MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Feb. 27–March 4)
WIAA DIVISION 4 GIRLS BASKETBALL: Cuba City 67, Neillsville 52
By Casey Lindecrantz, Tri-Country Press
Cubans eyeing State Title at the Resch
WISCONSIN DELLS — Cuba City kept the ball rolling in the WIAA Division 4 sectional finals where it beat No. 1 seed Neillsville, 67–52, to advance to its first trip to State since 2015.
The game plan against the Warriors (23–5) was simple but effective — prevent their top-3 scorers from having an impact.
“We needed to stop Paris Opelt and Madi Davel,” Cuban junior Summer Rogers. “We knew that they, in addition to Sydney Subke, were crucial players for them.”
To that end, Subke and Davel totaled 20 points and 10 points, respectively, to lead Neillsville. Subke also tallied the first basket of the game to give the Warriors their only lead of the game in the first minute.
Olson and Alexis Runde combined for a trio of free throws to tie the game up 90 seconds after.
By the 15-minute mark, Emily Wiegman claimed the lead for Cuba City with the first of six 3-pointers. That total was enough to tie the school record, and it helped Wiegman be the scoring leader for the game off the bench.
The Cubans continued their methodical scoring attack on their way to a 13-5 lead by 10:30, eliciting a timeout from Neillsville. The Warriors worked back to within a 3-point split, 19-16, but Cuba City didn’t let off the throttle.
Savannah Kreger drained a three ahead of a Dea Crist 2-pointer putting the Cubans up by eight points. By the break, Cuba City’s lead was 31-21, and its plan was working.
“We wanted to play solid defense, we knew they had solid shooters,” Olson said. “We played how we knew how to play.”
As the teams worked through the second half, they consistently traded baskets, but Neillsville never got closer than six points away from the lead. With 4:30 on the clock and a 53-46 lead to the Cubans’ names, the Warriors called a timeout. Cuba City’s head coach made sure to impress on his players how important it was to stay calm.
“Coach Derby told us we just need to keep playing, treat it like every game, and keep going strong,” Rogers said. “Don’t take it for granted.”
Wiegman drained a three right out of the stoppage. The remainder of the Cubans’ points came from the charity stripe split between Olson, Rowe, and Wiegman.
Cuba City (24–4) remains unbeaten against all Division 4 opponents, and will get to put its perfect record to the test.
The Cubans reseeded as a third-seed, and will face No. 2-seeded McDonnell Catholic (25–2) in the State semifinals at the Resch Center on Thursday.
Should it win, Cuba City will face the winner of No. 1-seeded Laconia (26–2) against No. 4-seeded The Prairie School (25–3).
The Cubans’ last trip to the Resch Center was in 2015, and resulted in a State title alongside a 28-0 record.
WIAA Division 4 Sectional Final
#2 Cuba City 67, #1 Neillsville 52
(from Saturday, Mar. 2 @ Wisconsin Dells)
Neillsville 21 31 — 52
Cuba City 31 36 — 67
Neillsville (23–5) — Subke 20, Davel 10, Opelt 9, Langreck 6, Laylah Wack 4, Gracie Schoengarth 3. Totals — 14 16-24 52.
Cuba City (24–4) — Wiegman 22, Olson 18, Crist 9, Rowe 8, Kreger 6, Rogers 2, Runde 2. Totals — 19 19-21 67.
3-point goals — N: 8 (Subke 4, Davel 2, Schoengarth 1, Langreck 1); CC: 10 (Wiegman 6, Kreger 2, Rowe 1, Olson 1). Team fouls — N: 19; CC: 17. Fouled out — none.
