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Parkview girls win Rock showdown at Jefferson

JEFFERSON — Orfordville Parkview High School’s girls basketball team certainly impressed Jefferson coach Dena Smith.

Even with a 9-1 start for Parkview and a No. 9 ranking in the first Associated Press Division 3 poll, Smith needed to see the Vikings for herself.

The proof came with Parkview’s 57-53 victory over the Eagles here Thursday night in a battle of the Rock Valley division leaders.

“When we went in at halftime, I thought we were the better team,” Smith said after her Eagles trailed 28-26 at intermission. “But Parkview played a great game. They stepped up. They hustled. They really played like they wanted it.”

Despite leading most of the game, Parkview had to hold on at the end to secure a victory that lifted the Vikings to 7-0 in the South Division and kept them a game ahead of Brodhead (5-1) in the loss column.

With 51 seconds remaining, Parkview grabbed a 55-50 lead on Sabrina Suiter’s turn-around jumper. Beth Ganser’s jumper for Jefferson on the next possession cut the Vikings’ lead to 55-52.

Jefferson also got within 55-53 after Ganser’s backcourt steal and a subsequent free throw by Jessica Splittgerber with 25 seconds left.

But the rally ended there as Ganser was called for an intentional foul going for a steal at midcourt. After two missed free throws, the Vikings kept possession, and Melissa Harnack was fouled. She made the first of her two attempts to make it 56-53.

“I didn’t think it was an intentional foul,” Smith said.

Nonetheless, Jefferson’s attempt to tie the game ended after Ganser’s three-point shot from the corner rolled out. April Wellnitz then finished off the Eagles with another free throw for the four-point lead with six seconds left.

“My girls stayed clam under the press at the end, which has kind of been a problem for us,” Parkview coach Tina Aasen said. “We took care of the ball when we needed to.”

Wellnitz finished with 17 points to lead Parkview. Koch added 11 points, with eight in the second half.

Splittgerber had 15 points for Jefferson, while Danielle Janny added 11.

Suiter’s basket underneath gave Parkview a 21-14 lead to start the second quarter, but Jefferson responded with an 8-1 run to tie it at 22-22, and the game remained close the rest of the way.

“At the end, Parkview hit their shots, and we did not,” Smith added. “I think our defense could have been a little closer, but they hit the shots and won it for themselves.”

As a result, Jefferson slipped to second place in the Rock Valley North, a half-game behind McFarland (6-1) at 5-1.

And, yes, ninth-ranked Parkview is 10-1 for the season.

PARKVIEW 57, JEFFERSON 53

Parkview (57)—Larsen, 0-1-1; Aasen, 3-1-8; Koch, 4-2-11; Oldenburg, 3-0-8; Wellnitz, 6-5-17; Harnack, 1-2-4; Suiter, 2-2-6; Neal, 1-0-2. Totals: 20-13-57.

Jefferson (53)—Cottrell, 5-0-10; Frank, 2-0-4; Splittgerber, 5-2-15; Ganser, 3-0-7; Janny, 5-1-11; Kubicek, 1-0-2; Chmielewski, 1-2-4. Totals: 22-5-53.

Orfordville Parkview 19 9 14 15—57

Jefferson 14 12 10 17—53

Three-point goals—Parkview 4 (Oldenburg 2, Aasen, Koch), Jefferson 4 (Splittgerber 3, Ganser). Free throws missed—Parkview 11, Jefferson 6. Total fouls—Parkview 9, Jefferson 21.

Junior varsity—Jefferson 48, Parkview 46 (OT). Alexa Wegner scored 14 points as Jefferson (6-2, 6-0) broke Parkview’s 50-game winning streak. The Vikings fell to 10-1 for the season and 6-1 in the Rockk Valley.