Sauk Prairie’s girls win a pair

Organizers of the third annual Badger Challenge girls basketball tournament were determined not to let inclement weather interfere with its eight-game schedule last Saturday. While one game — the fifth-place contest between Mount Horeb of the Badger North Conference and Monroe of the Badger South Conference — was postponed, Sauk Prairie coach Amber Fiene was pleased that both the Eagles’ JV and varsity teams were able to compete.  In the varsity game, Sauk Prairie used improved rebounding and a balanced scoring attack to hold off Milton 76-74 in a battle of sixth-place teams from the Badger North and South Conferences. “When Monroe-Mount Horeb canceled, we were able to move to a later start,” Fiene said. “That allowed the JV to play before us. I was worried about what our energy would be like if we just got there and played the varsity game right away. “We normally watch the JV and prepare. The JV have been setting the tone and are exciting to watch. The won by like 40 and it was exciting.” Junior guards Naomi Breunig and Olivia Breunig scored 19 and 16 points, respectively, and the duo combined to shoot a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line for the Eagles (7-6), who won their second straight game and produced their highest point total of the season. Freshman forward Maggie Hartwig scored 14 points, and senior guard Lexi Tobias added 11 points. “I really have been impressed with how my girls have been playing and really taking on the transition game well,” Fiene said. The game also marked the varsity debut of Hartwig and fellow freshmen Annika Braund and Kaya Wilson. “Maggie has just been dominating on the boards in practice, that’s something we’ve been struggling with in games and working more on,” Fiene said of Hartwig. “So I decided to give her a shot. She played half the JV game and then a lot of minutes for the varsity and made a big impact.” Sauk Prairie grabbed a 39-32 halftime lead and held off a second-half comeback by Milton (4-10), which was led by senior guard Abbie Campion, who scored a game-high 27 points, and senior guard Shelby Mack-Honold, who added 22 points.  “At halftime, we were focused on a few little things we needed to do,” Fiene said. “We were able to get it up to a 17-point lead, but they made it a little scary at the end.” Milton took advantage of a few Sauk Prairie defensive lapses and created some difficulty for the Eagles with a full-court press on defense to make it a tight game at the end. The Red Hawks had the final possession, but Mack-Honold lost control of the ball without getting off a final shot as time expired. “We panicked near the end and didn’t take care of the ball,” Fiene said. “But we were able to pull it out at the end. “I continue to be proud of how we’re playing, but we’re still figuring things out.” • Sauk Prairie 71, Dodgeville 58 — Naomi Breunig led four Eagles in double figures in scoring with 26 points in a non-conference victory over the visiting Dodgers on Jan. 14. “Our rebounding was huge, and our transition (game) was huge,” Fiene said. “When our transition started looking like what we’ve been wanting it to look like and we’ve been practicing, eyes up and pushing the ball up immediately off the pass, it was fun to watch.” Sauk Prairie (6-6) shot 41.4% from the floor (29-of-70), including 31.3% from 3-point range (5-of-16). The Eagles were also near perfect at the free throw line, sinking 8 of 9 attempts. Senior guard Ella Schad scored nine of her 13 points in the first half to stake Sauk Prairie to a 34-27 halftime lead. Naomi Breunig than scored 19 points in the second half to help the Eagles snap a three-game losing streak. Naomi Breunig also finished with four rebounds, four assists and a game-high 10 steals. Olivia Breunig added 12 points and sophomore guard Kassia Marquardt chipped in with 10 points and a team-best nine rebounds as Sauk Prairie matched its previous season high in points. Olivia Argall scored 22 points and Jojo Heimerl added 18 points to pace Dodgeville (7-5). • On deck: Following a non-conference game against Lodi on Tuesday, Sauk Prairie opens the second half of its Badger North Conference schedule on Thursday at Reedsburg at 7:15 p.m. The Eagles then travel to Mount Horeb for a conference game on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 7:15 p.m.   Jan. 14 Sauk Prairie 71, Dodgeville 58 Dodgeville …....….. 27 31 — 58 Sauk Prairie ....….. 34 37 — 71 DODGEVILLE (fg ft-fta pts) — A.J. Phillips 0 1-2 1, Jojo Heimerl 6 3-6 18, Amanda Ludwig 2 1-4 5, Zoie Weber 1 0-0 2, Grace 2 4-5 8, Caitlyn Blume 1 0-2 2, Olivia Argall 7 7-7 22. Totals 19 16-26 58. SAUK PRAIRIE — Lexi Tobias 1 0-0 2, Naomi Breunig 10 4-4 26, Olivia Breunig 5 0-0 12, Faith Holler 0 0-0 0, Kassia Marquardt 4 1-1 10, Lauren Wideen 0 0-0 0, Ella Schad 6 1-2 13, Olivia Paukner 2 2-2 6, Makenzie Breunig 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 8-9 71. 3-point goals: D 4 (Heimerl 3, Argall 1); SP 5 (N. Breunig 2, O. Breunig 2, Marquardt 1). Total fouls: D 11; SP 22. Fouled out: Schad, Paukner (SP).   Jan. 18 Sauk Prairie 76, Milton 74 Milton ……..…….  32 42 — 74 Sauk Prairie ….....  39 37 — 76 MILTON (fg ft-fta pts) — Shelby Mack-Honold 8 5-7 22, Julia Jaecks 2 0-0 4, Julia Steinke 2 0-0 5, Grace Quade 2 0-0 4, Abbie Campion 10 6-8 27, Alex Rodenberg 4 2-2 12. Totals 28 13-17 74. SAUK PRAIRIE — Lexi Tobias 5 1-2 11, Naomi Breunig 7 4-4 19, Olivia Breunig 5 6-6 16, Faith Holer 0 0-0 0. Kassia Marquardt 0 0-0 0, Lauren Wideen 0 0-0 0, Ella Schad 1 3-5 5, Olivia Paukner 4 0-6 8, Makenzie Breunig 1 1-2 3, Maggie Hartwig 6 2-2 14. Totals 29 17-27 76. 3-point goals: M 5 (Mack-Honold 1, Steinke 1, Campion 1, Rodenberg 2); SP 1 (N. Breunig). Total fouls: M 20; SP 16. Fouled out: Quade, Rodenberg (M).