot of fun to work with and definitely one of my favorite teams.” Naomi Breunig, an all-conference selection a year ago and one of the more prolific scorers in the area, was also proud of what the Eagles accomplished this season. “I had a good time. I will miss it,” said Naomi Breunig, who scored a career-best 30 points against McFarland, saving her best game for last. “The seniors have been through a lot with this program. The underclassmen looked up to us a lot. We put a lot of time into this program and look for good things in the future.” The loss of Naomi Breunig, who surpassed the 1,000-point mark this season and averaged 14 points per game, along Olivia Breunig, both four-year varsity players and multi-year starters, will leave a large void to be filled. But Naomi Breunig said she hopes Andres will return to continue what he started. “It was a successful season, and I give a lot of credit to coach,” Naomi Breunig said. “They will have a lot of talent coming back. I was really happy with coach when he came in. I think he did a great job. Personally, I would encourage him to consider coming back. It was a lot of fun, and I really liked him as a coach.” Sophomore forward Maggie Hartwig agreed. “I hope coach comes back,” Hartwig added. “The seniors this year helped us a lot. They were great players and great leaders. But I think we really connected well with the juniors and we could have an even better season next year.” Andres likes Sauk Prairie’s returning nucleus, which includes starters Hartwig, junior Olivia Paukner and freshman McKayla Paukner along with juniors Makenzie Breunig, Faith Holler, and Kassia Marquardt and sophomores Annika Braund, Alexis Klemm and Kaya Wilson. McKayla Paukner, who made an immediate impact as a freshman, shares the optimism surrounding the program. “We didn’t get to do too much team bonding. But everyone tried to do as much as they could,” McKayla Paukner said of the restrictions placed on the team due to the pandemic. “But everyone was hard-working and dedicated, and I think that really helped. “Coming in as a freshman, the seniors accepted me with open arms, and I really appreciated it. They provided great leadership. It really helped the team go through the crazy times this year.”  While Hartwig and the Paukner sisters will return with solid starting experience, Andres said replacing the scoring punch provided by Naomi Breunig and Olivia Breunig could come from a variety of sources. “It comes down to who and how,” Andres said. “But when you look around at what pieces are left, there are a lot of players coming back with a lot of skill. “So definitely an off-season full of ball-handling and shooting and finishing is what is diagnosed based on our statistics.” But will the off-season and next year include Andres running the show after he spent this season in an interim role? “I really don’t know yet,” Andres said with a chuckle. “I loved it. I had a great time with it. I really enjoy coaching basketball, and this group was a lot of fun. “But I honestly would love for us to find a quality coach who could be here for a long time. I would love to help in some realm, but I don’t really have the desire to be the head guy if we can find somebody else of quality.” With his full-time job as an assistant principal at Sauk Prairie High School along with raising and coaching three children of his own, Andres is aware of the time commitment to run a quality high school basketball program. He certainly didn’t back down with this team, installing a new motion offense and a pack-line defense that took a lot of time and effort to implement. “I’ll have to talk to (activities director) Josh (Boyer) and see what’s next,” Andres said. “I wouldn’t be adverse to coming back. With the athletes we have coming back, we’re excited about continuing to build on that. Hopefully, we can find someone who is willing to do that.” If indeed the job was only temporary for Andres, whose daughter, Ava, was a freshman on the Eagles JV team, he will leave knowing he made an impact on the program and vice versa. “The group of girls was simply awesome,” Andres said. “They’re competitors, but they had a lot of fun and had a great time together. It didn’t matter where we were, they always had a good time. “The seniors did their part to make it a great experience. They bought into what we were trying to do, worked hard and asked questions. We’re grateful we had a good season and made it work.” • Waunakee 65, Sauk Prairie 56 — Naomi Breunig and Maggie Hartwig scored 13 points each to pace the host Eagles, who dropped their regular-season finale on Feb. 8. “It was a great game for the playoffs,” coach Aaron Andres said. “Waunakee’s tough. They play harder defensively. We had a real good battle with them. It was definitely a good postseason pregame.” Faith Holler chipped in with 10 points for Sauk Prairie. • McFarland 72, Sauk Prairie 67 — Naomi Breunig scored a career-best and game-high 30 points, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the visiting Spartans in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal game last Friday night. McFarland (7-4) sank eight 3-pointers to roar out to a 41-33 halftime lead behind Teagan Mallegni, who scored 19 of her team-high 28 points, and Lindsey Lonigro, who added 13 of her 16, in the opening frame. The Eagles battled hard in the second half but were never able to take the lead. “We had to play hard defensively on her and make it hard to catch it and contest her out to 25 feet,” coach Andres said of Mallegni. “She’s a smart player and knows when to back cut, knows when to post and knows when to shoot. She did all that in the first half.”  Maggie Hartwig added 12 points for the Eagles (9-9).   Feb. 8 WAUNAKEE 65,  SAUK PRAIRIE 56 Waunakee …….. 35 30 — 65 Sauk Prairie …... 26 30 — 56 WAUNAKEE (fg ft-fta pts) — Meudt 7 0-0 15, Meeker 4 1-5 12, Maier 1 0-0 2, Statz 1 1-2 4, Grabarski 1 1-2 4, Harrison 2 2-2 8, Savola 1 0-0 2, Saleh 1 2-2 4, Sawicki 5 4-9 14. Totals 23 11-22 65. SAUK PRAIRIE — Naomi Breunig 6 0-0 13, Olivia Breunig 1 2-2 4, Faith Holler 4 2-2 10, Kassia Marquardt 3 2-4 8, Ava Roach 1 0-0 2, Maggie Hartwig 4 5-9 13, Annika Braund 1 1-2 3, McKayla Paukner 1 1-3 3, Olivia Paukner 0 0-2 0. Totals 21 13-24 56. 3-point goals: W 8 (Meeker 3, Harrison 2, Meudt 1, Statz 1, Grabarski 1); SP 1 (N. Breunig). Total fouls: W 21; SP 21. Fouled out: N. Breunig.   Feb. 12  WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal McFARLAND 72,  SAUK PRAIRIE 67 McFarland …......... 41 31 — 72 Sauk Prairie ......… 33 34 — 67 McFARLAND (fg ft-fta pts) — Butler 0 3-4 3; B. Kirch 2 7-8 11; A. Kirch 1 0-0 3; Lonigro 5 3-4 16; Dean 2 0-0 4; Hildebrandt 2 2-2 7; Teagan Mallegni 9 5-7 28. Totals 21 20-25 72. SAUK PRAIRIE — Naomi Breunig 9 7-9 30; Olivia Breunig 2 0-0 5; Faith Holler 1 1-2 3; Kassie Marquardt 2 0-0 5; Maggie Hartwig 5 2-2 12; Annika Braund 3 0-0 6; McKayla Paukner 2 1-2 6. Totals 24 11-15 67. 3-point goals: M 10 (Mallegni 5, Lonigro 3, A. Kirch, Hildebrandt); SP 8 (N. Breunig 5, O. Breunig, Marquardt, Paukner). Total fouls: M 13; SP 19.