Bring on the second season

The regular season is in the rearview mirror. Now, Sauk Prairie’s girls basketball team hopes to make the second season one to remember. The Eagles dropped two of their final three regular season games last week.  Sauk Prairie rolled past River Valley, 57-26, on Feb. 12. DeForest then topped the Eagles, 63-53, on Feb. 13, then Madison Edgewood downed Sauk Prairie, 48-35, on Feb. 15. The Eagles finished the regular season 13-11 overall and 5-5 in the Badger Small Conference, which was good for fifth place. Now, it’s on to the postseason for Sauk Prairie. The Eagles earned the No. 5 seed in their WIAA Division 2 sectional and will travel to fourth-seeded Reedsburg for a regional semifinal on Friday at 7 p.m. Sauk Prairie dropped both of its games against Reedsburg (17-7) this season. Those two defeats were by an average of 12.0 points. The winner of that game advances to a regional final on Feb. 24. If the seeds hold, that game would be at top-seeded West Salem. “I have believed all year long we are capable of winning every game we play,” Eagles’ coach Jacob Breunig said. “The girls need to believe that and trust themselves and their teammates.   “If we can start consistently making shots I know our defense will be tough and I believe we can be a tough out for anyone.” Here’s a recap of the Eagles’ week: • Sauk Prairie 57, River Valley 26 — Erelyn Apel and Alexis Atkinson both scored 10 points as the Eagles rolled past host River Valley. Macee Gulden added eight points. “The girls started sluggish, but their second half was much better,” Breunig said. “We have been really challenging them and working on having intensity the entire game and unfortunately that did not happen in the first half. The opponent should never matter, all that matters is in our locker room and our want.” • DeForest 63, Sauk Prairie 53 — The Eagles fell to the Norskies, but that seemed almost secondary. The game was played at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, and Breunig and the Eagles enjoyed their experience at an NBA arena. “This was a day I was really excited for,” Breunig said. “I spent the summer setting up a trip to play at the Fiserv and it really was a great experience for all. We got all the girls on the court in the first half, which was not only special, but something I wanted to do for them.” Erelyn Apel had 12 points for the Eagles, while Alexis Atkinson added 11. DeForest built a 28-16 halftime lead and stretched that to as many as 16 early in the second half. The Eagles pulled as close as one before the Norskies pulled away. “We started slow again,” Breunig said. “We played really well from then on, but just could not get over the hump to get the victory. If we can play every minute like we played the last 10 of the second half, we will find success in the tournament.” • Madison Edgewood 48, Sauk Prairie 35 — The Crusaders (21-3, 12-2) wrapped up second place in the conference by downing the Eagles. Sauk Prairie hung tough most of the night, despite missing two starters. Gracyn Meyer led the Eagles with nine points, while Brooklyn Kaufman had eight and Mallory Hartwig added seven. Sauk Prairie shot just 8-of-22 from the line and struggled with turnovers. “This game showed me a lot about the girls,” Breunig said. “The girls that played all showed incredible effort vs a highly skilled team. We gutted and kept it close in this one.”