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The 2023-24 Xavier High School girls basketball team. (Submitted photo)
Xavier

Xavier girls basketball earns overtime win over Shawano, clinches outright Bay Conference championship

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AppletonSportsPage.com

APPLETON – For the second time in three seasons, the Xavier girls basketball team is Bay Conference champions.

Shawano came back from a five-point halftime deficit to force overtime, but Xavier held a 13-9 advantage in the extra period and pulled out a 61-57 victory in both teams regular-season and Bay Conference final Thursday at the Torchy Clark Gymnasium at Xavier High School.

With the win, and West De Pere’s two-point loss to New London on Thursday, Xavier wins the outright conference title instead of sharing it.

Elle Krull made six of seven free throws and had a game-high 19 points, Carsyn Stempa added 14 and Faith Hafner 11 for Xavier, which finishes the regular season at 17-7 overall and 11-1 in the Bay.

Abby Bystol had 17 points to lead Shawano (16-8, 5-7 Bay Conference).

Xavier, the No. 1 seed in its half of the Division 3 Sectional 2 bracket, will open postseason play with a WIAA D-3 regional semifinal at home next Friday, Feb. 23, against the winner of Tuesday’s quarterfinal between Denmark and Kiel.

Xavier 61, Shawano 57 (OT)
Shawano   25   23   9   –   57
Xavier   30   18   13   –   61
SHAWANO (57): Maci Beyer 0 1-2 1, Marissa Tomashek 0 0-0 0, Ella Stuber 5 2-5 14, Trinity Popelka 3 0-1 7, Braylyn Babino 1 0-0 3, Natalie Bystol 1 0-0 2, Abby Bystol 6 2-3 17, Brynlie Boyles 1 0-0 2, Leah Nordin 5 1-2 11, Olivia Pyawasay 0 0-0 0, Morgan Evans 0 0-0 0, Rylee Trochil 0 0-0 0, Hannah Yeager 0 0-0 0 FG: 22. FT: 6-13. 3-pointers: 7 (A. Bystol 3, E. Stuber 2, Popelka 1, Babino 1). Record: 16-8, 5-7 Bay Conference.
XAVIER (61): Hailey Hafner 0 0-0 0, Kyley Standish 3 0-0 7, Joy Krull 2 0-0 4, Halle VandeHey 3 0-0 6, Chloe Pfefferle 0 0-0 0, Molly Martine 0 0-0 0, Elle Krull 6 6-7 19, Allie Tylinski 0 0-0 0, Faith Hafner 4 2-5 11, Annika Heimann 0 0-0 0, Carsyn Stempa 6 0-0 14, Layna Petersen 0 0-0 0. FG: 24. FT: 8-12. 3-pointers 5 (Stempa 2, Standish 1, E. Krull 1, F. Hafner 1). Record: 17-7, 11-1 Bay Conference.