By Tim Wester
Sports Correspondent
Nobody captured the pain of Union Grove girls basketball team’s WIAA Division 2 Regional final loss to Milton like coach Rob Domagalski.
The veteran coach said the loss was like a train hitting a wall at 100 miles per hour.
The Broncos came into the game against visiting Milton ranked sixth in the state and seemingly poised to make another deep playoff run.
But before the Broncos could even think about earning their first state championship appearance in school history, Milton, a self-titled poor shooting team, seemingly couldn’t miss that night and pull off the stunning 70-61 victory.
“You just never know what can happen in any game,” said Domagalski at the end of the regular season. “We can’t take anyone for granted because nothing is guaranteed.”
Unfortunately for the Broncos, Domagalski’s fears were realized when the Red Hawks shot nearly 60 percent in the first half and eventually built a 20-point lead in the second half.
Brooklyn Bull and the Broncos did all they could to keep their season going, cutting the deficit to five late in the game, but it wasn’t enough.
The heart-breaking loss was the disappointing final chapter for Bronco seniors Janelle Shiffler, Jenna Rainey, and Sam Boettcher, who each played a role in the Broncos winning three straight Southern Lakes Conference championships.
“I’m proud of our season, and I told the girls that they had nothing to be ashamed of and they’ve grown so much as a team” said Shiffler, who became just the fourth 1,000-point scorer in school history earlier this season. “We accomplished so much this season, and this season has been the best of my life, and I couldn’t ask for more.”
Shiffler’s hard work on the court was matched by her leadership off the court. After a pair of early season losses, Shiffler made it a goal to improve team chemistry.
“Our team chemistry is getting better now that we have played more together,” said Shiffler after the Broncos’ victory at Lake Geneva Badger Jan. 20. “We’ve had team meetings and captain meetings to talk about chemistry and how to make team chemistry better.”
The team building eventually paid dividends as the Broncos won their final 12 regular season games to earn an outright Lakes title. Union Grove then made it 13 in a row with a commanding 76-47 victory at home against Delavan-Darien in a regional semifinal contest.
The Broncos were indeed rolling thanks to improved chemistry, conference player of the year Shiffler and first-team all-conference performer Bull leading the way.
With everything seemingly working in the Grove’s favor, a revenge-seeking Red Hawks team avenged last season’s sectional semifinal loss to the Broncos.
“We played Union Grove last season and we owed them after they eliminated us from the playoffs,” Milton coach Stacy Skemp said. “And that was our goal to have the roles reversed.”
While the roles reversed for one long evening, the Broncos don’t plan to change their role as front-runner in the Lakes next season.
Despite losing three seniors, the Broncos return starting guards Bull and Alyssa Kus.
The veteran guards will be joined by two up-and-coming guards, Peyton Killberg and Megan Barber, who each had impressive freshman seasons.
“There’s no doubt that future remains bright for our program,” Domagalski said. “I’m already starting to think about next year.”
With a strong program and plenty of returning talent, it’s hard to blame Domagalski for wanting to get next season started.
-
-
-
-
-