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Wiegel headed back to state
Bel-Plat wrest Schaefer 1 color
BELMONT/PLATTEVILLES William Schaefer (right) works for a takedown during his 182-pound quarterfinal match at Saturdays Richland Center Sectional Meet.
Jason Nihles
Updated: Feb 22, 2018, 6:34 PM
Published: Feb 22, 2018, 6:36 PM

    RICHLAND CENTER — Belmont senior Isaac Wiegel is headed back to state for the fourth time.
    The school’s all-time leader in victories picked up three more to win the 120-pound title at Saturday’s WIAA Division 2 Richland Center Sectional.
    Wiegel pinned Lodi junior Garrett Moll late in the third period of his quarterfinal match. Moll (32-3) battled all the way back to finish second in the weight class.
    After a grueling opening match, Wiegel then pinned Arcadia’s Tanner Klar early in the second period of their semifinal match.
    Then, Wiegel claimed the sectional title by avenging a regional final loss to River Valley senior Caleb Radtke (26-11) with a dominating 8-1 victory in the finals.
    Wiegel improved to 43-4 on the season and secured the all important first-round bye for this week’s WIAA State Tournament that begins with a preliminary round Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Kohl Center in Madison.
    “We are very proud of Isaac,” said Belmont/Platteville head coach Andrew Campbell. “He is an extremely hard working kid who won a very difficult sectional bracket. He has a great draw and he has put in a ton of work since last season. We are excited to see what we can do.”
    Wiegel, who is now 161-28, sits six wins shy of the Belmont/Platteville career record held by Dusty Jentz, will face either Freedom junior Koy Murphy (25-17) or East Troy senior Joe Moede (30-14) in a quarterfinal match Friday morning. The Division 2/3 quarterfinal round will begin at approximately 11:15 a.m.
    Wiegel finished third at 113 pounds at state as a junior, fourth at 106 as a sophomore and did not place at 106 as a freshman.
    Platteville sophomore William Schaefer’s (27-12) season ended Saturday with an 11-9 loss in the 182-pound quarterfinal to G-E-T/Melrose-Mindoro’s Landon Lockington (33-3).
    “Will wrestled a tough kid from GET,” said Campbell. “He gave up some big moves early and just did not quite have enough time to complete the comeback. He is the type of kid who will enjoy the fact that he was a sectional qualifier, but will start working for next year so he can become a state qualifier. He is a very motivated kid.”
Belmont's Kaleen McGettigan notches career win No. 200
Braves blowout Potosi/Cassville in coach's milestone victory
Kaleen McGettigan 200
Belmont girls head coach Kaleen McGettigan earned her 200th career win last Tuesday night with a 56–25 win over Potosi/Cassville.
Casey Lindecrantz
Published: Dec 13, 2024, 7:23 PM

POTOSI — Belmont girls basketball coach Kaleen McGettigan collected her 200th career win last Tuesday night with a 56–25 victory over Potosi/Cassville.

The Braves shot out to and maintained an early lead in Six Rivers West win over the host Chieftains (3–2, 0–2 SRW).

Potosi/Cassville claimed the opening point on a free throw, but a basket under the hoop by Morgan Freeman earned the only lead change of the night. The result was a Braves lead where the traveling team earned nearly 30 points before Potosi/Cassville tasted double figures.

“Any time we play a conference team, we know it is going to be a battle,” McGettigan said. “The Chieftains lost one of their starters the night before, but credit tot he team and their staff, they came out ready to play. Coach Nebel has done a nice job in her first month as a head coach.”

The Braves clung to a 37–16 lead at the break, nurturing it as they pushed to double Potosi/Cassville’s output over the final 18 minutes.

“I was pleased with the girls’ offensive attacks,” McGettigan said. “We are a tough team to guard because we are so interchangeable, and we need to take more advantage of that.”

The Belmont front was led by a three-headed monster of Lexi Riechers (18 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals), Freeman (14 pts, 6 reb), and Kaci Riechers (12 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 5 stl). 

Carsyn Ramaker also took on an supporting role — her six rebounds and five assists were each tied for the team high.

“Lexi Riechers was a spark for us, and she got a couple things going on both ends of the floor,” McGettigan said. “Carsyn continues to see the floor well, and Hailey Bahr played the best game of her career.”

With just three opponents left ahead of the new year, the Braves’ next opportunity on the court comes at Benton on Dec. 12.

Junior Lillie Cooley scored a team-high five points in the loss for Potosi/Cassville (3–2, 0–2) which suffered its first loss.

Despite the win, McGettigan believes her team needs improvements in a few areas.

“We need to do a better job of consistently finishing around the rim,” she said. “We also need to be more comfortable  in our half-court sets.”

The Zephyrs (0–6, 0–2) most recently lost to Stockton (Ill.) on Dec. 9, 68–18, and haven’t scored more than 20 points in each of their last three games.

“We need to continue working on limiting other teams’ offensive boards, and getting to our outlet spots,” McGettigan said. “December is a slow month for us, so we need to stay focused in the gym and need to get better.”

Belmont 56, Potosi/Cassville 25
(from Tuesday, Dec. 3 @ Potosi)
Belmont 37 19 — 56
Potosi/Cassville 16 9 — 25
Belmont (2–1, 1–0) — Hailey Bahr 2, Courtney Fritz 5, Kaci Riechers 12, Morgan Freeman 14, Jaelyn Leitzinger 2, Lexi Riechers 18, Brittany Taylor 3. Totals — 25-71 2-7 56.  
Potosi/Cassville (3–1, 0–1) — Matty Udelhofen 4, Madi Weber 2, Lillie Cooley 5, Brielle Fishnick 4, Ruby Roe 3, Miranda Kieler 4, Delany McKillip 3. Totals — 8-43 8-11 25. 
3-pointers — B: 4-19 (Fritz 1, K. Riechers 2, L. Riechers 1); PC: 1-11 (Roe 1). Team fouls — B: 14; PC: 14. Foul out — none.