By Reagan Hoverman

It’s that time of winter when local girls basketball teams begin to make what is likely their final push for the playoffs of the 2021-22 basketball season including River Falls, Spring Valley and Elmwood/Plum City.

Starting with River Falls, the Wildcats have improved to 5-10 overall for the season after a 40-37 home victory against visiting Chippewa Falls, a team that has yet to win its first game of the season.

After falling behind 25-20 at the halftime intermission, River Falls turned it around in the second half by outscoring Chi-Hi 20-12 in the remaining 18 minutes to secure the 40-37 victory on their home floor.

Over 90% of the Wildcats’ scoring for the night came from three players. Olivia Pizzi’s 12 points, Ella Peters’ 14 points and Jordan Torrez’s 11 points accounted for 37 of the Wildcats’ 40 for the night. Moving forward, River Falls will get a chance to compete in two significant games this week.

The first was a Tuesday night matchup at home against Prescott, a team that is currently tied for first place in the Middle Border Conference standings. Then, on Friday, Jan. 21, the Wildcats will host Eau Claire Memorial in a Big Rivers Conference matchup. Both games are scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m.

Spring Valley falls to Ellsworth 69-43 On Monday, Jan. 17, the Spring Valley girls basketball team traveled to Ellsworth to face off against the Panthers, a team currently tied for first place in the Middle Border Conference standings.

From the opening tip, it was a tough night for Spring Valley. The Ellsworth defense played suffocating coverage, which at times included a full-court press that led to turnovers and easy transition baskets for Ellsworth.

Perhaps Spring Valley’s tallest task of the night – literally and figuratively – was Ellsworth sophomore Molly Janke. Throughout the game, Janke made six three-pointers which helped propel Ellsworth to a 69-43 blowout victory against Spring Valley.

For the Cardinals, there were aspects of the game that showed growth in an otherwise young team. Sophomore Mara Ducklow had an impressive performance as she was the catalyst for nearly the entire Spring Valley offense.

Freshman center Halle Thomas was also impressive. Ducklow’s floor vision often found Thomas for quick baskets inside the paint. The young roster, being led by Ducklow and Thomas, will continue to improve in the years to come.

However, for now, it was a 69-43 loss that dropped Spring Valley to 5-9 overall, in addition to a 2-4 record in Dunn-St. Croix Conference games. On Thursday, Jan. 20, Spring Valley hosts Durand, a team that is currently one game out of first place in the conference standings. That game is slated to tipoff at 7:15 p.m.

Elmwood/Plum City routes Gilmanton 54-22 The Monday night, Jan. 17 game for Elmwood/Plum City was another impressive victory for a Wolves team that is now 7-5 for the season, including a 3-2 record in Dunn-St. Croix Conference matchups this year.

Both ends of the floor were working well for the Wolves on Monday night. Defensively, head coach Adam Sticht’s squad was dominant, giving up less than two dozen points in 36 minutes of action.

Leading the charge for the Wolves was Maggie Glaus, who has been the most consistent offensive presence for the Wolves the entire season. She is averaging 14.6 points per game this season, which is followed by Hailee McDonough, who is averaging 9.2 points per game this year. The combination of Glaus and McDonough was too much for Gilmanton to overcome on Monday night.

The Wolves are still in a position to compete for the Dunn-St. Croix Conference title, but it would require Colfax and Elk Mound to come back to Earth. Both teams currently have 5-0 records in conference play and without them slipping up, it will be impossible for the Wolves to have a chance at the title – even if they win out their conference games.

Perhaps the biggest game of the season for Elmwood/Plum City is on Thursday, Jan. 20, on the road against the aforementioned Elk Mound Mounders. The Thursday night matchup will be a great opportunity for the Wolves to see if they are ready to compete for a conference title this year. That game will begin at 7:15 p.m.