Eagles’ girls top Baraboo

A furious defensive effort got Sauk Prairie’s girls basketball team off to a great start in a Badger North Conference last Friday night. The Eagles were able to turn numerous Baraboo turnovers into transition points and secure their first conference victory of the season. Junior guard Naomi Breunig scored a game-high 22 points and the Eagles recorded 30 steals to send Sauk Prairie to a 59-39 victory over host Baraboo, snapping the Eagles’ three-game losing streak. Sauk Prairie opened the week with a 48-36 homecourt loss to Mount Horeb on Dec. 10. Sauk Prairie (4-3, 1-2 Badger North) put Baraboo away early, soaring to a 33-7 halftime lead behind Naomi’s Breunig’s 18 first-half points. “We were getting a lot of takeaways in our press,” Sauk Prairie coach Amber Fiene said. “We wanted to push the ball in transition instead of setting up against their 2-3 (zone). The girls did a real nice job of looking up the floor and getting to the basket. It was a real fun first half.” Baraboo (0-6, 0-3) finished with 39 turnovers and sank just two field goals in the first half, both from 3-point range. Sauk Prairie senior forward Lauren Wideen was held scoreless, but she impacted the game on defense, finishing with eight rebounds, four steals and three of the Eagles’ seven blocked shots. “They couldn’t get a shot off against us in the first half, and when they did it was in desperation,” Fiene said of Baraboo. “That was the best defense I’ve seen us play, and that definitely impacted our team. “I was proud of our girls and said it was the best team basketball that we had played.” Sophomore guard Katelyn Fishnick contributed a career-best 12 points and added five rebounds, three assists and three steals for Sauk Prairie. “She finally found the hole in the basket,” Fiene said of Fishnick. “She’s been getting (to the basket) the whole season, and I’ve been waiting for them to go in. She played hard, and it was exciting to see her find some success because she deserves it.” Junior guard Olivia Breunig added 12 points and six steals, while Ella Schad chipped in eight points.  Taylor Pfaff scored 14 of her team-high 17 points in the second half to pace the Thunderbirds. Carly Moon made three 3-pointers and scored all 12 of her points after the break. Fiene said the victory couldn’t have come at a better time for the Eagles. “We needed that,” Fiene said. “When you go on a stretch of losing, it can take its toll. “But the girls haven’t let it affect them. Two of our loses have been to undefeated teams, and against Mount Horeb, we forced 40 turnovers and then shot 12-of-56. We got our shots and just couldn’t make them. “I’m proud of our team effort. We can do a lot of great things when we’re working together and people are on the same page and giving the same effort.”  • Mount Horeb 48, Sauk Prairie 36: Emma Anderson scored a game-high 15 points and Julia Magnuson added 13 points to lead the visiting Vikings past the Eagles in a Badger North Conference game. It wasn’t pretty as both teams combined for 71 turnovers and 49 personal fouls. But Mount Horeb coach Tom Lesar summed it up best. “You never apologize for a win,” said Lesar, after the Vikings (4-1, 1-1 Badger North) overcame 40 turnovers and 13 of 31 shooting (42 percent) at the free-throw line to notch their first conference victory. “Athletically (Sauk Prairie is) as good as anybody. “They’ve got depth and a bunch of kids who can run. We’re fortunate to get out of here with a victory.” Sauk Prairie (3-3, 0-2) fell behind 10-3 to open the game, but battled back to within 19-17 entering halftime. However, the Eagles, who shot just 21 percent from the floor (12 of 56), including 11 percent from 3-point range (2 of 19) and a miserable 44 percent (10 of 23) at the free throw line, never got any closer. “Defensively, we did what we wanted to do the majority of the time,” coach Amber Fiene said. “But offensively, it’s going to be tough to win with those kind of statistics.” Mount Horeb opened the second half on a 9-0 run to grab a 28-17 lead 4 minutes into the second half. Naomi Breunig then sank a jumper for Sauk Prairie that snapped a span of nearly 6 minutes without a field goal for the Eagles. Sophomore guard Kassia Marquardt made one of two free throws to pull the Eagles within 28-20 with 13:04 left to play. Mount Horeb then went on a 13-3 run to grab a 41-23 lead to regain control. “We did a lot better job of trying to execute our rotations on our press,” Fiene said. “We forced a lot of turnovers, but we’ve got to learn to capitalize on those.” Marquardt and sophomore forward Makenzie Breunig led the Eagles with six points each. “Missing layups was a difficult part for us because we were at some points getting to the basket,” Fiene said. “Against a zone, it’s going to be harder to get to the basket. But we saw our openings, and we had a plan but just could not finish.” • On deck: Sauk Prairie plays at Portage in a Badger North Conference game on Thursday at 7:15 p.m. before taking a two-week holiday break.   Dec. 10 Mount Horeb 48, Sauk Prairie 36 Mount Horeb …............ 19 29 — 48 Sauk Prairie ..........…… 17 19 — 36 MOUNT HOREB — Grace Vesperman 4 0-2 9, Anna Ollendick 1 0-0 2, Emma Anderson 3 9-10 15, Kenzie Coulthard 1 2-6 4, Olivia Burke 1 0-3 2, Olivia Yanna 1 0-3 2, Julia Magnuson 6 1-4 13, Emily Wallace 0 1-3 1. Totals 17 13-31 48. SAUK PRAIRIE — Lexi Tobias 1 2-3 5, Katelyn Fishnick 1 1-2 3, Naomi Breunig 1 2-4 4, Autumn Hellenbrand 2 0-2 4, Olivia Breunig 1 0-0 3, Faith Holler 1 1-4 3, Kassia Marquardt 2 2-4 6, Lauren Wideen 0 2-4 2, Makenzie Breunig 3 0-0 6. Totals 12 10-23 36. 3-point goals: MH 1 (Vesperman); SP 2 (Tobias 1, O. Breunig 1). Fouls: MH 24; SP 25. Fouled out: N. Breunig, Fishnick, Marquardt (SP); Vesperman (MH).    Dec. 13 Sauk Prairie 59, Baraboo 39 Sauk Prairie …........… 33 26 — 59 Baraboo ………...........   7 32 — 39 SAUK PRAIRIE (fg ft-fta pts) — Lexi Tobias 0 1-2 1, Katelyn Fishnick 6 0-0 12, Naomi Breunig 8 4-4 22, Autumn Hellenbrand 0 0-2 0, Olivia Breunig 3 1-2 10, Faith Holler 0 0-0 0, Kassia Marquardt 1 1-2 4, Madi Pertzborn 0 0-1 0, Lauren Wideen 0 0-4 0, Ella Schad 3 2-3 8, Olivia Paukner 0 2-2 2, Makenzie Breunig 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 11-22 59. BARABOO — Autumn Klemm 1 2-5 5, Carly Moon 4 1-4 12, Jillian Shanks 0 1-2 1, Taylor Pfaff 6 7-7 17, Cecilia Oettinger 1 0-0 2,Jayden  Ross 1 0-1 2. Totals 12 11-19 39. 3-point goals: SP 6 (O. Breunig 3, N. Breunig 2, Marquardt 1); B 6 (Moon 3, Pfaff 2, Klemm 1). Total fouls: SP 18; B 19. Fouled out: N. Breunig (SP).   BOYS BASKETBALL • Reedsburg 72, Sauk Prairie 44 — Junior forward Brandt Wilson and senior guard Parker Breunig scored 10 points apiece, but the Eagles fell to the host Beavers in a Badger North Conference game last Thursday. Will Fuhrmann scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the first half to stake Reedsburg (4-0, 2-0 Badger North) to a 35-18 halftime lead over Sauk Prairie (0-4, 0-2). Fuhrmann sank three 3-pointers and also pulled down 13 rebounds. Zach Bestor chipped in with 13 points, and Zach Hale added 11 points and five assists for the Beavers, who sank 10 3-pointers. Senior forward Garrett Hertzfeldt, who had been sidelined with injuries following an automobile accident, made his season debut and scored four points for Sauk Prairie. Senior point guard Ben German missed his third straight game while recovering from an ankle injury. • On deck: Following a Badger North Conference game against Mount Horeb on Tuesday, Sauk Prairie will travel to DeForest for a league game on Friday at 7:15 p.m.   Dec. 12 Reedsburg 72, Sauk Prairie 44 Sauk Prairie ............… 18 26 — 44 Reedsburg ……............ 35 37 — 72 SAUK PRAIRIE (fg ft-fta pts) — Damien Wright-Rodriguez 1 0-0 2, Tyler Uselman 1 0-0 2, Isaac Breunig 2 0-0 4, Garrett Hertzfeldt 2 0-0 4, Trevor Spray 1 2-2 4, Brandt Wilson 4 0-0 10, Parker Breunig 4 1-2 10, Frank Ahmetaj 0 2-4 2, Sam Drescher 2 0-0 6. Totals 17 5-8 44. REEDSBURG — Zach Hale 3 3-3 11, Max Tully 2 1-1 5, Will Fuhrmann 9 0-0 21, Keith Curtin 3 1-2 8, Carter Daniels 2 2-2 7, Zach Bestor 4 2-2 13, Chase Cherney 1 0-2 2, Alex Woodruff 1 0-0 2, Hunter Dempsey 0 1-2 1, Ethan Peper 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 10-14 72. 3-point goals: SP 5 (Wilson 2, P. Breunig 1, Drescher 2); R 10 (Hale 2, Fuhrmann 3, Curtin 1, Daniels 1, Bestor 3). Fouls: SP 15; R 10.