Milton cruises past Sauk Prairie’s girls

OREGON — When opportunity knocked last Saturday, Macee Gulden answered with a career performance for Sauk Prairie’s girls basketball team. The reserve senior forward came off the bench and posted her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. But it wasn’t enough for Sauk Prairie, which dropped a 52-34 decision to Milton in a Badger Challenge girls basketball matchup of fourth-place teams in their respective conferences at Oregon High School. “That’s a first for me,” Gulden said. “My biggest thing going in from the coaches was that every rebound needed to be ours in the post. I wanted to go after every rebound I’m capable of getting.” Milton (12-3 overall, 5-2 Badger Large Conference) raced to a 9-0 lead and never trailed. Sauk Prairie (7-6, 4-3 Badger Small Conference) refused to back down, though, despite playing without three starters, who were unavailable due to club volleyball and soccer commitments. “We looked to get the ball inside and attack the basket,” Sauk Prairie coach Jacob Breunig said. “Macee did a great job of creating fouls and giving us an opportunity to get to the line. It stopped the clock, and we kept chipping away at the lead. She was awesome today.  “I know what she’s capable of doing. We need her to score for us all the time. Sometimes, she’s hesitant to be a scorer. But she’s gotten to the line a lot the last four or five games, and that’s helping us out a ton.” Sophomore guard Audrey Brickl led Sauk Prairie with 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in the second half.  While Sauk Prairie never recovered from its slow start, the Eagles had plenty to be proud of once they got going. “They play hard,” Milton coach Stacy Skemp said of the Eagles. “We were worried about their size. But a couple of their sizes were not here today, which was to our advantage. We’re quick and fast and thought our girls handled it well.” After missing a shot on its first possession, Sauk Prairie committed turnovers on its next five trips down the floor.  “Milton was very physical. They were very aggressive. Their defense is tough,” Jacob Breunig said. “It was a little bit of a shell shock for some of our sophomores early on. As they got into the game and got into a groove, they settled right in. “We turned it over 14 times, which is what we do normally. But I hope they can build on that the rest of the season and the rest of their careers. We’re going to need them this season and in the future.” Gulden ended the scoring drought with a rebound basket with 13 minutes, 15 seconds left in the first half. But Sauk Prairie trailed 13-2 before it was able to score again at the 9:32 mark when sophomore Audrey Brickl made a layup. “We wanted to come out with a lot of energy and get after it right away,” Skemp said of the Red Hawks’ defense. “With our speed, we’ve got to take it to our advantage and use it.”  Coach Breunig said despite the rough start, the Eagles never backed down. “There were a lot of little things that add up in a game,” he said. “A couple of turnovers, not playing gap defense or not closing out well enough to give them some open threes.  “Right before the half, it was an 11-point game, and we gave up three offensive rebounds that turned into six points for them. That turned an 11-point game into a 17-point game right before halftime.” Brickl sank two free throws to pull Sauk Prairie within 21-10 with 2 minutes left before halftime, but Milton took advantage of its work on the offensive boards to cruise into the break with a 27-12 lead. “We knew we had to make up for those who were gone and try our best and give it everything we got,” senior guard Kennedy Breunig said. “We were down three of our girls, our main varsity players, so we couldn’t afford to hang our heads even if it gets hard. We were just trying to stay in the game mentally as much as we could.” Nayeli Kilen scored a game-high 17 points for Milton, which took advantage of the quickness of its backcourt duo of Kilen and Sydney Grady to force the five early turnovers   Milton didn’t take its foot off the pedal either, building a 34-12 lead before Brickl drilled her second 3-pointer of the game. Grady’s layup 5 minutes into the second half then expanded Milton’s lead to 40-17.  “The most points we had given up (all season) was 55 points, and when they got to 40, I thought they were going to blow that out of the water,” Jacob Breunig said. “But we played great defense and held them to 52. I was proud of their effort.” Sauk Prairie outscored Milton, 17-12, the rest of the way. The Eagles nearly played the Red Hawks even in the second half. Senior forward Ava Brings said despite their lack of depth against Milton, she was proud of the Eagles’ effort, particularly on defense. “Obviously with three starters missing, we knew it was going to be tough,” Brings said. “But our coaches always have faith in us which help us have confidence in us, too. The last few days, we put in a zone, which helped, and we had a lot of bench energy, which was good. We kept continuing to encourage our teammates and work together.” Gulden sank the second of two free throws with 3:15 to play to cap an 8-2 run and pull Sauk Prairie within 50-34. “In the second half, we were only outscored by one point, which was a real confidence booster,” Kennedy Breunig said. “We just kept pushing and had a lot of energy from our bench. “We knew their pressure was going to be intense, so we worked a lot on pressure ball-handling. Once we calmed down after the start of the game, it really helped.”  That was as close as the Eagles would get, though. “The way we battled in the second half really showed what Sauk Prairie basketball is for us,” Gulden said. “The game proved what we’re capable of, especially when were shorthanded.” Jacob Breunig said the Eagles’ relentless efforts on both ends of the court overcame any concerns he might have had playing with a depleted roster.  “It’s little things we need to continue to get better at,” Breunig said. “But in the second half, I was proud of their efforts and the heart that they showed. I know what they can do, and it was an awesome opportunity for some girls who haven’t played as many minutes as some of the other girls to get to show what they are capable of doing.” After winning four of seven conference games to open the season, Jacob Breunig said the Eagles are poised to improve down the stretch. “There’s not a group of girls I’d rather coach than them,” Jacob Breunig said. “We have depth. Normally, we’re playing nine, 10 girls a game. Since the Christmas break, we’ve been playing a lot more intense, like we should be playing.  “Their today effort was great. Defensively, we are playing great. We’ve got to get better at taking care of the ball. That will come with confidence. Rebounding is something we have to really work on and being consistent scorers. In shooting drills in practice, they’re all really good shooters but in the game, they have to trust themselves and trust their shot.” Gulden agreed. “Going forward, this game is proof of what we are capable of when we are shorthanded,” she said. “If we continue to play like that, this team is capable of much greater things.” • Sauk Prairie 54, Baraboo 35 — The Eagles capped the first round of Badger Small Conference play with a home victory against the Thunderbirds on Jan. 13. Audrey Brickl and Gracyn Meter led Sauk Prairie with 13 points each. Mallory Hartwig added 12 points and seven rebounds. Ava Brings had a solid all-around game with six points, a team-best nine rebounds and four assists. Brooklyn Kaufman dished out a team-best six assists. “We were able to get the ball inside against them to create some opportunities,” coach Jacob Breunig said. “We were able to hold them to 35 points, which in a 36-minute game is one of our goals.”  • On deck: After hosting DeForest on Tuesday, Sauk Prairie will host McFarland in a Badger Small Conference game on Thursday at 7:15 p.m. The Eagles then travel to Waunakee for a non-conference game on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.   Jan. 18 MILTON 52,  SAUK PRAIRIE 34 Sauk Prairie … 12 22 — 34 Milton ……...... 29 23 — 52 SAUK PRAIRIE (fg ft-fta pts) — Ava Brings 0 0-0 0, Kennedy Breunig 0 0-0 0, Savannah Liegel 1 1-2 3, Kenzington Kliest 0 1-2 1, Sophia Hanson 2 0-0 5, Audrey Brickl 3 5-6 13, Haylie Bader 1 0-0 2, Macee Gulden 2 6-11 10. Totals 9 13-21 34. MILTON — Julia Wolf 0 0-0 0, Naylie Kilen 6 3-3 17, Sydney Grady 5 0-0 12, Kylee Buttchen 2 3-6 7, Macy Vind 1 0-4 2, Jenna Benash 0 0-0 0, Kailynn Stockman 1 1-2 4, Gibson Krueger 0 0-0 0, Allison Kojo 0 1-2 1, Camryn Czerwinski 1 0-0 3, Lauren Kojo 2 2-2 6. Totals 18 10-19 52. 3-point goals:  SP 3 (Sophia Hanson 1, Audrey Brickl 2), M 6 (Naylie Kilen 2, Sydney Grady 2, Kailynn Stockman 1, Camryn Czerwinski 1). Total fouls: SP 16, M 21.