River Ridge girls’ defense holds Prairie to a 26-point night
Prairie du Chien’s Molly Mason runs through the motions of the Blackhawk offense, as River Ridge’s Fatih Meyer comes up to guard her. (Photos by Rose Ziel)
Prairie du Chien’s Brytta Sagedahl splits the River Ridge defense on a layup.
Prairie du Chien’s Gabby Ritchie and River Ridge’s Rachael Herrick go up for the opening tip Monday night in non-conference play.
By Correne Martin
River Ridge proved too tough an opponent for the Prairie du Chien girls’ basketball team Monday night. The Timberwolves came to town and snagged a convincing victory, 47-26, over the Blackhawks.
“We were getting some balanced scoring from our team,” River Ridge Coach Caron Townsend said. “We had a very good defensive effort. To hold a team like Prairie to 26 points is a good night for us.”
The first half of the contest was a low-scoring one. Ridge finished up 15-10. But in the second half, the Timberwolves’ four 3-pointers, two from Skylar White, blew the score open, leading to a 32-point second half for the visiting team.
White paced River Ridge’s offense with 17 points, while Maria Breuer also finished in double digits with 12. Taylor Langmeier and Rachael Herrick posted eight points apiece on the night and Faith Schier added two.
For Prairie du Chien, Gabby Ritchie recorded seven points, Ella Hager six and Macey Banasik five. Rounding out the Hawks’ efforts on offense, three players each scored two points, including Keya Welch, Abby Feye, Brytta Sagedahl and Hope Meyer.
As a team, the Hawks shot just 21 percent from the floor and 67 percent from the free throw line. The girls took care of the ball, reducing their number of turnovers to only 16 from 22 turnovers in their last contest.
Both teams are looking to improve their games every day and get their younger players up to speed.
For River Ridge, Townsend said her team’s goal is to formulate a “balanced bench” and have seven solid players by January.
Both Prairie and Ridge face opponents in their respective conferences later this week. Prairie (1-2) starts with Dodgeville Friday night at home. The Wolves (2-0) will take on Benton on the road.
