Fall Creek, Osseo-Fairchild top hoops teams in Tri-County Area
After a 1-2 start the Fall Creek High School Girls Basketball Team has won eight game in-a-row, including last week's 49-30 win at Arcadia, a non-conference contest played at Arcadia Thursday, Dec. 28. They have the best record, boys and girls basketball teams, in the Tri-County Area at the midway point of the season.
The Crickets are getting things done with their depth and defense as they held the Raiders to just one player in double figures and the rest of their line-up no more than five points a player. The Crickets rotate in a lot of players and they're getting good play in the frontcourt from sophomore Jasmin Heuer, junior Sophie Schmidgall and seniors Kambel Sell and Caroline Grossinger; in the backourt from juniors Kennedy Tumm and Addi Haynes, seniors Emallie Sorenson, Aidel Kauffman and Averie Barka and sophomore Becca Sturz along with wing players such as juniors Gracie Marten and Anna Dougherty and senior Elena Raffensberger.
A big challenge is upcoming for the Crickets this Thursday, Jan. 4 at Chippewa Falls McDonell. Both teams are 5-0 in the Western Cloverbelt. The defending champion Macks are undefeated so far this season at 12-0 and are led by the sister duo Emily and Ella Mae Cooper. Emily, a senior, averages 19 points per game, Ella Mae, a freshman, 14 ppg. and the Macks are also getting double figure scoring from senior Aubrey Dorn at 12 a game. Dorn is also averaging 11 rebounds per contest while Emily Cooper is dishing out nearly eight assists per game along with her scoring. Both Emily Cooper and Dorn are the tops in the WCC in these statistical categories. Tip-off is at 7:15 p.m.
Even after Thursday's match-up the Macks and Crickets could play each other three times this season. Both teams are on opposite sides of WIAA Division 4 Eau Claire North Sectional bracket. On FC's side are Augusta, Boyceville, Colfax, Cumberland, Durand-Arkansaw, Grantsburg, Mondovi, Eau Claire Regis, Shell Lake and Unity, although Fall Creek lost to Durand-Arkansaw earlier this season. FC also lost to an ubeaten Elk Mound squad as well.
Osseo-Fairchild has had a solid start to its season with a 6-4 record, 3-2 in the league. The Thunder went into the break with a huge 70-42 win over Thorp. O-F looks to improve upon their record when they take on a 9-1 Cochrane-Fountain City team this Tuesday, Jan. 2 at C-FC and Cadott at home Thursday, Jan. 4. and Eau Claire Regis next Tuesday, Jan. 9. The Thunder are the northernmost school in the Division 4 Wisconsin Dells Sectional. In their sectional half-bracket are Auburndale, Bangor, Onalaska Luther, Melrose-Mindoro, Neillsville, Necedah, Nekoosa, Westby, Westfield and Whitehall.
The Area's two Large Dairyland girls basketball teams Augusta and Eleva-Strum have two wins each although Augusta has won two out of their last three games after a rough start. The Beavers topped Glenwood City 58-49 before the Christmas break and finished third in the Elmwood/Plum City Holiday Tournament last week, Dec. 27-28 in Elmwood. The Beavers downed EPC 59-37 in the third-place game led by their top freshman scorers Stella Zank and Cecila Schroeder. Zank finished with 20 points and Schroeder 14.
Eleva-Strum's postseason assignment is in the WIAA Division 5 Portage Sectional in a half-bracket with Lincoln, Alma/Pepin, Blair-Taylor, Brookwood, Cashton, Cochrane-Fountain City, Hillsboro, Independence/Gilmanton, Kickapoo, LaFarge, New Lisbon, Elmwood/Plum City, Royall, Weston and Wonewoc Center.
The best record in the Tri-County Area on the boys side belongs to Osseo-Fairchild. The Thunder are 6-3 overall and have upcoming games vs. Cochrane-Fountain City, Thorp and Cadott to improve upon that record. Fall Creek, 3-5, overall, will try to snap a four-game losing streak but have a tough assignment to do so at home this Friday, Jan. 5 against league-leading Bloomer and their top scorer Domanyck Schwarzenberg.
Augusta and Eleva-Strum are just trying to get wins period as they have just one between them. AHS lost twice in the Auburndale Invitational last week Dec. 28-29.
Augusta, Osseo-Fairchild and Fall Creek will all be in the same sectional half-bracket (the semifinals to be played at O-F) of the Division 4 Eau Claire Nortth Sectional. Also in the half-bracket are LaCrosse Aquinas, Bangor, Durand-Arkansaw, Onalaska Luther, Melrose-Mindoro, Mondovi, Neillsville, Eau Claire Regis and Whitehall. Eleva-Strum is in the Division 5 La Crosse Logan Sectional with Lincoln, Alma/Pepin, Wisconsin Rapids Assumption, Blair-Taylor, Cochrane-Fountain City. Marshfield Columbus, Coulee Christian/Providence Academy, Independence/Gilmanton, Greenwood, Loyal, New Lisbon, Pittsville, Elmwood/Plum City, Port Edwards and Royall.
