Johnson sends Cards soaring
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BRODHEAD — A lot of teardrops fall at this point of the girls basketball season, but they don’t always have a negative connotation.
Just ask Amanda Johnson.
Once hers started falling for Brodhead against Edgerton here Thursday in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal, her Cardinals’ collective mood soared en route to a 47-33 victory.
The diminutive Brodhead senior swished two high-arcing lay-ups and went 6-for-6 at the free-throw line to score all 10 of her points in the second half.
“She stepped up big for us in the second half,” Brodhead coach Brad Pickett said. “When she goes to the basket under control, she’s tough to guard because she’s so quick.”
Brodhead (16-8, 13-3 Rock Valley South) earned a shot at the top-ranked Monroe Cheesemakers (22-1) in a regional final at 4 p.m. Saturday at Verona. The winner plays Richland Center (21-2) or Sauk Prairie (20-4) at Waunakee in the semifinals of the Janesville Craig Sectional.
After junior Mariah Mohns gave Brodhead a 19-18 lead with a reverse lay-up from left to right, the right-handed Johnson got to the right baseline and bounced inside to swish a left-handed teardrop with 2:30 left in the third quarter.
“In the beginning of the season, I wasn’t able to make those teardrops,” Johnson said. “Finally making them in a regional game was very exciting.”
Edgerton junior Meggie Schmidt, who tied Brodhead senior Dana Lewis with a game-high 13 points, hit a three-pointer from the right of the circle to tie the score at 21-21, but Johnson drove and kicked to classmate Megan Heller, who swished an answer from the right wing.
“Pickett always says ‘start driving,’ and then everyone will get going,” Johnson said. “Once we keep driving, we can kick it out—like when Megan Heller hit one of those big threes.”
The triple triggered an 8-0 run, capped by a three-pointer by senior Riley Olson off a kickout from the post by Lewis.
Edgerton (15-9, 12-4 Rock Valley North) managed a 5-0 spurt, but Brodhead fired back with a 12-2 run. Johnson capped it by hitting two dagger-like free throws that made it 41-28 with 1:20 left to play.
Brodhead held Edgerton without a field goal for 11 minutes and 22 seconds in the first half and built an 11-4 lead before allowing a 6-2 run to close the half.
“No shots were falling,” Edgerton coach Mike Schmidt said of his team, which went nearly eight minutes without a point after freshman Kassie Walters opened the scoring with a three-pointer with 5:42 left in the first quarter. “Because our defense was so good, we were right there.”
The Crimson Tide made a conscious effort to deny Lewis—who filled out a double-double with 10 rebounds—lobs and entry passes.
“We really had to be patient, and that’s not really our game,” Heller said.
When the Cardinals emerged from the locker room with a 13-10 lead after the break, their body language suggested they were trailing.
“That’s one thing about this team—it takes a lot for them to be satisfied,” Pickett said. “But to be honest, defensively, to hold Edgerton to 10 in the first half is very good because they’re capable of putting up points.”
“They drove baseline too much,” Schmidt said. “We worked on taking away the baseline and pushing them to the middle. Tonight, we didn’t do it.”
And once Johnson set the tone, her teammates followed suit.
“We talked about going to the basket and not being scared,” Heller said. “Seems like everything just clicked. We all started being aggressive.”
The Cards were the only Rock Valley team Edgerton couldn’t solve this season.
“One through 13, they’re all great kids and phenomenal people,” Schmidt said. “Not just basketball players, but in the community…I wouldn’t trade them for anyone else.”
Brodhead’s season opened with a 51-41 setback in Monroe.
“That’s where we’ve all wanted to be—playing against Monroe,” Heller said.
“This was our goal—to get back to Monroe and have another chance,” Johnson said. “Now we have it.”
BRODHEAD 47, EDGERTON 33
Edgerton (33)—Oren, 0-0-0; Wedvick, 1-0-2; Schmidt, 3-6-13; Ferrell, 1-0-3; Fritz, 1-0-3; Gimmer, 3-1-7; Walters, 2-0-5. Totals: 11-7-33.
Brodhead (47)—Heller, 1-4-7; Johnson, 2-6-10; Mohns, 2-1-5; Olson, 1-4-7; Douglas, 2-1-5; Lewis, 5-3-13. Totals: 13-19-47.
Edgerton 3 7 11 12—33
Brodhead 7 6 11 23—47
Three-point goals—Edgerton 4 (Schmidt, Walters, Ferrell, Fritz), Brodhead 2 (Heller, Olson). Free throws missed—Edgerton 5, Brodhead 8. Total fouls—Edgerton 17, Brodhead 13. Fouled out—Oren.
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