Wallace’s double-double not enough as Milton hits eight triples
By Mike Ramczyk
It was a game of untimely turnovers, missed layups and defensive breakdowns.
Three Burlington girls basketball players scored all but five of the team’s points Friday night in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal at Burlington High School, and the fourth-seeded Demons trailed No. 5 Milton by eight points at halftime.
A Cassidy Askin triple helped Burlington pull to within 50-48 with 1:30 left on the clock, but Milton free throws and late Demon offensive struggles resulted in a 54-50 victory for the visitors.
Burlington, which finished the regular season on a five-game win streak, finishes its season 13-10.
“Lots of missed opportunities on offense,” said Burlington coach Mary Parker. “We didn’t finish a few times down low, and defensively we had a few miscommunications that they took advantage of. They were really hot in the first half.”
“We had to scratch our way back into it, and we had to change things up. It made it a little bit harder to overcome.”
Senior Megan Wallace recorded a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Jessa Burling added 14 points and eight rebounds, but the dynamic duo combined to shoot 11-for-34.
Senior Mackenzie Zwiebel added 13 points.
Burlington shot 29 percent as a team, as the Milton man-to-man defense was stingy and often swarmed Burling and Wallace down low with blocked shots and double teams.
The Red Hawks turned the ball over nearly 20 times, but a furious run late in the first half that included four 3-pointers helped Milton build a 32-24 lead and forced Burlington to play catch-up in the second half.
The Red Hawks trailed, 16-12, before Burling sat with two fouls. This led to a 20-8 Milton run to the close the first half, which featured four 3-pointers in the final four minutes.
Milton, a team not known for its outside shooting, knocked down eight triples, led by three each from Karlee Krebs and Carley Albrecht, who had a concussion and lost her starting spot a few weeks ago.
Albrecht came off the bench to score 14 points, and Krebs added 14.
Defense intensifies in second half
In the second half, Burlington focused on initiating contact down low and finishing, and Wallace obliged with 10 points, as she consistently took her defender off the dribble.
The Demons closed out on Milton’s long-range shooters in the final 18 minutes and held the Red Hawks to only one 3-pointer.
The increased defensive aggressiveness led to consecutive Milton turnovers, and after a 38-33 stalemate lasted two minutes, Zwiebel took a charge in the back court, and a nifty Askin drive and hoop and Wallace free throws cut the lead to 40-39.
A Burling free throw tied the game at 40-40 with seven minutes left.
From there, Albrecht hit a clutch three to put Milton up, 48-44, before Askin’s three made it a one-possession game at 50-48.
Then, Burlington had its best chance to tie the game after an Ashlyn Barry steal. With a minute to play, Wallace exploded to the paint, but her contested 5-footer hit the backboard and rim before bouncing out.
The Red Hawks hit two free throws to go up 53-48, but the Demons missed another layup and a Barry triple was off the mark before Wallace converted on a left-handed jumper to make it 53-50 with seconds remaining.
Milton hit one of two from the foul line, and the Demons missed a desperation three as time expired.
Burlington hit 13-of-20 free throws, but only 4-of-8 in the final seven minutes.
“We had a more aggressive mindset defensively, so we had a better flow,” Parker said. “I thought if we could keep them under 50, we could win, but they got past that, and it was the difference.”
“My hats off to the seniors. It’s bittersweet the season is over. We’ve accomplished a lot this year.”
Parker, who showed emotion as she and the coaches hugged some weeping players after the game, enjoyed her most successful season in her fourth year.
She speaks highly of her first class of four-year seniors, Wallace, Barry, Zwiebel and Adeline Jachim.
“You can’t replace them,” Parker said. “They are tremendous athletes and tremendous individuals. The seniors really turned this program around, and they got us back on a winning track with their dedication and commitment. I couldn’t be more honored to be a part of their accomplishments.”
Barry chalked the loss up to key missed shots, but she said the effort was there.
“It was a tough loss,” she said. “Any loss at this point is tough, but I couldn’t be happier with my team. We played our hearts out, and today our shots didn’t fall and theirs did. Sometimes that’s just how it goes.”
Burlington finished with its best Southern Lakes Conference mark in Parker’s tenure at 10-4, and the Demons beat both first-place Union Grove and second-place Wilmot during the regular season.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better team to end my senior year with,” Jachim said. “We made amazing strides this season as a team and achieved what seemed to be impossible at one point. I’m going to miss each and every one of them and I wish everyone the best. The memories we made will be with me forever.”
Girls basketball playoffs scoreboard
Friday
Division 5
(2) Milwaukee Academy of Science 70, (7) Burlington Catholic Central 56
Division 2
(1) Union Grove 76, (8) Delavan-Darien 47
(2) Wilmot 56, (7) Jefferson 49
(3) McFarland 58, (6) Waterford 45
Division 1
(1) Mukwonago 60, (17) Kenosha Bradford 46
(6) Watertown 60, (11) Lake Geneva Badger 46
(7) Muskego 49, (10) Janesville Craig 30
Division 3
(1) Whitewater 64, (9) Brodhead 33
(3) Edgerton 61, (6) Walworth Big Foot 41
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