This story is sponsored by: Sternweis & Sons
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – A few days after a hard-fought one-point loss to Stevens Point, the Marshfield girls basketball team hit the court Thursday at home against Wausau East not wanting to let its first Wisconsin Valley Conference loss linger.
The Tigers came out inspired, jumping out to a double-digit lead in the first four minutes, and finished off a 69-49 win over East at the Fredrick Construction Fieldhouse at Marshfield High School.
Marshfield forced nine Wausau East turnovers in the first 7 minutes of the game as it opened up a 21-3 lead.
“We have to just keep getting better,” Marshfield coach Taylor Varsho said. “We want to be playing our best basketball now. It’s playoff time. We came out ready to go tonight – a couple of lulls throughout the game offensively and defensively – we have to want it, want to score.”
A basket by Emma Ridgway made it 28-8 before the Lumberjacks closed the first half on an 11-5 run to close the Tigers’ lead to 33-19 at halftime.
Two baskets by Ashley Grancorvitz and 3-pointer by Zaida Kolbeck, one of four in the game from the junior guard, gave Marshfield its largest lead up to that point at 44-21 with 14 minutes to go in regulation.
Wausau East was able to close to within 11 at 47-36 following a three-point play by Clarie Coushman, but the Tigers came back with a 12-3 run to essentially finish off the win.
Grancorvitz had a three-point play and Emma Ridgway scored to push Marshfield’s lead back to 59-39. The final minutes were finished off by the reserves from both teams and the Tigers walked away with a 20-point victory, improving to 13-7 overall and 9-1 in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. Click here to view the Wisconsin Valley Conference girls basketball standings
Marshfield’s next conference game is Feb. 9 at home in a rematch against Stevens Point, a must-win if the Tigers want to claim at least a share of the Valley title.
“When we do push the ball, that’s fun basketball to me,” Varsho said. “I think we have to do more of that. We have an athletic group of girls from the starters through (the bench) that can come in and do those same things. We have to want to do it, we have to want to sprint the floor every time and that’s hard. It’s those little things that can lead up to big things in the end.”
Kolbeck had a game-high 20 points, Grancorvitz 16 and Hailey Klumb 12 on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting to pace Marshfield.
Coushman had 18 points, and Sydney Crawford added 12 points and eight rebounds for Wausau East (6-13, 2-7 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
Marshfield is back in action Monday at Chippewa Falls.
Tigers 69, Lumberjacks 49
Wausau East 19 30 – 49
Marshfield 33 36 – 69
WAUSAU EAST (49): Tally Schlindwein 0-1 0-0 0, Hailey Bass 0-0 1-2 1, Claire Coushman 6-10 4-5 18, Graysen Burger 1-5 2-2 5, Evelyn Thome 0-2 0-0 0, Nyasia Herrick 0-1 0-0 0, Sydney Crawford 2-7 6-6 12, Ollie Liss’s-Gravemade 3-7 0-0 9, Jerzey Moen 0-1 1-2 1, Geneva Michlig 0-4 3-4 3. FG: 12-38. FT: 17-21. 3-pointers: 8-21 (Liss’s-Gravemade 3-6, Coushman 2-4, Crawford 2-6, Burger 1-3, Michlig 0-2). Rebounds: 17 (Crawford 8). Turnovers: 24. Fouls: 16. Fouled out: Burger. Record: 6-13, 2-7 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
MARSHFIELD (69): McKenzie Holm 3-6 0-0 7, Delaney Varsho 0-0 0-0 0, Gracie Ridgway 0-1 2-2 2, Zaida Kolbeck 6-10 4-5 20, Kaylie Charron 0-1 2-6 2, Natalie Kanitz 0-0 0-0 0, Hailey Klumb 5-5 1-2 12, Emma DeLany 0-1 0-0 0, Ella Allar 0-2 2-4 2, Ashley Grancorvitz 7-12 1-1 16, Emma Ridgway 4-5 0-2 8. FG: 25-43. FT: 12-22. 3-pointers: 7-16 (Kolbeck 4-6, Klumb 1-1, Holm 1-2, Grancorvitz 1-3, G. Ridgway 0-1, Allar 0-1, DeLany 0-1, E. Ridgway 0-1). Rebounds: 20 (E. Ridgway 4). Turnovers: 20. Fouls: 17. Fouled out: none. Record: 13-7, 9-1 Wisconsin Valley Conference.