SPRING GREEN — Platteville’s Sierra Brecke is off to an unbelievable start. The senior forward has averaged 27.7 points per game through three games while leading the Hillmen to a 3–0 start.
Brecke scored a game-high 22 points and had five steals as Platteville held off host River Valley to open Southwest Wisconsin Conference play last Thursday night, 37–30.
Senior guard Claire Tashner added six points, four steals and three assists for the winners. Fellow senior Lexi Budden chipped in five points and six rebounds and sophomore forward Skye Digman finished with four points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Senior Kylie Hoffman scored 12 points in a losing effort to lead River Valley (1–3, 0–1 SWC).
“We played solid team defense and made key plays down the stretch to secure the win,” said first-year head coach Brandon Temperly. “It’s always tough to win on the road and baskets were hard to come by. The girls stuck together and gutted out the win.”
Brecke scored 10 points in the first half to stake Platteville to a 17–11 halftime lead.
The Blackhawks didn’t help their own cause missing 10 of 14 free throws in the first half and 11 of 17 in the game.
Tashner scored all six of her points in the second half, and Brecke made five field goals, including a pair of three-pointers in the final 18 minutes to helped Platteville hold on for a seven-point win.
“We finished the game very well defensively,” added Temperly. “The girls made plays in the passing lanes that led to easy baskets to extend the lead. We are off to a good start this season. But there is a long way to go and plenty of work to be done, but we have put ourselves in a good position to accomplish some of our goals.”
The Hillmen (3–0, 1–0) traveled to Darlington for a non-conference game on Tuesday and will return to action Friday at home against preseason SWC favorite Dodgeville (4–0, 1–0, ranked sixth in Division 3, according to wissports.net).
Last Tuesday, Brecke poured in a career-high 33 points in a 63–59 non-conference victory over preseason Six Rivers West favorite Benton (2–1, ranked eighth in Division 5).
Brecke outshined Benton sophomore Emma Lawrence in an individual showdown of two of the better players in this part of the state.
Brecke made 13 field goals and six of 10 from the free throw line in the win. She scored 14 points in the first half as the Hillmen built a slim 33–32 halftime time, but really turned it on in the final 18 minutes scoring 19 points.
Tashner aided the win with nine points, including a pair of clutch free throws in the final minute to help seal the win. Senior Allison Woodworth added seven points.
The Hillmen made 5 of 8 from the free throw line in the final 90 seconds to preserve the win.
Lawrence finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks, but also committed 10 of Benton’s 21 turnovers.
Platteville 63, Benton 59
(from Tuesday, Dec. 1 @ Platteville)
Benton 32 27 — 59
Platteville 33 30 — 63
Benton (2–1) — Jansen 10, Burmeister 7, Lawrence 19, Murphy 2, Carver 8, Doughtery 5, Bastian 8. Totals — 19 14-21 59.
Platteville (2–0) — Lexi Budden 4, Claire Tashner 9, Rachel Emendorfer 4, Allison Woodworth 7, Sierra Brecke 33, Skye Digman 6. Totals — 25 11–16 63.
3-point goals — B: 7 (Jansen 1, Lawrence 3, Carver 2, Bastian 1); P: 2 (Tashner 1, Brecke 1). Team fouls — B: 18, P: 24. Fouled out — none.
Platteville 37, River Valley 30
(from Thursday, Dec. 3 @ Spring Green)
Platteville 17 20 — 37
River Valley 11 19 — 30
Platteville (3–0, 1–0) — Lexi Budden 5, Claire Tashner 6, Sierra Brecke 22, Skye Digman 4. Totals — 15 3–7 37.
River Valley (1–3, 0–1) — Jerrica Hood 3, L. Drachenberg 4, Taylor Briehl 8, Carmen Hood 2, Sierra Schwingle 1, Kylie Hoffman 12. Totals — 11 6-17 30.
3-point goals — P: 4 (Budden 1, Brecke 2); RV: 2 (J. Hood 1, Hoffman 1). Team fouls — P: 19, RV: 16. Fouled out — none.
