Second season

Spending too much time looking into the rearview mirror — and wondering What if? — can be a futile endeavor. But Sauk Prairie girls basketball coach Jacob Breunig couldn’t help but glance back for a few minutes Sunday afternoon. The Eagles had just learned they received the No. 5 seed in their half of the WIAA Division 2 Baraboo Sectional. And Breunig couldn’t help but think his team should be in a better position. “I am frustrated we put ourselves in a position to be the (No.) 5 seed in all honesty,” he said. “We win some close games earlier this season and I think we are hosting a game.” Instead, Sauk Prairie will travel to Onalaska for a regional semifinal on Feb. 28. If the Eagles win there — and seeds hold — they’ll travel to top-seeded West Salem for  a regional final on March 1. “Onalaska looks like a solid team and they will be a battle for us,” Breunig said. “I have not seen much of them this season so we will be doing a lot of watching them in the upcoming weeks. “If we are good enough to defeat them we get to go right back to West Salem who is a very quality team on Saturday night. And although it is a lot of travel I hope it is an opportunity we are given.” The Eagles are coming off a thrilling week, one in which they were nipped by defending Division 3 state champion Madison Edgewood, 44-43, on Feb. 11, then toppled host Baraboo, 43-36, last Friday. The Eagles are now 12-10 overall and sit in third place in the Badger Small Conference at 8-5. Sauk Prairie fell behind Edgewood by as many 14 points in the second half, but rallied back and nearly stunned the Crusaders. “We played a solid game from start to finish,” Breunig said. “Our energy was incredible and we were playing with the intensity we coaches knew the girls could play with all season long. Defensively to hold them to 44 is a fantastic job.” Mallory Hartwig led the Eagles with 10 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists, while Gracyn Meyer added nine points, two rebounds and a steal. Ava Brings had eight points, six rebounds and a blocked shot, Haylie Bader added six points and Macee Gulden had four points and four rebounds. “We could have very easily folded and given up, but we clawed back each possession and turned them over,” Breunig said. “We did a great job of taking care of the ball and breaking their press.  “We missed opportunities to score, some easy layups that came back to bite us in the end. We need to understand that every possession matters and there is no time for lapses in focus on the court. I never blame officiating, but there were a couple calls at the end that I think were not correct and unfortunately us putting ourselves in position to need those calls cost us the game.” Sauk Prairie rebounded with an important win over Baraboo (3-20, 2-11) three nights later. While the Eagles weren;t at the best, they did enough to prevail. “I give Baraboo credit. They played hard,” Breunig said. “We were not great on defense and we struggled offensively vs. them.   “We had opportunities to score and could not capitalize on them. This game was a letdown after our effort vs. Edgewood and something I hope the girls can get their focus back on for the stretch run of the season now.” • On deck: Sauk Prairie hosted Lodi Tuesday and finishes the regular season with a trip to Reedsburg Thursday at 7:15 p.m.