POTOSI — Against second ranked and once beaten Division 5 powerhouse Barneveld, Potosi head coach Brad Bierman knew his team needed to take care of the ball and have a good shooting night.
     Unfortunately his Chieftains did neither in the first half and a nightmare start turned into an insurmountable lead and ultimately a 58–37 non-conference loss Monday night at Potosi High School.
     Potosi missed its first 11 shots of the game and committed 12 of its 28 turnovers in the first quarter.
     The Chieftains (12–2) played good enough defense in the first quarter to limit the damage and Liz Reuter’s three-point play — Potosi’s first basket of the game — with nine seconds left in the opening quarter pull the home team within seven at 11–4.
     “As bad as we started it could have been a lot worse than 11–4 at the end of the first quarter,” said Bierman.
     Potosi missed its first three shots of the second quarter and the high-flying Eagles (14–1) scored the first seven points of the quarter to build an 18–4 lead.
     Bierman’s Chieftains responded with a 10–0 run with six straight points from senior forward Tiffany Langmeier and a basket and a pair of free throws from freshman Maddie Hawes to pull within four at 18–14 with 4:43 remaining in the half.
     Langmeier finished with nine points and 10 rebounds. Hawes added nine points, four rebounds and three assists.
     But that was Potosi’s last real offensive burst until late in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand.
     Barneveld’s fabulous freshman Hannah Whitish scored on a cut to the basket two minutes, then added a 3-point play on the ensuing possession, and drilled a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left in the half to spur an 11–4 run. Whitish finished with 18 points, six rebounds, five steals and five assists.
     Sophomore Rachel Slaney took over in the second half scoring 13 of her 15 points to hold off any Potosi comeback.
     Potosi senior Abby Ames scored eight straight points on a pair of threes and a breakaway layup late in the fourth after Barneveld’s lead had ballooned to 27 points. Ames finished with a team-high 12 points and four steals.
     “We can’t beat Barneveld scoring four points in the first quarter and just 37 for the game,” said Bierman. “They are just too talented. Obviously the turnovers are going to jump out right away, but if you come out against a team as good as Barneveld and shoot that poorly you have no chance.”
     The Chieftains shot just 20.4 percent (10 of 49) for the game and just 5 of 26 in the first half.
     Potosi now turns its attention back to conference play and the pursuit of a Six Rivers West championship.
     The Chieftains travel to league co-leader Benton/Shullsburg (13–1, 4–0 SRW)  Thursday before traveling to Belmont (6–7, 2–2) on Tuesday. Potosi will close out its three-game road swing Feb. 1 at River Ridge (5–7, 1–2).

Barneveld 58, Potosi 37
(from Monday, Jan. 21 @ Potosi)
Barneveld.    11    20    16    11     —  58
Potosi    4    17    7    9     —  37
Barneveld (14–1) — Sporle 3, Straubhaar 6, Whitish 18, Laube 9, Evans 2, Slaney 15, Oimoen 6. Totals — 23 9-9 58.
Potosi (12–2) — Haley Flesch 2, Maddie Hawes 9, Bridget Curtis 2, Abby Ames 12, Liz Reuter 3, Tiffany Langmeier 9. Totals — 10 15-22 37.
3-point goals — B: 3 (Whitish 1, Laube 2); P: 2 (Ames 2). Team fouls — B: 20; P: 12. Fouled out — none.

Potosi 64,
Wauzeka–Steuben 35
(from Thursday, Jan. 17 @ Potosi)
Wauzeka/Steu.    8    8    8    11     —  35
Potosi    18    16    16    14     —  64
Wauzeka–Steuben (4–6) — Kapinus 8, Giddings 4, Teynor 4, McCullick 9, Tenor 9. Totals — 12 8-22 35.
Potosi (11–1) — Haley Flesch 13, Maddie Hawes 10, Bridget Curtis 12, Abby Ames 11, Clara White 3, Destinie Droessler 2, Maggie Williams 2, Liz Reuter 3, Tiffany Langmeier 8. Totals — 22 17-23 64.
3-point goals — W/S: 3 (Kapinus 2, McCullick 1); P: 3 (Hawes 1, White 1, Ames 1). Team fouls — W/S: 15; P: 23. Fouled out — none.