This story is sponsored by: American Family Insurance-Randy LeMoine Agency
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield girls basketball team didn’t suffer from any jitters that may come from playing your first playoff game, and used that hot start to roll to victory.
The Tigers started strong, scoring the game’s first seven points and they never trailed, cruising to a 65-41 win over Holmen in a WIAA Division 1 girls basketball regional semifinal Friday night at the Chips Hamburgers Fieldhouse at Marshfield High School.
The playoff win is the first for the Marshfield program since 2018, and the first for fifth-year head coach Taylor Varsho. It also marks the Tigers’ first 20-win season since 2017.
No. 6 seed Marshfield (20-5) moves on to a Division 1 regional final at No. 3 Hortonville (22-3) on Saturday at 7 p.m. Hortonville whipped Oshkosh North 73-38 on Friday.
“You always say at the beginning of the season that you are preparing for the first playoff game, and we were ready to play,” Marshfield coach Taylor Varsho said. “We came out ready in the second half as well and now we have a big one tomorrow.”
Dani Minsaas drilled a 3-pointer on Marshfield’s opening possession and had two layups off of steals to put the Tigers up 7-0 2½ minutes in.
After a free throw by Holmen ended the run, the Tigers continued to pour it on, pushing their lead to 20-7 after steals and baskets by Ayana Bousum and Minsaas.
Ashley Grancorvitz hit a pair of 3-pointers, and Minsaas and Raella Schueller added two more from long range as the Tigers built their lead to 44-26 by halftime, a season-high in points in a half for Marshfield.
“We shot the ball and moved the ball well,” Varsho said. “I thought their 1-3-1 (zone) gave us a little trouble in the beginning, but we executed very well and they were prepared. It goes back to preparation all season long, from the first day of practice and even the end of last year.”
Marshfield left any doubt of the outcome by scoring the first six points of the second half, four from Bousum and two from Grancorvitz, who finished with a game-high 20 points.
Marshfield led by as much as 26 on two occasions and were able to finish off the 24-point win with little resistance from the Vikings (14-11).
Bousum added 15 points, and Minsaas and Schueller each chipped in 12 in the victory for Marshfield, which shot 47 percent (25-for-53), while holding Holmen to just 13-for-30 shooting and forcing 20 turnovers.
“(Hortonville) is going to pressure us,” Varsho said. “They are going to play a 1-2-2 full court press. We have been putting in snippets all week and we’re going to prepare the best we can. Hopefully our offense will carry over to our defense.”
Tigers 65, Vikings 41
Holmen 26 15 – 41
Marshfield 44 21 – 65
HOLMEN (41): Gabby Powell 2-2 2-2 6, Kaylin Metzler 0-2 0-0 0, Charley Casey 1-4 2-2 4, Lydia Olson 0-1 0-0 0, Sydney Valiska 0-0 1-2 1, Macy Kline 2-7 3-4 7, Olivia Schneider 2-4 2-4 6, Milly Twitchell 1-1 0-0 2, Izzy Jahr 2-4 1-2 5, Danika Rebhahn 3-5 1-2 10, Taylor Bembinster 0-0 0-0 0. FG: 13-30. FT: 12-16. 3-pointers: 3-9 (Rebhahn 3-4, Metzler 0-1, Casey 0-1, Schneider 0-1, Kline 0-2). Rebounds: 17 (Schneider 4). Turnovers: 20. Fouls: 17. Fouled out: none. Record:
MARSHFIELD (65): Alyssa Foemmel 2-3 0-1 4, Sam Kilty 0-1 0-0 0, Zaida Kolbeck 0-2 0-1 0, Kaylie Charron 0-0 0-0 0, Dani Minsaas 5-12 0-0 12, Kaci Abney 0-1 2-4 2, Ashley Grancorvitz 7-14 4-4 20, Raella Schueller 5-7 1-2 12, Ayana Bousum 6-13 2-2 15, Cami Wucherpfennig 0-0 0-0 0, Natalie Kanitz 0-0 0-0 0, McKenzie Holm 0-0 0-0 0, Lauryn Katzenberger 0-0 0-0 0. FG: 25-53. FT: 9-14. 3-pointers: 6-25 (Grancorvitz 2-5, Minsaas 2-9, Schueller 1-1, Bousum 1-8, Kolbeck 0-1, Abney 0-1). Rebounds: 27 (Grancorvitz 6). Turnovers: 10. Fouls: 15. Fouled out: none. Record: 20-5.