Girls two games behind Brodhead with four games remaining
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
There is no doubt the Big Foot girls basketball squad is an up-and-coming team.
The numbers prove it – the Chiefs have enjoyed a rebirth to this point in 2014-15.
But that doesn’t mean there won’t be the occasional hiccup along the way, and that’s just what happened in a Rock Valley Conference game Monday night at Edgerton.
The Tide built a lead of five points by halftime and to eight by the end of the third quarter before a furious Big Foot rally fell just short in a 44-41 loss.
Big Foot dropped to 8-4 in the RVC and 12-6 overall. The Chiefs now are two games behind league-leading Brodhead with four games remaining.
“Edgerton played aggressive and hard early in the game,” Big Foot coach Rick Schoenbeck said. “They shot better than us, and as a coach, to hold a team to 34 (field-goal) attempts, we are excited, but it did not turn into a victory.
“We had opportunity, but the shots did not go. Specifically, they hit more threes (four to one) and three more free throws than us to make the difference.”
Schoenbeck said his team played without Olivia Briggs for the second straight night, and the Chiefs missed her average of nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and four steals per game.
Big Foot outscored Edgerton 16-11 in the fourth quarter as the Chiefs turned to and old friend for help – pressure defense.
“We went to full-court pressure and the energy and hustle of our girls was tremendous,” Schoenbeck said. “We feel we are in every game, but could not come back in this one.
“Our offense seems to go with the pressure applied by our defense. Sustaining that level is tough for 32 minutes.”
Payton Courier led Big Foot with 15 points, seven rebounds and two steals, followed by Morgan Courier with nine points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals. Courtney Schoenbeck added six points and two steals.
Next up for Big Foot is a must win Friday night at Brodhead, which entered play this week at 10-2 in conference action. The Cardinals beat Big Foot 66-54 back in early December.
Schoenbeck said he knows the path to a possible South Division crown now became tougher, but he also put things into perspective.
The Chiefs’ building process has only just begun, and putting it all together isn’t going to happen over nigh.
“The bottom line is (we must) win out and play one game at a time,” he said. “We are young and each game is different. The girls are maturing and learning how to deal with all phases of the game and the season.
“This is year two of my program, and it was about developing the structure to win year after year by reloading with talent coming up from our JV, freshmen and youth programs.”
Schoenbeck added the three high school teams have combined for 30 victories to this point, compared to just seven from a year ago.
As for Brodhead, Schoenbeck said his team needs to limit the Cardinals’ attempts at the free-throw line, where they scored 31 of their 60 points in the first meeting. In addition, Big Foot missed 16 attempts from inside four feet.
“We have improved in both areas and feel this can be a tight game all the way,” he said.
After Friday night, the Chiefs will return to conference action next Tuesday, Feb. 10, when they travel to Clinton.
Big Foot wins in overtime
The Chiefs overcame a 19-9 third quarter by visiting Parkview Jan. 30, tied the game in the fourth quarter and won it in overtime in a 54-49 victory.
It was the fifth time this year Big Foot rallied from behind to win in overtime.
“These girls are gaining confidence and having success,” Schoenbeck said. “Parkview was a senior-dominated team who was using physical play to stay in the game and took the art of the game away from us. We wore them down with our pressure and they struggled in OT.”
Big Foot jumped out to a 24-16 first-half lead, thanks again to its full-court pressure defense.
“They struggled with (it), and it turned into some easy scores for us,” Schoenbeck said. “We hit shots and that confidence was high on the team. We had nine girls involved and good team play.”
Morgan Courier led the Chiefs with 16 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five steals, followed by Courtney Schoenbeck with 12 points, six rebounds and three steals. Payton Courier had 11 points and seven rebounds, while Brooke Wellhausen had 11 points and five rebounds. Carly Snudden and Kathryn Colby chipped in with eight rebounds and three steals.
