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Middleton girls advance to state semifinal

MADISON — Kerry Gardner emerged as an unlikely hero by scoring a game-high 17 points to propel Middleton to a 59-48 victory against Verona on Thursday in a WIAA Division 1 girls basketball tournament quarterfinal.

The sophomore guard entered the state tournament averaging 8.1 points per game. But when Verona’s defense took aim at shutting down guards Emily Newman and Lauren Acker, Gardner stepped up her performance.

Gardner, who was 3-for-5 from 3-point range, also had five rebounds and four assists for Middleton (23-3), which will face Milwaukee King or Neenah in a semifinal tonight.

Senior guard Lauren Acker also hit three 3-pointers and added 15 points for the Cardinals, who beat their Big Eight Conference rivals for the third time this season.

Senior forward Leslie Schaefer, a Kent State recruit, scored a team-high 16 points for Verona (19-5), while junior guard Kelsey Zwaga added 11 points.

Middleton found success with a balanced offensive attack, hitting seven 3-pointers and scoring 20 points in the paint. Cardinals coach Jeff Kind said that’s the type of consistency that has helped his team all season.

“We like to get to the basket and we like to shoot 3s,” Kind said. “If we can do a little bit of both, that really makes us more effective.”

Gardner helped the Cardinals pull away at the midpoint of the fourth quarter, capping off a 9-2 run with a layup that pushed Middleton’s lead to 52-35 lead with 4 minutes, 28 seconds remaining in the game.

Verona’s Ali Tackett hit two 3-pointers with less than three minutes left, but Middleton’s lead was too great.

Kind is now 7-0 against Verona coach Angie Murphy. Murphy, formerly Angie Halbleib, played for Kind at Middleton in the early 1990s and led the Cardinals to their first-ever state tournament berth in 1992.

Murphy went on to play collegiate ball at Kansas, spent four years as a junior varsity basketball coach at Middleton and currently works as a geometry teacher at Middleton.

She and Kind shared a hug at midcourt after the game, and said she has the utmost respect for any team Kind assembles on the court.

“Jeff and I don’t look at this any different and (Verona) doesn’t put any more on it because it’s Middleton,” Murphy said. “You’re at the state tournament. Whoever you play, you’re trying to beat them.”

-- Milwaukee Vincent 52, Neenah 35—Junior forward Teaira Martin scored 14 points as Milwaukee Vincent trounced Neenah.

The victory helped Vincent get one step closer toward its goal of contending for a third straight title in as many tournament appearances. Vincent (23-1) will face Middleton (23-3) in a semifinal tonight.

The Lady Generals bolted to a 19-2 lead midway through the first half and never looked back. Though the Rockets played gritty defense in holding Vincent to 25 points below its season average and pulling within six points at intermission, they would never recover from Vincent’s first-half barrage.

Neenah also did a respectable job in keeping Vincent’s leading scorer in check, as 6-foot-6 center Nicole Griffin scored nine points. The junior came into the state tournament averaging 17.5 points per game.

Vincent coach Marquis Hines said he anticipates another hard-fought battle tonight against Middleton. Hines was pleased with the Lady Generals’ fast start but insists that consistent scoring throughout will be critical for Vincent to reach the title game.

He expects Middleton will play the up-tempo pace that Vincent prefers.

“Middleton is very solid and well-coached,” Hines said. “We started off well, but we have to start ahead.

“That’s our motto: start ahead and stay ahead. We have to stay that way tomorrow if we get a lead because (Middleton coach Jeff Kind) knows exactly what he’s doing. If we come out flat tomorrow, we might be going home early.”

-- De Pere 54, Brookfield Central 31—Senior guards Adrian Ritchie and Claire Steffen combined for 22 first-half points to help De Pere.

The Redbirds (23-1) earned their 16th straight victory of the season and advance to a semifinal game with Milwaukee King tonight.

De Pere shot a blistering 65 percent from the field in the first half on 13-for-20 shooting.

Ritchie finished with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field in 22 minutes of action, while Steffen added 11 points in 17 minutes for the Redbirds.

Brookfield Central struggled with the Redbirds’ pressure defense and had trouble taking care of the ball as the Lancers (22-2) coughed up 20 turnovers.

-- Milwaukee King 51, Marshfield 42—Senior guard Lanae Rash scored 10 of her game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter to help put Milwaukee King in tonight’s semifinal game against De Pere.

The Lady Generals (21-3) held off a frenzied charge by Marshfield (22-2), which tied the game at intermission, and also evened the score once and briefly took the lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Senior forward Jena Weigel hit a jumper with 4 minutes, 46 seconds remaining to give Marshfield a 38-37 lead, but King closed out the game with a 11-4 run to earn its 11th consecutive win.