Heights ready for playoffs

Bill Sullivan has seen enough basketball to know anything and everything is possible once the postseason arrives. That’s why Wisconsin Heights’ girls basketball coach was so excited as the playoffs opened Tuesday. The ninth-seeded Vanguards traveled to eighth-seeded Darlington for a WIAA Division 4 regional quarterfinal. If Heights won there, it would travel to top-seeded La Crosse Aquinas for a regional semifinal Friday at 7 p.m. The regional finals are Saturday at 7 p.m. Heights finished the regular season by splitting a pair of games last week. The Vanguards defeated host River Valley, 52-47, in overtime on Feb. 18. Heights then traveled to Marshall and dropped a 62-46 decision on Feb. 20. The Vanguards finished the regular season 9-13 overall and 4-6 in the Southern Capitol Conference. The Vanguards trailed River Valley by 10 with 7 minutes left. But Heights rallied back, forced overtime and prevailed. Ashlee Adler led the Vanguards with 12 points, while Natalie Hering added eight. “The girls did a nice job of fighting back and coming away with a victory,” Sullivan said. Marshall jumped to a 33-23 halftime lead against the Vanguards. Heights closed within six in the second half, but Marshall pushed its advantage to 20 and cruised home. Hanna King led Heights with 12 points, while Kelsie Handel added nine. “We had a lot of competitive games this year, but came out on the short end of them,” Sullivan said.   Feb. 18 WISCONSIN HEIGHTS 52, RIVER VALLEY 47, OT Heights ……….. 24 21 7 — 52 River Valley …. 24 21 2 — 47 WISCONSIN HEIGHTS (fg ft-fta pts) — Wood 1 2-4 5, VanRiper 1 2-2 4, Teela 2 2-3 6, King 1 0-2 3, Doherty 3 0-3 6, Adler 4 4-7 12, Keith 1 0-0 2, Handel 3 0-1 6, Hering 4 0-0 8, Mickelson 0 0-2 0. Totals 20 10-23 52. RIVER VALLEY — Anderson 1 2-2 5, Esser 3 6-13 13, Gruber 5 1-5 11, Ferstl 4 0-0 9, Hoffman 1 1-2 3, McConkey 1 0-0 2, Liegel 0 2-2 2, Schaller 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 12-24 47. 3-point goals: WH 2 (King 1, Wood 1); RV 3 (Anderson 1, Ferstl 1, Schaller 1). Total fouls: WH 17; RV 21. Fouled out: Anderson, Gruber.   Feb. 20 Marshall 62, Heights 46 Marshall ................ 33 29 — 62 Heights ................... 23 23 — 46 MARSHALL (fg ft-fta pts) — Lutz 5 12-13 22, Andrews 5 3-8 13, Rateike 0 1-2 1, Held 2 0-0 4, Hellenbrand 0 0-2 0, Assaba 2 1-1 5, Nickel 7 0-1 14, Ward 1 1-1 3. Totals 22 18-28 62. WISCONSIN HEIGHTS — Wood 1 0-0 2, Van Riper 1 0-0 2, Tesla 1 0-0 2, Duhr 0 1-4 1, King 5 2-2 12, Adler 1 0-0 2, Keith 2 1-2 5, Handel 3 3-4 9, Hering 2 1-4 5, Mickelson 1 3-3 5, Baltel 0 1-2 1. Totals 17 12-21 46. 3-point goals: M 0; WH 0. Fouls:: M 17; WH 19.