NOTE: The Sweet 16 results of the SWNews4U.com SW Wisconsin Girls Dream Tournament were published in the Grant County Herald Independent, The Platteville Journal, Fennimore Times, Republican Journal, Tri-County Press and the Richland Observer May 27-28. Elite 8 (Regional Final) results will be published in the same area newspapers June 3-4.
West Regional
1) 2007 Cuba City 51, 4) 2020 Platteville 49
CUBA CITY — In a game featuring two unbeaten teams, the 2007 D3 state champions from Cuba City survived a thriller against the 2020 undefeated Hillmen of Platteville (28–1).
The winner of this game wasn’t decided until the final second ran off the clock and the last shot was taken. That last shot came from Hillmen senior Josie Nies, who had a chance to send her team into the Elite Eight of our Southwest Wisconsin Dream Tournament.
The Cubans’ 6’2” center Tami Gleason, a D2 UW–Parkside volleyball recruit, made the defensive play of the game though, blocking the potential game-winning 3-point shot by Nies as the final buzzer sounded to preserve a 51-49 win for coach Jeff Pustina’s Cubans (30–0).
In the final minute of this Sweet 16 fictitious match-up, Cuba City senior point guard Molly Moor, a D3 WBCA All-Star, went 3-for-4 from the foul line, giving the Cubans a 51–46 advantage.
Nies, a UW-Stevens Point recruit, pulled the Hillmen back to within one possession 51–49 on a made 3-pointer with just under two seconds showing on the clock, before Platteville coach Mike Foley called his final time out.
Desperate to get the ball in against the Hillmen’s full-court press, Cuba City turned the ball over, leading to a quick shot from the left corner by Nies. Reacting to the change of possession, Gleason sprinted to the corner and timed her jump, able to get her fingers on the ball and preserve the win.
Gleason finished the game with 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots, while 5’11” junior Brianna Kaiser, a future UW–Platteville volleyball standout, chipped in 13 points, Moor hard nine, senior Kaitlyn Pustina seven and junior Brianna Droessler (future Edgewood College player) six.
Becca Hoyer, a UW–Platteville recruit, scored 10 of her team-high 13 points in the second half to fuel the Platteville rally, while 6’1” Sami Martin, a D1 Bradley University recruit, posted a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds against the Cubans’ equal size.
6) 1999 Potosi 72, 2) 1993 Cuba City 69 (2 OT)
CUBA CITY — In probably the biggest upset in the Sweet 16 round, coach Eric Briehl and his 1999 D4 state runners-up from Potosi (29–1) knocked off the 1993 D3 state champions from Cuba City (25–4) in double overtime.
Potosi senior Jamie Nebel, a UW–Parkside recruit, carried the Chieftains on her shoulders, scoring a game-high 26 points, while getting 16 from senior teammate Tiff Flesch, who also had 11 rebounds.
Nebel hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime tied at 55–55. Neither team held a lead bigger than five points throughout the entire time of the first four quarters.
Foul trouble played a role in Cuba City’s upset loss too, as senior standout Aimee Trane (a three-time SWAL 1 Player of the Year and future UW–Whitewater player, fouled out of the game early in the first overtime, and classmate Holly Klein early in the second.
In the first overtime, Cuba City got the tip and an eventual basket from Shey Roth, but it was Flesch answered with a nice post-up move to even the score on the other end.
Down the stretch of the first OT, coach Jeff Pustina’s Cubans had possession of the ball with a two-point lead and just under 10 seconds to play. The Chieftains fouled Holly Klein, sending her to the line with 4.1 seconds showing on the clock.
Klein missed the front end of the bonus try, and in the scuffle for the rebound, Flesch was fouled and sent to the line with 1.7 seconds remaining.
With ice in her veins, Flesch calmly knocked down both free throws, sending the game into a second overtime tied at 61–61.
That's when Nebel put the Chieftains on her shoulders, coming out of the second overtime with a spot-up 3 pointer, then a huge steal at the other end of the floor. With the ball in her hands most of the time, Nebel came up clutch by making 6 of 6 free throw attempts in the final two minutes and finished the second OT period with nine of her game-high 26 points.
Following Nebel’s 26 points and 16 from Flesch, coach Briehl’s Chieftains got eight points from senior Megan Koeller, six from senior Jena Edge and five each from Kylie Droessler and Shena Rojemann.
The Cubans got a team-high 15 points from Roth, followed by 12 from Tranel, 10 from Klein and eight from Sarah Busch.
South Regional
1) 2015 Cuba City 62, 5) 1984 West Grant 53
CUBA CITY — With junior Jessi Marti, a D2 Northern University recruit, on the wing, senior Chloe Pustina, a UW–Oshkosh recruit at the point, and 6’2” senior Mollie Wedige, a WBCA D4 All-Star selection, dominating the paint, the top seeded 2015 D4 state champions from Cuba City (31–0) were too much to handle for the 1984 Class C state runners up from West Grant (26–3).
Coach Jeff Pustina’s top seeded Cubans by no means ran away with this one though, as coach Bob Barr’s Falcons kept the game close until late in the contest.
Trailing just 34–30 at the half, West Grant pulled to within a point at 34–33 early in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by senior guard Maureen Vorwald, a UW–La Crosse recruit and honorable mention All-State selection. Though the Falcons never could take the lead over the Cubans, they did manage to tie the game at 46–46 late in the third quarter on a basket by AP honorable mention All-State selection Lacey Myers.
In the fourth though, Cuba City’s cream rose to the top, as Marti scored eight of her team-high 23 points, and Wedige six of her 16 points. She also grabbed 10 rebounds. Pustina chipped in 11 points and five assists for the Cubans, while fellow senior Shay Lierman added seven and junior Kaitlyn Kaiser six.
The Falcons were led by Vorwald, who netted 16 points in the loss, while Lacey Myers finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds, Tracy Wheeler 12 and Vickie Myers 10.
2) 1999 Barneveld 49, 3) 1977 Cuba City 42
BARNEVELD — Senior guard Jess Arneson, a D1 UW–Green Bay recruit, led the host 1999 D4 state champions from Barneveld to a seven-point victory over the 1977 Class B state champions from Cuba City in a fictitious Sweet 16 match up.
Arneson showed why she is one of the best players in our Dream Tournament, by scoring 20 points and pulling down nine rebounds for coach Jim Myers and the Eagles (30–0).
Arneson got some help from senior teammate Megan Hodgson, a UW–Steven Point recruit and current UWSP assistant Athletic Director who netted 15 points and six rebounds in the win to send Barneveld to the Elite Eight.
Coach Syd Sincock’s Cubans (25–1) made things interesting with a 26–23 lead at halftime, but once the Eagles took the lead back midway through the third quarter, they never gave it back.
In the fourth quarter, coach Jim Myers’ squad held a seven-point cushion, which the Cubans could never narrow, as Arneson and Hodgson combined to make 8 of 10 free throws in the final three minutes.
To go along with Arneson’s 20 points and eight from Hodgson, the Eagles also got six from Liz Meyer, four from Shannon Clerkin and two each from Staci Dimpfl and Casey Thousand.
The Cubans got 17 points from senior Mary Kay Leifker, 10 from Deb Tranel, eight from Lynn Timmerman and six from JoAnn Steinbach.
North Regional
1) 2014 Barneveld 66, 4) 1984 Platteville 57
BARNEVELD — 2014 Barneveld’s one–two punch of future Division 1 recruits Hannah Whitish and Rachel Slaney were too much for the 1984 Class B state champion Platteville Hillmen (25–3).
Whitish, who went on to a standout Big 10 career at Nebraska, finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the Golden Eagles’ (31–0) nine-point Sweet 16 victory.
Whitish scored seven points and assisted on a Slaney 3-pointer and a basket by junior Maggie Oimoen in Barneveld’s 14–3 third quarter run that gave the Eagles a 13-point lead with 3:21 left in the third quarter, 53–40.
Slaney, who went on to play at Madison College and later D1 Cleveland State, scored 10 of her 16 points in the opening quarter as coach Jim Myers’ 2014 Barneveld squad opened up an 18–10 lead after one period of play.
Senior exchange–student Anja Hellman, a member of the Finland National team and a future D1 California recruit, scored 12 of her game-high 27 points in the second quarter as coach Clay Shaffer’s 1984 Hillmen close the gap to 34–28 at the half.
Hellman scored back-to-back baskets early in the third quarter to pull Platteville within a basket at 39–37 with 5:12 left in the quarter, but the senior star was held without a field goal until there were two minutes left in the game and Barneveld held a comfortable 62–53 lead.
Hellman finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals. Junior Erin Stoffregen added 14 points and five assists, while senior Debbie Malone added eight points and seven rebounds for the Hillmen. Senior guard Karen Feehan chipped in five points and four assists. Senior Kay Martin added five points and seven boards.
Oimoen, a 6’1” center who went to play at D3 Ripon, finished with 10 points and six boards for the winners. Freshman Mia Whitish, who was a 2017 D5 All-Star as a senior, added nine points and three assists for the top-seeded Golden Eagles, who went 109–4 from 2013–16 with back-to-back state titles in 2014 and 15, and D4 state runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2016.
3) 1976 Lancaster 36, 2) 2010 Cuba City 34
CUBA CITY — The 1976 Lancaster Arrowettes, the state’s first Girls Class B state champion, upended the 2010 D3 state champion Cuba City Cubans with a gritty defensive effort and just enough offense to advance to the Elite Eight of the Girls Dream Tournament.
Junior Darcie Davies, who later played at D3 UW–La Crosse, score seven of her team-high 10 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Flying Arrows (23–2) to the next round.
After being held to just three points on 1 of 9 shooting through the first three quarters, Davies hit back-to-back baskets early in the fourth to give the Arrowettes a slim 29–27 lead with 6:21 left to play.
The teams traded turnovers and missed shots on the next four possessions, before junior Jodi Eissens scored in the paint to give Lancaster a four-point lead with just under three minutes to play at 31–27.
Cuba City senior Katie Langmeier (2012 SWAL Player of the Year and WBCA D3 All-State) was fouled on a driving layup the next trip down court, but failed to convert the free throw.
Lancaster ran nearly two minutes off the clock on its next possession, as Cuba City’s defense tried in vein to force a turnover, but eventually the Cubans were forced to foul. Senior Linda Shaw made a pair of free throws with 1:09 left to make it 33–29.
The Lancaster defense forced yet another Cuba City miss on the next possession, but senior Emily Kaiser, a WBCA D3 All-State selection, grabbed the offensive rebound and laid it home with 42 seconds left.
Cuba City (31–1) again fouled and put Davies on the line. The Lancaster senior split a pair to give the Arrowettes a three-point lead, 34–31.
The Cubans had a chance to tie on the next possession, but Langmeier’s contested 3-pointer missed the mark, Davies grabbed the board and was immediately fouled with 17 seconds left. This time she made both from the charity stripe to give Lancaster a five-point lead, 36–31,
Langmeier drilled a 3-pointer with five seconds left, but with Cuba City out of timeouts, Lancaster never inbounded the ball.
Davies finished with a team-high 10 points and 12 rebounds to lead the victors. Eissens, who went on to play at D3 UW–Oshkosh, added nine points and 11 rebounds. Shaw finished with eight points and four steals.
Langmeier scored a game-high 11 points and nine rebounds, and Kaiser had eight points for the Cubans. Senior Danielle Matuszak added six and junior Grace Stotmeiester chipped in five for Cuba City.
Coach Jewel Henke’s defense held its seven postseason opponents to an averaged of 33.6 points per game en route to winning the state title, including a dramatic 42–40 overtime victory over the rivals Cubans, who went undefeated a year later to win the 1977 Class B state title.
Coach Jeff Pustina’s 2010 Cubans were even more stingy allowing just 30.7 points per game to its seven playoff foes en route to a state title a year after finishing second in D3 in 2009.
East Regional
1) 2019 Black Hawk 73, 4) 2016 Mineral Point 64
SOUTH WAYNE — Black Hawk’s trio of seniors Natalie Leuzinger and Hannah Butler and junior Bailey Butler led the 2019 WIAA Division 5 state champion Warriors over the 2016 Division 4 state champion Mineral Point Pointers 72–64 in a Sweet 16 clash at Black Hawk High School.
The Warriors (31–0) buried 15 of their 25 3-point attempts in the game — many from well beyond the 3-point line — and then knocked down 8 of their final 10 free throw attempts to seal the victory.
Leuzinger, a future Wisconsin walk-on, nailed four treys on her way to a game-high 19 points and she pulled down 11 rebounds and had four steals in the win. Bailey Butler, a UW–Green Bay recruit, flirted with a triple-double with 16 points, 10 assists and nine steals, while senior Hannah Butler, a UW–Platteville recruit, tallied 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Warriors opened up a 22–8 lead to start the game, but the Pointers (28–3) fought back with six at the intermission at 38–32.
A 12–4 run at the start of the second half put Black Hawk back in charge; and, after MP got back within five late, the Warriors put the game away at the foul line.
Senior Maddy Huschitt, a University of Dubuque recruit, added three 3s and nine points for Black Hawk, while junior Kaylee Marty netted six points.
Senior Jessica Schultz, who starred at D2 Northern Michigan University, scored 12 of her team-high 18 points in the second half to fuel the Pointers’ rally. She also had 10 rebounds for a double–double as well.
Senior guard Sydney Staver, who played at D1 UW–Milwaukee, added 15 points, eight boards and two blocks. Senior Clara Chambers, who played at D3 Concordia University, tallied 10 points, four steals and four assists, while junior Destinee Kruser netted nine points and freshman McKenna Reichling added six points.
2) 1993 Pecatonica 57, 3) 1980 Cuba City 56 (OT)
BLANCHARDVILLE — Senior Nicole Jeglum knocked down the game-winning basket on a putback in the lane with 3.8 remaining to lift the 1993 WIAA Division 4 state champion Pecatonica Vikings over the 1980 Class B state champion Cuba City Cubans, 57-56, in thrilling overtime contest between two unbeatens in Blanchardville.
Jeglum scored four of her game-high 15 points in overtime and finished with eight rebounds to lead a balanced offensive attack for coach Mitch Wainwright’s Vikings (30–0), who posted a 77–3 record over a three-year span from 1991–94 winning two gold state balls and one silver ball.
Junior Tracey Powell tallied a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while seniors Barb Kapke and Steph Jorenby netted eight points apiece and fellow senior Tami Norton and junior Kristine Lee added six each for Pec.
Cuba City senior Lynn Timmerman converted a three-point play with 16 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score 49 all. The Vikings held for the last shot of regulation, but it was off the mark to force overtime.
The Vikings took the lead early in OT on a basket by Powell, however senior Linda Brown knocked down a jumper with 23 seconds to go to give coach Syd Sincock’s Cubans (27–1) their final lead at 56–55.
Timmerman scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds while Brown registered 11 points, four assists and three steals to lead the Cubans, who posted a 47–2 overall record in 1980 and 1981.
Sophomore Jackie Slaats, who went on to play and coach at D3 Lake Forest College (Ill.) chipped in with 10 points and five assists and senior Carol Tranel scored seven for Cuba City.
