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Edgerton suffers second-half collapse

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Edgerton's Brooke Ferrell knocks the ball away from Prairie du Chien's McKenzie Banasik on Saturday.

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Edgerton's Meggie Schmidt drives by two Prairie du Chien defenders on Saturday.

DEFOREST — A four-minute meltdown put an abrupt end to the season for Edgerton High School’s girls basketball team.

Prairie du Chien scored the first nine points of the second half to break open a close game and coasted to a 47-34 win over Edgerton in a WIAA Division 3 title game of the De Forest Sectional on Saturday night.

Rock Valley North champion Edgerton (22-4) led by a point at half but managed only one field goal and 11 points in the second half.

“We had a hard time getting our shots off in the second half, and when we did, we were rushing them,” Edgerton coach Mike Schmidt said. “That four-minute spurt put the game in a different perspective.

“We haven’t had any games like that this year where we couldn’t get the ball in the basket. And some credit has got to go to their defense. Their hands were very active and that made the passing lanes very difficult for us.”

The teams traded baskets the first half, with Edgerton eventually taking a 23-22 lead.

Prairie du Chien (21-5), which will play Altoona in a Division 3 semifinal game Friday morning at the Kohl Center, turned to standout junior Morgan Banasik in the second half. The 5-foot-9 point guard riddled the Crimson Tide defense with her ability to get to the basket and the free-throw line.

Banasik made 14 free throws for the game, including 11 in the second half.

Banasik’s free throws with 4:09 left in the third quarter capped a 9-0 run and gave the Blackhawks a 31-23 lead. The only points Edgerton mustered in the third quarter came on free throws from Meggie Schmidt and Jennifer Gimmer.

Prairie du Chien eventually led 37-25 going into the fourth quarter, and Edgerton got no closer than 10.

Schmidt finished with 13 points to cap off a remarkable high-school career, but she was the only Crimson Tide player in double figures.

Prairie du Chien played very hard-nosed, like we expected, and 23 (Banasik) was a tough match-up for us," coach Schmidt said.

“But I can’t say enough about how proud I am of our girls and the season they had. We had a record-setting season as far as wins, the school’s first conference championship and one game away from state. Nobody can take that away from them.”

PRAIRIE du CHIEN 47, EDGERTON 34

Edgerton (34)—Schmidt, 3-5-13; Oren, 1-0-2; Gimmer, 2-3-7; Johnson, 2-0-4; Ferrell, 1-2-5; Walters, 1-1-3. Totals: 10-11-34.

Prairie du Chien (47)—Schneider, 2-1-7; Mo. Banasik, 3-14-20; McK. Banasik, 1-0-3; Lewis, 3-1-8; Lawrence, 3-0-9. Totals: 12-16-47.

Edgerton 11 12 2 9—34

Prairie du Chien 11 11 15 10—47

Three-point goals—Edgerton 2 (Schmidt, Ferrell), Prairie du Chien 6 (Lawrence 3, Schneider 2, McK. Banasik). Free throws missed—Edgerton 7, Prairie du Chien 5. Total fouls—Edgerton 18, Prairie du Chien 15.