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Craig girls roll over Sun Prairie

SUN PRAIRIE — Alternating wins and losses during its last four games, the key phrase for the Janesville Craig High School girls basketball team was “stay aggressive.’’

By the way the Cougars exited the floor after the second quarter, there was no question that it was mission accomplished in a Big Eight game here Saturday.

Although trailing by one after the first eight minutes, Craig (5-6, 4-5) came out firing in the second eight minutes, scoring the quarter’s first 15 points and using its ball pressure to force seven turnovers, two key stats in the visiting Cougars’ 68-53 victory over Sun Prairie.

“Everybody contributed today,” said Craig sophomore Emily Hinman. “We were making good shots, getting good rebounds, and we really stepped up as a team today.”

Senior captain Whitney Storbakken sparked Craig in the second quarter, scoring on a drive to the basket and three-pointer from the corner after being held scoreless in the first quarter.

Scoring seven of her team-high 15 points in the first four minutes of the second quarter, Storbakken helped Craig turn a one-point deficit into a 37-22 advantage.

“Their defense was overplaying a lot, and we used that to our advantage by back cutting and getting to the basket,” Storbakken said. “We put a lot of pressure on them, and it snowballed for us the rest of the game.”

While Craig was lighting up the scoreboard, the Cardinals found themselves on a limb without leading scorer Stephanie Haight.

Leading Sun Prairie with 14.1 points per game, Haight picked up three quick fouls, thanks to aggressive defense from Hinman, and sat the last seven minutes of the second quarter.

Sun Prairie didn’t make a field goal with Haight on the bench.

“She’s an awesome player, and we knew we needed to stop her,” Craig coach Mark Marsden said. “Emily came off the bench and played tough defense on her, which in turn sparked our offense.”

Haight finished with a game-high 16, all coming in the second half. Alyssa Chase added 16 for Sun Prairie (2-9, 1-8), which extended its losing streak to eight games.

While Craig’s offensive struggled to find its consistency, leading scorer Anne Morgan held the Cougars together, scoring seven of her 14 points in the first quarter to keep the Cougars within striking distance.

“She’s a big player in our offense,” said Storbakken of Morgan. “We look for her a lot when she’s in the game. She helped us weather the storm.”

CRAIG 68, SUN PRAIRIE 53

Craig (68)—Smith, 1-0-2; Hamilton, 3-3-10; Kennedy, 2-0-5; W. Oliver, 2-1-5; Morgan, 5-4-14; Legried, 1-0-3; T. Storbakken 1-0-2; W. Storbakken, 3-8-15; Marshick, 1-4-6; Hinman 1-4-6. Totals: 20-24-68.

Sun Prairie (53)—Granitz, 1-0-2; Rodenkirsh 0-2-2; Haight 5-6-16; Yakey 1-0-2; Albi 3-5-11; Bartow 2-0-4; Chase 7-1-16. Totals: 19-14-53.

Janesville Craig 14 23 20 11—68

Sun Prairie 15 7 20 11—53

Three-point goals—Craig 4 (Hamilton, Kennedy, Leigred, W. Storbakken); SP 1 (Chase) Free throws missed—Craig 8, SP 8. Total fouls—Craig 23, SP 24. Fouled out—Morgan; Albi, Granitz.

Sophomores—Craig 48, SP 46. Craig leading scorers: Emily O'Donnell, 9. Craig record: 8-1 in Big Eight, 10-1 overall.

Game at a Glance

The play: Whitney Storbakken took the pass in the corner and hit a wide-open three-pointer that opened the flood gates for Craig in the second quarter.

The player: Storbakken, a 90-percent free throw shooter, went a perfect 8-for-8 from the line in scoring 15 points.

The quote: “Everyone on the team really stepped up their defense.” —Craig sophomore. Emily Hinman.