Xavier uses strong defensive performance to roll past Omro in WIAA Division 3 girls basketball regional final
By Dustin Riese
For AppletonSportsPage.com
APPLETON – There is a saying that defense wins championships, and if that is the case, the Xavier Hawks girls basketball team have a championship caliber defense.
Coming off their regional semifinal win against Denmark on Friday, the top-seeded Hawks had their sights set on a regional crown as they welcomed in the fifth-seeded Omro Foxes on Saturday.
What started off as a bit of a slow start for Xavier turned into a runaway victory as defensive constant pressure and the ability to get out and run gave the Foxes fits. At one point, the Hawks used countless turnovers to open the second half on a 22-5 run, which paved the way for the 74-33 victory in a WIAA Division 3 regional final at the Torchy Clark Gymnasium.
Xavier (19-7) moves on to a Division 3 sectional semifinal against No. 6 seed Winneconne on Thursday. The game is scheduled to be played at Chilton High School, but the site could be changed. Winneconne (14-12) upset No. 2 Wautoma 54-52 on the road Saturday.
“We knew coming into this game from watching the film that Omro was a very good team,” Xavier head coach Andy Vande Hey said. “We had to play faster than we normally do and figure out a way to battle through some adversity, especially early. Once we settled in, the girls played so well and were super fun to watch tonight.”
It may not always seem like it, but Xavier has a tendency to start slow as their energy isn’t always where they would like it to be. Despite five quick points from Joy Krull and Kylee Standish, the Hawks couldn’t get into much of an offensive rhythm early as they held a 9-3 lead over the Foxes. It was at that point when things started to click as Halle Vande Hey, Faith Hafner and Elle Krull helped spark a 9-0 run to open up a 16-3 lead.
Not only were the Hawks starting to settle in defensively, but their defense led to some easy offense as Molly Martine and Hafner found themselves open for consecutive triples to extend the lead to 23-6. Defense has been the Hawks’ calling card all season and Andy Vande Hey felt that was the key once again.
“Our girls love to get out and run and anticipate,” he said. “We are blessed to have so many girls we can sub in and rotate and that helps keep us fresh. The type of defense we play is a complex defense where if one person doesn’t do their job it leads to easy buckets. That is why it is so crucial to keep our players fresh, which we have done all season.”
No one would’ve been surprised if the Foxes packed it in at that point, but that isn’t in their DNA as they started to battle back. Led by Julia Koch and Maya Kasuboski, Omro went on a little 7-2 run to pull within 10 only to have Elle Krull and Joy Krull push that lead back up to 27-13. Koch was able to put home a late bucket and narrowly missed another one to end the half as the Hawks led 27-16 after one half of play.
It was in the second half, in particular the first seven or eight minutes, when the game was put away as the Hawks continued to do what they do best on the defensive end. Not only was their full-court pressure leading to several Omro turnovers, but it also led to the Hawks’ offense getting out and running as they opened the second half on a massive 22-5 run to push their lead to 49-21.
Several players played a big part in that run including Standish, Vande Hey and Martine, but it was the play of freshman Elle Krull that stood out the most as she picked up nine points during that run off of turnovers to help swing the momentum completely in the Hawks’ favor.
“My thing has always been defense,” Krull said. “If I am having a rough go on offense, I try to make up for that on the defensive end and I try to be what my team needs at that moment. Tonight, they needed me to step up on defense and I did that.”
Vande Hey on what his freshman has done this season, especially over the past month”
“Elle has been a huge difference maker for us, especially the final third of the season,” he said. “She has come into her own as a player and is a great leader both on and off the court. When you have a chance to talk to her and see the work she puts in to get better, you would never guess she is a freshman.”
Holding a massive 49-21 lead, it was only a matter of time until the Hawks would be holding up a regional championship, but that didn’t stop Omro, in particular Koch from doing her best to battle back. With Kasuboski in foul trouble, it was up to Koch to shoulder the load offensively as she played a massive role in most of the Foxes’ points during the second half.
Even when it looked as if the Foxes were about to go on a little run of their own, Elle Krull said not on my watch as she came away with three steals on four possessions and converted on all of them to push the lead to 62-27. From there it was all about the Hawks doing what they needed to do in order to finish things off as Vande Hey started to get more involved on the inside to expose the lack of size by the Foxes.
Pair that with Carsyn Stempa and Martine finding ways to knock down shots from the outside, and it was the top seeded Hawks cruising to the impressive victory.
“The upperclassmen on this team are incredible and I’m so happy to be a part of this journey with them,” said Krull, who ended up with a game-high 19 points. “They have taken me under their wing as a freshman and have led me to becoming the player I am on the court right now.”
Vande Hey, Hafner and Stempa all chipped in 11 points, and Martine finished with 10 as five Hawks ended up in double figures.
Koch led Omro (18-9) with 16 points.
Hawks 74, Foxes 33
Omro 16 17 – 33
Xavier 27 47 – 74
OMRO (33): Julia Koch 16, Ava Koch 7, Maya Kasuboski 5, Madi Brooks 3, Shayli Calter 1, Aliana King 1. FT: 7-20. 3-pointers: 2 (Julia Koch 1, Kasuboski 1). Record: 18-9.
XAVIER (74): Elle Krull 19, Halle Vande Hey 11, Faith Hafner 11, Carsyn Stempa 11, Molly Martine 10, Joy Krull 5, Kylee Standish 4, Annika Heimann 2, Hayley Hafner 1. FT: 15-20. 3-pointers: 7 (Martine 3, F. Hafner 3, J. Krull 1). Record: 19-7.