Eagles looking for improvement

When coach Amber Fiene evaluated her first two seasons as head coach of her alma mater, Sauk Prairie’s girls basketball coach knew it was time to make a few changes on both ends of the floor. Fiene is eager to put the lessons she learned over the past two seasons to good use. “The first year is a grace period where the girls kind of buy in and there is a newness because you just started out,” she said. “The second year was more of a learning experience about communication and accountability and how we spent our time practicing and how it ended up benefitting us or not benefitting us. “So we changed quite a bit at what we were looking for and what kind of players we wanted to have outside of looking for the best shooter. We’re looking for the most athletic, coachable kid that is going to produce every time on the floor for you and leave everything on the floor.” Sauk Prairie hosts River Valley in a non-conference game to open the season on Thursday at 7:15 p.m. The Eagles will look to improve on last year’s 4-18 finish, that included a 1-13 mark in the Badger North Conference. That began with looking for a style of play that will focus more on using the team’s defense to produce more on the offensive end of the floor. “We’ve taken on the ‘run-and-jump’ over the summer and did some clinics with that which really enhanced our game significantly,” Fiene said on the new scheme the Eagles have embraced. “We were competing against everybody who had blown us out last year.” Fiene reached out to former UW-Stout men’s basketball coach Eddie Andrist over the summer for help in installing the new system. Andrist, who won three national collegiate championships and two international basketball championships, recorded nine national tournament appearances, six collegiate Final Fours, six collegiate conference championships, and 599 head coaching victories before retiring after the 2017-18 season, his 44th season overall in coaching. “He does full-time run-and-jump clinics now, so we did a coaches and players clinic all day this summer, and he’s coming back for a refresher clinic,” Fiene said. “What we’re looking to do is to apply more pressure in the backcourt and jumping up the sidelines and jumping up the middle and just creating a more chaotic environment for the other team and making girls who normally don’t handle the ball, handle the ball.” Fiene said the team’s improvement in summer leagues and tournaments produced an excitement level that had the Eagles eager to jump-start the new season. “We saw a lot of great things from it,” Fiene said. Sauk Prairie graduated five seniors, including Cam Ballweg, Taylor Breininger and Riley Breunig, who all started multiple games. But the Eagles return junior starters Olivia Breunig, a 5-9 guard who averaged 10.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, and Naomi Breunig, a 5-foot-10 guard who averaged 9.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. The duo begins their third varsity season as key players who Fiene said will be looking to expand their roles, especially on the defensive end. “They’ve been our leading scorers, but this year I don’t see anyone truly being a leading scorer for us every night,” Fiene said. “It will depend on the night and who we’re facing with our pressure defense being a big factor. “We’ll be looking to score more in transition than having to score in the half-court set. We’ll be trying to cause more turnovers and chaos and rushed plays in our full-court run-and-jump.” Also back are 5-10 senior guard Ella Schad, a standout defensive performer, and sophomore Kassia Marquardt, a 5-8 guard, who also have starting experience. “We have a little more focus on defense this year,” said Schad, who signed a National Letter of Intent on Nov. 13 to play soccer at Coastal Carolina University. “Shooting is important, but we’re working more on defense in practice every day, which is more important. We should be pretty solid.” Fiene said she views the season as a fresh start with an emphasis on finding the five best players who can produce in the Eagles’ run-and-jump system. “I made a new player contract this year, and we really talked about the importance of communication and effort as what we are mainly looking for as coaches,” she said. “What kind of teammate are you? Are you someone that can play with anybody or are you a player who gets nervous if something is not going your way. We are looking for hustle players that are making plays and making things happen.” Fiene said she is expecting Schad, who was a co-captain on the girls’ soccer team last spring, to provide more of a leadership role on the hardcourt this winter. “Ella has been so great, even before the season starting, planning things and chatting a lot. The biggest thing about Ella is the genuine nice person that she is,” Fiene said. “Every single girl in the program feels comfortable talking to her and sees her as somebody they would want to be or follow. “She leads by example and has always been the most respectful high school girl that I’ve ever met. She has the communication and leadership skills that we are looking for.” Sophomore forward Makenzie Breunig also gained valuable varsity experience a year ago. “She is very similar to Ella in her likeability and coachability and really works to get her teammates going with positive energy, which is really nice to have,” Fiene said. Sophomores Katelyn Fishnick, Faith Holler and Olivia Paukner played key roles on a successful JV team last season and are expected to play major roles on the varsity team this winter. “Those girls, being in the same class, have some chemistry together and work real hard and feed off each other’s energy, which is nice,” Fiene said. Fiene added that Fishnick and Holler, who both started on Sauk Prairie’s soccer team that advanced to the sectional finals last spring, are expected to play key roles defensively. Holler has also emerged as the leading candidate — along with Olivia Breunig — to be the Eagles’ primary ball-handlers this season. “This summer, Faith did that naturally for us,” Fiene said. “We obviously need some more people to handle the ball.” Autumn Hellenbrand, a 5-7 junior guard, and Lauren Wideen, a 5-11 senior forward who missed most of last season with an injury, are expected to make their presence felt this year. Fiene will also look for continued growth from seniors Madi Pertzborn and Lexi Tobias, who saw limited varsity minutes. Seniors Ruth Baker and Claudia Miller will also vie for playing time, while sophomore Alia Schlimgen is rehabbing from a knee injury. Beaver Dam, which repeated as the Badger North champion a year ago and also won its third consecutive WIAA Division 2 state title, is the overwhelming league favorite. DeForest, Reedsburg and Waunakee will try to bring Beaver Dam back to the pack. Fiene said she expects the Eagles to make an impact on the conference race. “It’s going to be a good year,” Fiene said. “We’re going to have some growing pains early, but I really like our potential to take that next step.”