The third-seeded Bonduel High School girls basketball team upset top-seeded Oconto 50-38 to win its first regional championship since 1998 Saturday in Oconto.
The Bears (20-4) will face No. 5 Auburndale (15-10) in the sectional semifinal Thursday in Wausau.
Bonduel’s 28-22 lead at halftime was enough to give the Bears confidence in the second half. Oconto scored just five points in the third quarter as Bonduel pulled away.
“We started taking care of the ball and dealing with their pressure defense a little more,” Bonduel coach Missy Dowden said.
Jennifer Dowden, a 6-foot junior forward fresh off a 30-point performance Friday night, led the Bears with 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals.
“She wants this,” Missy Dowden, Jennifer’s mother, said. “One step at a time, she wants each game.”
Lexi Reinke and Taylor Weier each added 10 pints. Reinke also had seven rebounds and four assists.
Bonduel outrebounded Oconto 32-18.
Laken James, a 5-9 senior, had 17 points to lead Oconto (20-4).
“It was a total team defense,” Missy Dowden said. “Deanna Zernicke was on Laken James and everybody else was on standby with the help defense.”
With Bonduel focused on her, James often dished the ball to Jaelyn Jicha, who finished with 14 points.
“Jisha was hitting the 3s, but we were ready to let her score just so Laken wasn’t doing all of the scoring,” Dowden said. “Once she gets going, you can’t stop her.”
Bonduel (50)
Dowden 5 9-12 20, Reinke 3 1-2 10, Weier 4 2-5 10, Zernicke 3 0-0 8, Sorenson 0 2-2 2
Oconto (38)
James 7 0-0 17, Behnke 2 0-0 4, Meyer 0 3-4 3, Jicha 4 3-4 14
Bonduel 13 15 11 11 — 50
Oconto 11 11 5 11 — 38
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