The mid-January schedule challenged the River Valley Girls basketball team as they played six games in ten days against top competition from the area. Despite playing competitive basketball for portions of the games, on both ends of the floor, the Blackhawks were unable to secure a victory. Listed below are brief summaries of each game:
River Valley traveled to Lodi to start their slew of games. Lodi, one of top contenders in the Capital North conference was able to pressure the Blackhawks into several turnovers and had the touch from behind the arc to pull out a 65 to 25 win. The Bluedevils connected on 13 three pointers in the game. Senior Emily Esser and sophomore Morgan Brickl led the Blackhawks by scoring six points a piece.
The Blackhawks traveled south to take on conference rivals Dodgeville for their next game. Despite playing good defense and holding down one of the top backcourts in the area to limited success, the Blackhawks struggled to score. The Blackhawks were competitive until midway through the final half as the Dodgers pulled away to secure the victory by a final score of 52 to 17. The Blackhawks were paced by senior Sophia Haas, who scored six points.
The Blackhawks squared off against one of the powers in the SWC conference, at home, against the Hillmen from Platteville. The Hillmen were fresh off two victories against two top ten teams in the state. The game was a back and forth battle all night as the Blackhawks found different ways to score and keep the game close. Platteville maintained a five point lead at half time. The Blackhawks were in position to win until about the four minute mark of the second half when Platteville would pull ahead at the freethrow line. Final score was Platteville 63 to 41. Leading the Blackhawks in scoring: Seniors Ava Liegel with 14 and Emily Esser with 10. Sophomore Brooke Anderson chipped in seven points.
The one loss Wisconsin Dells Chieftains traveled to River Valley and the visiting team found their shooting touch early as they had nine three point baskets and had six players score seven or more points. The score was not indicative of the play of the Blackhawks who battled the entire game. The Blackhawks fell by a final of 65 to 35. Sophomore Charlotte Ferstl scored ten points to lead the Black hawks.
Playing on back to back nights was a daunting task for the Blackhawks as they traveled to Potosi to take on an experienced and talented Six Rivers Conference contender. The home team had four players in double figures and cruised to a 59 to 30 victory. Senior Emily Esser paced the Blackhawks with 11 points.
The Blackhawks completed their marathon by traveling to Richland Center and taking on a conference rival this past Friday night. In a game where points were at a premium, the Blackhawks came up short. River Valley held the Hornets to only 40 points and contained all of their top scoring threats below their season averages. Unfortunately, the Blackhawks had trouble finding their scoring range and fell by a final score of 40 to 25. Seniors Emily Esser and Ava Liegel paced River Valley with seven points a piece.
“We continue to battle and play with effort, which is extremely important, as the season progresses,” said Head Coach Brent Johnson. “Obviously, we would like to come away with some wins, but as long as the kids continue to work to get better and stay positive, we will be alright moving forward. The quality teams that we faced in these past ten days will make us better as we head towards the bottom half of the season.”
The Blackhawks schedule doesn’t get any easier as they have home games against top ten ranked teams this week, starting on Monday against Mineral Point and on Thursday versus Lancaster.
—Contributed by Brent Johnson, Head Girls Basketball Coach