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Madison West rallies past Parker girls

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Parker’s Jessica Thompson, right, is fouled by Madison West’s Marquita Hillard-Williams during Thursday night’s Big Eight Conference game at Parker. The Regents defeated the Vikings, 70-64.

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Parker’s Ashley Hartwig (40) looks to shoot against Madison West’s Rosie Russell (32) on Thursday night.

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Parker’s Natalie McDonald tries to draw a foul from Madison West’s Elyse Jackson during Thursday’s Big Eight Conference game at Parker. The Regents defeated the Vikings, 70-64.

JANESVILLE — Janesville Parker's girls basketball team learned two valuable lessons Thursday night.

The Vikings found out that no lead is safe, even on their home court.

And when star player Ashley Hartwig is on the bench, the Vikings are a different team.

Madison West rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit thanks to a suffocating full-court press and stole a 70-64 Big Eight Conference win.

Fourth-ranked Parker (5-2 overall, 4-1 Big Eight), with Hartwig on the bench most of the third quarter in foul trouble, looked out of sorts to start the second half. West (5-1, 4-1) went on a 21-2 run to start the third. Parker, which had 41 points the first half, managed only six in the third quarter.

"You should be in pretty good shape with a 13-point lead at home, but if that's going to be our Achilles' heel, then we're going to have do a better job," Parker coach Tom Klawitter said. "We've got to find a way to slow things down and get things done.

"We've got to be a smarter basketball team when it comes to fouls and taking care of the basketball, and we just weren't a smart team tonight."

Parker tied the game for the last time at 49-49 on Julia Dement's jumper with 7:30 left to play. West responded with a 10-2 run, and Parker would get no closer than four the rest of the way.

West coach Stacy Williams didn't mince any words at halftime. She ripped into the Regents for their lackluster play in the first half.

"I don't think I can repeat what I told them at half," Williams said. "But I told the kids that they weren't leaving it on the floor the first half and weren't making the plays. We were hanging our heads and complaining, and I got tired of hearing about it.

"The second half, they stopped complaining and played basketball. I came with the press, and our kids really responded."

Parker, behind 16 first-half points from Hartwig, played flawlessly, at times, in the first half. The 6-foot junior scored 12 straight points during a stretch of the first quarter as the Vikings built a 21-7 lead. The Regents cut the margin to three midway through the second, but the Vikings capped off the half with a 9-4 run to take a 41-28 lead.

Hartwig, who finished with a game-high 22 points, picked up her third foul in the second quarter, and No. 4 with 3:30 left in the third. West took advantage of her absence with a 7-0 run to grab the lead for the first time in the game at 45-43 on Regina McLarn's jumper in the lane with 2:00 left in the third.

Parker, which fell into a first-place tie in the Big Eight with West, plays at a tournament at La Crosse Logan next week.

"We'll get back at it tomorrow early with practice and try to get better," Klawitter said. "Things didn't fall very well for us tonight."

WEST 70, PARKER 64

West (70)—McClarn, 2-4-8; Dickerson, 3-3-9; Hillard-Williams, 4-4-16; Cannon, 7-0-14; Jackson, 5-4-14; Russell, 1-1-3; Nettles-Bay, 2-2-6. Totals: 24-18-70.

Parker (64)—0-1-1; Fugate, 3-4-10; Dement, 5-1-11; Hartwig, 7-8-22; McCulloch, 0-1-1; Chesebro, 3-0-6; Thompson, 0-3-3; Smith, 5-0-10. Totals: 23-18-64.

Madison West 9 19 21 21—70

Janesville Parker 21 20 6 17—64

Three-point goals—West 4 (Hillard-Williams 4). Free throws missed—West 9, Parker 10. Total fouls—West 18, Parker 19. Fouled out—Jackson.

Sophomores—Parker 59, West 39.