By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
Anybody who has watched the East Troy girls basketball team the past couple years knows exactly what the Trojans are trying to accomplish.
Without the benefit of a dominating inside presence, the Trojans want to turn the basketball game into a track meet.
And based on the success East Troy has had, that plan has and will continue to work.
On the flip side, the Trojans’ first opponent at this weekend’s WIAA Division 3 State Tournament, Neillsville, wants to turn the game into a grind-it-out, slow down slug fest.
Talk about your contrasting styles.
East Troy (25-1) faces Neillsville (26-0) at about 10:45 a.m. Friday at the Resch Center, Green Bay. The other Division 3 semifinal pits Kewaunee (25-1) and Lodi (24-2) at 9:05 a.m.
The winners Friday will face off Saturday afternoon for the state championship.
“They are very talented,” East Troy coach Jeff Brown said. “Defense is their calling card. Their defense is really good. They’re going to slow the game down and we’re going to try to speed it up.”
Brown said he thinks the early moments of Friday’s game will tell a big part of the story.
If the Trojans fall behind, the Warriors’ already slow pace might screech to a halt and make a comeback even more difficult.
“We’re going to do what we need to do,” he said. “The first four or five minutes is huge. We have to relax a little bit and play the game. Sometimes the nerves get you the first four or five minutes. A lot of times, the first team to settle down has a huge advantage.
“If they get a lead on us, they’re going to slow it so much down it will be hard to catch up. If we can get it going and get them play a pace they’re not as comfortable at, maybe that’s an advantage for us.”
Neillsville, which won the Division 4 state title last year, has outscored its opponents 1,259-536 heading into this weekend. The Warriors have not allowed an opponent to score 40 points this year and have given up more than 30 points just three times.
Through 24 games, 5-11 junior guard Jennifer Lindner leads the Warriors with 374 points, a 15.6 average. Lindsey Opelt (5-7, senior) is next with 203 points, followed by Caitlynne Naughton (5-9, senior) with 174 points, good for 8.5 and 7.3 points per game, respectively.
East Troy is led by senior Breanna Gaspervich with 435 points (16.7 per game), followed by senior Rachel Atchison with 429 (16.5), senior Alicia Oleson with 275 (10.6) and senior Andrea Olsen with 253 (9.7). Atchison has made 82 3-pointers in 26 games.
Those four seniors, along with the six others on the roster, have stayed calm and collected every step of the way, Brown said.
“They never got really rattled or the idea that we were in a desperate situation,” he said. “Maybe we came out a little more raring to go against Oostburg. You win with seniors, you always have, you always will, because they understand the finality (of losing in the tournament).”
Neillsville coach John Gaier has taken notice of what the Trojans do well – and that’s get up and down the floor.
“East Troy is really quick and gets after you defensively,” he said in a state-wide pre-state press conference. “I watched East Troy last year and sometimes this year, and it’s hard to find any team that has the speed of the guards they have. Their quickness is really going to be a challenge.”
Must enjoy the moment
Brown said he hopes last year’s state experience, with all the distractions that come with it during the week, will help his team Friday.
And he also doesn’t feel it matters the tournament has been moved from the Kohl Center, Madison, to the Resch Center.
“I think the kids are really excited,” he said. “I don’t think it really matters where we’re playing – the Kohl Center, the Resch Center, the moon, somebody’s playground – we’ll show up and be excited to play.”
And while Brown certainly wants his team to focus on the task at hand and what could be with two more victories, he also knows the girls and coaches need to enjoy the moment.
Playing in one state tournament is something not every program gets to experience, let alone two, and it’s important to soak everything in, he said.
“I think we learned from last year there’s quite a few things you can’t control, so you just have to stay focused on what you have to do,” Brown said. “It’s a business trip, but this is one of those moments you won’t forget.”
