Union Grove 51, Wilmot 47
Shiffler’s 20 points help Grove reach 10 straight wins
By Tim Wester
Sports Correspondent
In order to succeed as a member of the Union Grove girls basketball team, you not only must be good at basketball, but also must have a working knowledge of chemistry.
After suffering a few disappointing early season losses, the Broncos have figured out their chemistry issues and are starting to live up to the lofty preseason expectations after knocking off Wilmot 51-47 Tuesday night at Union Grove High School.
Senior forward Janelle Shiffler racked up a game-high 20 points to help Union Grove (17-3, 10-2) post its 10th straight victory and move into a first-place tie with Wilmot in the Southern Lakes Conference standings.
“It was a big win for the team and the program,” said Domagalski, whose team is making a bid for its third straight Southern Lakes championship. “Our team chemistry is much better now than it was early in the season. Every year in high school basketball, players change and leave and get older and their mindsets change, so it’s always a new challenge to get the right chemistry.”
Just like the first game between the two teams that saw the Broncos squander a 10-point second half lead in a 48-46 loss, Wilmot battled back from a second half deficit to draw even in the contest.
“We knew Wilmot would play well tonight, and they fought back from a 10-point second half deficit thanks to our struggles on the free throw line,” Domagalski said. “Wilmot makes you play fast and every time we are on the verge of breaking it open, we played too fast and made a mistake, which is something that we cannot allow.”
But this time around, the Broncos handled the adversity well and immediately reclaimed the lead.
The Grove eventually built its lead to 47-39 lead with 1:19 left in the game, and appeared poised to put the game out of reach.
But the Panthers kept the pressure on and cut the deficit to four before finally running out of steam as the final seconds on the scoreboard elapsed, giving the boisterous Bronco fans a chance to celebrate the clutch victory on their home floor.
“We have been playing playoff conference basketball for many weeks now because we knew we couldn’t afford to fall behind Wilmot any more than one game in the standings,” Domagalski said. “So we were used to playing a pressure-filled game.”
Now the challenge is on the Broncos to keep the pressure on the Panthers in the final stretch of the conference season. Each team has two conference games left. The Broncos travel to Elkhorn Friday before returning home to host rival Waterford Thursday, Feb. 16 in a regular season finale.
The Panthers, meanwhile, have a tougher schedule, hosting Lake Geneva Badger Friday, and then traveling to Burlington Thursday, Feb. 16 for a tough matchup with an experienced and feisty Demon squad.
Despite having the more favorable schedule, Domagalski isn’t taking any game for granted.
“There is no easy win in the Southern Lakes Conference,” Domagalski said. “Elkhorn has improved, picking up a win and Waterford is always a tough rivalry game, so nothing is guaranteed and we can’t let our guard down. I certainly won’t let my guard down as a coach.”
With improved team chemistry, it’s hard to imagine the Broncos letting their guard down in the stretch of the regular season.
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