MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Feb. 11–18)
SWAL GIRLS BASKETBALL: Iowa–Grant 50, Fennimore 40
By Jason Nihles
IG rally stuns Eagles to snap losing streak
A FENNIMORE — The Iowa–Grant girls snapped an eight-game losing streak with a stunning 50–40 comeback win at Fennimore Friday night.
The Panthers (5–17, 3–10 SWAL) used a 2–3 zone to slow Fennimore’s inside presence on one end, then outscored the Golden Eagles 19–0 over the final 6:16 to pull out the win.
A quick basket by junior Peyton Freymiller after an IG timeout began the game-winning comeback. Classmate Adrienne Biddick hit a pair of free throws on the Panthers' next possession, then after a Fennimore turnover, sophomore Quinn Hoeper banked in a 3-pointer from the right wing to trip the IG deficit to 40–38 with five minutes left.
Biddick split a pair of free throws moments later to make it a one-point game, then after Fennimore missed a free throw at the other end, Freymiller banked home an improbable 3-pointer from deep in the right corner to give Iowa–Grant a 42–40 lead with just over 4:22 left in the game. Freymiller then pushed the lead to four on a putback basket with 3:52 left. Freymiller finsihed the game with a career-high 10 points. Biddick scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Panthers, who improved to 5–17 overall, 3–10 in the SWAL.
Fennimore again missed at the line the next trip down court, before Biddick score din the paint to make it 46–40. IG then made 4-6 free throws in the final two minutes to close out the win.
"You hear coaches talk about the importance of their bench and role players all the time," said Iowa–Grant head coach Jessica Schultz. "This game was proof of how imperative those bench and role players are. Payton Freymiller and Trinity Baker had a combined 10 point off the bench for us in crunch time and they are a huge reason we were able to grab that win. Every single person on the team contributed in a huge way in that team win. I was just an incredibly proud coach after that game to see the girls hard work pay off and to see how much they have grown as players and people as well."
Fennimore, which was without sophomore point guard Kate Kenney for a second-straight game, fell to 9–14 overall and 3–10 in the SWAL after blowing the 40–31 lead. Sophomore Brooklyn Ritchie scored a team-high 12 points to lead the Golden Eagles in defeat.
“The Iowa–Grant game was a tough loss for our program,” said Fennimore head coach Ben Wood. "Credit to Iowa–Grant and their coaches as they were a much better team playing them the second time this season compared to the first time we played them. Not having Kate meant that we had to have other girls step up and play out of position,” added Wood. “When they switched to the zone, we were unable to effectively get the ball in the middle which led to outside shots that did not fall.
“We went 13 of 53 from the field and that is a stat we have struggled with all season. It was a great game to remind me and the program that failure is the ultimate feedback. We will continue to build form the wins and even more from the losses with our young team.”
The No. 12 seed Panthers will then travel to No. 5 Lancaster (14–8) Tuesday at 7 p.m. to open the WIAA Division 4 regional playoffs. The winner will advance to face No. 4 Mineral Point (16–6) in a D4 regional semifinal Friday night.
The Golden Eagles earned the No. 10 seed and will travel to No. 7 New Glarus (8–13) Tuesday at 7 p.m. to open the WIAA Division 4 regional playoffs. The winner will advance to face No. 2 Argyle/Pecatonica (19–3) in a D4 regional semifinal Friday night.
Iowa–Grant 50, Fennimore 40
(from Friday, Feb. 14 @ Fennimore)
Iowa–Grant....18 32 — 50
Fennimore......21 19 — 40
Iowa–Grant (5–17, 3–10) — Lexie Kuhls 5, Quinn Hoeper 4, Adrienne Biddick 20, Kylie Breuer 1, Brynne Pettit 1, Alayna Enloe 3, BreAnn Kohlenberg 7, Peyton Freymiller 7, Trinity Baker 3. Totals —13 19-40 50.
Fennimore (9–14, 6–7) — Peyton Lendosky 1, Kylie Cole 10, Brooklyn Ritchie 12, Rhiannon Nelson-Hahn 3, Kathryn Nelson 1, Campbell Fitzgerald 9, Libby Day 4. Totals — 13-56 11-25 40.
3-point goals — IG: 5 (Kuhls 1, Hoeper 1, Kohlenberg 1, Freymiller 1, Baker 1); F: 3-19 (Cole 1, Ritchie 2). Team fouls — IG: 20; F: 27. Fouled out — F: Lendosky, Cole, Fitzgerald, Day.
