Girls Basketball: Defensive effort leads Witt-Birn past Amherst

WITTENBERG — The Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School girls basketball team continued its strong start to the season, rolling to a 58-37 victory over Amherst on Tuesday.

The win pushed the Chargers record to 10-0 overall. Witt-Birn improved to 5-0 in the Central Wisconsin Conference-East Division, giving the team a two-game lead in the standings already.

Witt-Birn used a strong defensive showing and an aggressive offensive approach to take care of a tall and intimidating Amherst squad, which had just one conference loss coming in.

On offense, Witt-Birn senior Olivia Curley and junior Abi Fraaza drove to the rim any chance they could, capping the plays with field goals, assists to teammates or trips to the free-throw line. The Chargers attempted just five 3-pointers in the game.

Witt-Birn had a number of its shots blocked around the basket, but that didn’t stop the team from consistently getting the ball down low.

Coach Nick Mechelke was thrilled with his team’s willingness to mix it up with much taller defenders, singling out Curley’s ability to get to the rim and finish some tough shots.

“You can’t be scared to go in there (the lane),” said Curley. “They are tall, but what are they going to do? They’re not going to punch you, they’re not going to do anything like that so you might as well take it to them like they would do to us.”

After Curley and Fraaza combined for 18 points to help the team to a comfortable halftime lead, the Chargers got to the free-throw line throughout the second half to keep adding on to their lead.

Witt-Birn attempted 18 of its 26 free throws in the final half. While the Chargers weren’t too efficient at the line (making 15), it proved to be a big determining factor, as Amherst only shot six free throws the entire game.

Fraaza finished the contest as the Chargers top scorer with 18 points, while Curley added 17.

Junior Emma Herb provided 13 points, with 10 of the points coming in the second half.

Herb, Witt-Birn’s go-to post player, was a big factor on the defensive end of the court, helping alter Amherst drives to the rim and piling up rebounds.

The junior grabbed 12 rebounds in the game and also tallied three steals.

Fraaza also had three steals while pulling down 11 boards — six of which came on the offensive glass. Curley had four steals, while freshman Reese Rogowski had two.

Mechelke said the team let Amherst try and beat them from behind the 3-point line. The Falcons first successful 3-pointer didn’t come until the 9:05 mark of the second half.

“We stress playing solid defense and help defense. They’ve honestly bought in,” said Mechelke of his team’s defense. “Our goal is to not let someone score 40 points. We play smart, we work together and we’re getting better at not taking chances — making teams work for their opportunities.”

Witt-Birn kept most of Amherst’s offense behind the 3-point line and did a strong job of limiting the Falcons to just one shot on each possession.

Witt-Birn’s defense flexed its muscles in the opening half, surrendering just nine points.

Amherst had a 5-4 lead at the 14:17 mark of the first half, but didn’t score again until the 7:35 mark, when Witt-Birn led 11-7. The next Falcon points came at the 4:10 mark, which made it a 19-9 game.

While Amherst was able to find a little rhythm in the second half, Witt-Birn never let the lead slip below 15 points, getting up to a 26-point lead with a couple minutes to play.

“We knew right away that they (Amherst) was going to be tough and was ready to beat us because we’re the undefeated team in the conference and everyone wants to beat us,” said Fraaza, who expects to get every opponent’s best shot every time on the court.

“We need to keep working as a family and together, and just working harder each and every day at practice to get better and prepare for the good teams that are coming up in the playoffs.”

Amherst 9 28 — 37

Witt-Birn 24 34 — 58

Witt-Birn (58): Reese Rogowski 1-3 3, Olivia Curley 5-9 17, Megan Konkol 0-0 5, Abi Fraaza 6-8 18, Amara Schoepke 0-0 2, Emma Herb 3-6 13.

Amherst (37): Nicole Eiden 1-2 5, Hannah Wall 0-0 4, Alexa Shulfer 2-2 17, Brooke Wideman 0-0 6, Sydney Lehman 1-2 3, Erin Lutz 0-0 2.

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