Lomira gets statement win against Pacelli

Coach Liz Cook told her team to stay the course defensively.

Lomira's girls basketball continued to play solid defense and locked down D5 No. 3 Pacelli on Friday afternoon to earn a 63-47 upset win at the Sentry Classic at UW-Stevens Point.

"My halftime speech to them was, 'Keep doing what we're doing on defense because it's work enough for us,'" Cook said. "I think the realization that we were close, and things [started] going our way and I think on defense we just played very relaxed."

Cook said the team needed to stay patient with how hot Pacelli started the game. The Cardinals made five 3-pointers in the first half, three of those coming early.

The Lions (5-5) held Pacelli to just 14 second-half points after trailing 33-29 at halftime.

Not only did the defense stifle the Cardinals offense, but it also led to opportunities on the other end for Lomira. They used live-ball turnovers to get into transition and score easy baskets.

Freshman Josie Christian, who had a game-high 28 points, said with Pacelli playing a zone, fast-break chances were important.

"We wanted to outrun them because if they're in a 2-3 [zone], we just want to push the floor because then we can get fast breaks every time," Christian said.

Pacelli (7-2) ran a box-and-one zone, attempting to shut Christian down, but she still found space thanks to ball screens, particularly in the second half when she scored 16.

Lomira also got big contributions from the rest of the lineup. Whitney Witkowski and Kennedy Goebel, both freshmen, each hit 3-pointers against the zone.

"Kennedy has been working on it all the time, she's really good at shooting," Christian said. "I can trust her a lot and I can trust Whitney Witkowski a lot, too. The whole team has been working on 3s so I can trust everyone."

Senior Savanna Frea and junior Rachel Chervenka both dominated on the glass inside, grabbing numerous offensive rebounds and putbacks. The pair combined for 17 points, nearly all coming in the paint.

Cook said she hopes the recent attention that Christian has garnered will motivate the rest of the team.

"We've seen a couple of box-and-one's on Josie now and I told the other girls, 'That's kind of a dis on you guys because that's telling you that you can't do anything,'" Cook said. "I think they're starting to realize that Josie will score, she'll get her points, but when it's their opportunity, they're stepping up."

Both Christian and Frea were named to the American Girls division all-tournament team. Christian as also named most outstanding player and leading scorer with 59 in the two games.

PHOTO GALLERY: Lomira vs. Pacelli girls basketball - 12/27/2024