Girls garner fifth seed in Regional Division 3 tournament, tied with Brodhead with one game left
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
A landmark victory the previous week over rival Brodhead put the Big Foot girls basketball team in a prime position to bring home at least a share of the Rock Valley Conference South Division title.
But for that to happen, the Chiefs couldn’t afford a letdown in two RVC games this past week.
That wasn’t a problem.
Big Foot opened play Feb. 9 with a 69-56 win over visiting Clinton, followed by a hard-fought 52-46 victory Feb. 12 at Beloit Turner.
The two-game sweep improved Big Foot to 17-4 overall and 13-2 in conference play. The Chiefs are tied with Brodhead with one regular-season game remaining.
“We needed two victories last week to help secure our main team goal of winning the RVC South,” Big Foot coach Rick Schoenbeck said. We accomplished our goal with two decisive wins, but they were not easy to come by.
“Our girls now know what it is like having a target on your back by being on top. The other team brings all they have. We have learned to weather the storm early in the game and to take the game over in the second half.”
Against Turner, the Chiefs fell behind by three points at halftime before they rallied for a 27-18 advantage in the second half to pull away.
Olivia Briggs led the way with 13 points, followed by Courtney Schoenbeck and Morgan Courier with nine and Payton Courier with eight.
A big second half was the difference in the opener as well.
Big Foot led Clinton 36-35, but outscored the Cougars 33-21 in the final 18 minutes to secure the victory.
Briggs led a balanced attack with 17 points, nine rebounds and four steals, followed by Morgan Courier with 13 points and seven assists. Courtney Schoenbeck added 11 points and nine rebounds, followed by Brooke Wellhausen with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Payton Courier chipped in with eight points and seven rebounds.
Defense continued to be the Chiefs’ calling card, Schoenbeck said.
“The theme for the year is to win with defense,” he said. “Other teams have worn down in the second half of games and cannot keep up with us over 36 minutes of pressure defense. They lose their legs and cannot hit shots or move their feet on defense.
“(The) next thing you know, we are up and pulling ahead in games. We know free throws win games, too. In the two wins, we outshot the opponent at the free-throw line with more makes. Free throws and defense wins championships.”
Schoenbeck added, however, that he wants his team to focus on its first-half defense.
“Each first half we played loose, but gave up way more than normal,” he said. “We cannot do that in the playoffs and move on. However, when the girls buckle down and play defense in the second half, we held both opponents to under 18 in both games.”
Following the finale Feb. 18, Big Foot will open Division 3 regional action Feb. 23 against visiting Evansville.
Big Foot drew the fifth seed, while the Blue Devils are seeded 12th. The winner advances to a second-round contest Feb. 26 at fourth-seeded Madison Edgewood.
