Marion girls basketball team grinds out win over Tigerton

The Marion High School girls basketball team got off to a strong start and went on to earn a 22-11 Central Wisconsin Conference-North Division win over Tigerton on Jan. 13 in Tigerton.

Marion scored the game’s first 10 points and were then able to coast to victory in a game between two teams searching for their first win of the season.

“It takes a lot of hard work and teamwork, and we all worked hard for it and won, so that was a good experience for us,” said Marion senior Kelsey Zillmer, who scored eight points.

“It feels like such an accomplishment that us, as a team, came together and finally pulled out a win against one of our rivals,” said Morgan Kruger, another Marion senior.

After a scoreless first three minutes, Krueger — who had just been tagged with her second foul — knocked in a 3-pointer. After a steal on its press, Alexis Roe converted a contested shot to put the visitors up 5-0.

Roe also had the Mustangs’ next basket before a 3-pointer from Zillmer about seven minutes into the game made it 10-0.

“It (the 10-0 start to the game) was big, but we still had work to get done, and we accomplished that,” said Zillmer.

Points were hard to come by the rest of the half for each team, with only four baskets made in the final 11 minutes of the half.

Tigerton finally got on the scoreboard after a 3-point make from Angel Welch about eight minutes into the contest.

About three minutes later, Colleen Malueg converted a shot for Marion. Tigerton’s Sienna Breaker scored next on a jumpshot with about five minutes left in the half before Zillmer hit a shot about 45 seconds later to cap the scoring and leave Marion with a 14-5 halftime advantage.

Baskets continued to be tough to come by at the start of the second half, with the only points in the first 10 minutes being a 3-pointer from Krueger.

The teams split free throws for the next couple points, with Zillmer hitting for Marion and Grace Laatsch scoring for Tigerton.

Grace Bradley hit Marion’s final field goal with a little under six minutes to play and Zillmer scored the team’s final points on two free throws with 2:37 to play.

Tigerton’s Lillian Welch and Abby Swartz combined to make three free throws over a 42-second stretch before Zillmer’s free throws, and Swartz was able to hit a field goal after a steal with under a minute to play before the Tigers ran out of time.

Swartz looked back to the slow start to the game as a big reason for the final result.

“I think it was just a lot of the girls being flustered, me being flustered,” said Swartz. “Obviously, press doesn’t help. We’ve seen a press before but it was definitely the go, go, go, go, go without taking a moment to just take a breathe, work the offense — it was break the press and try and get a shot off …”

Marion 14 8 — 22

Tigerton 5 6 — 11

Marion (22): Alexis Roe 0-1 4, Colleen Malueg 0-2 2, Morgan Krueger 0-0 6, Kelsey Zillmer 3-4 8, Grace Bradley 0-0 2.

Tigerton (11): Angel Welch 0-0 3, Sienna Breaker 0-0 2, Lillian Welch 1-2 1, Abby Swartz 2-2 4, Grace Laatsch 1-2 1.

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