By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
There is a “0” in the record this season for the Elkhorn Area High School girls basketball team.
It is indicative only of wins. It is not indicative of heart or desire, or of work ethic or determination, or of even ability or intelligence.
It indicates that the Elks struggled this season. Sadly, that “0” will stick with those involved forever, and that is unfair that adds insult to injury after a grueling and trying season.
The Elks lost 31-14 Feb. 23 in a WIAA Division 2 regional quarterfinal game to the Demons at Burlington, and finished the season with a record of 0-23. Burlington (12-12) lost 70-62 at Milton (11-13) Feb. 26 in the regional semifinal.
The Elkhorn girls’ last victory is a 53-49 victory Feb. 24, 2015 in a Division 2 regional semifinal against Westosha Central at Paddock Lake.
“The coaches and players, along with others at the school, knew it was going to be a tough year,” first-year Elks coach Todd Frohwirth said. “We played three freshman & two sophomores a lot of minutes.
“We are small, have trouble rebounding and shot like 22 percent from the field and 43 percent from the free throw line. This is not a formula for winning basketball games.”
The Elks led at halftime once this season. Elkhorn led Westosha Central 24-22 Feb. 12 in a Southern Lakes Conference game at home. The Elks lost 47-45, their closest defeat of the season.
Against the Demons the Elks intentionally slowed the pace and filled the middle to force a poor-shooting Burlington team to win with jump shots.
“Burlington has trouble shooting the ball from the outside, so we packed it in and contained,” Frohwirth said. “This was a really good plan defensively, but slowed the game down and limited our offensive possessions.”
Frohwirth said the Elks missed a number of uncontested layups and played poorly on offense.
“They do rotate well and pressure, which is something that gave us problems all year,” Frohwirth said of the Demons’ defense.
Burlington led 19-4 at halftime and outscored the Elks 12-10 in the second half. Payton Christensen and Chloe Ehrhardt each scored four points to lead Elkhorn. The Demons’ Jessa Burling scored a game-high 16 points.
“What’s amazing about this team is they played hard almost every minute of every game and practice,” Frohwirth said. “The character of these kids is off the charts, and we as a school are very proud of how they represented our community, school, families and each other.”
Frohwirth said the Elks are physically and mentally behind most teams, but hinted that being competitive is not far off, and left the team with a touching sentiment.
“I told them I loved them, because I do, and thanked them for playing beyond the scoreboard,” Frohwirth said.
