The Spring Valley Cardinals girls’ basketball team defeated the Elmwood-Plum City Wolves by a score of 70-30 in Spring Valley on Friday night. It was a tight game early between these two Dunn-St. Croix rivals, although it got away from EPC by the end of the first period.

The Wolves got on the board first, but Spring Valley quickly took the lead with back-to-back three-pointers. Elmwood answered right back with a deep jump shot for two, and just like that, both teams were off and running.

The opening minutes of the period were marked by more defense than offense, and at 13:30, it was 9-6 in favor of the home team.

Cardinals star player Mara Ducklow broke up the stalemate with a smooth hook shot from under the basket. This was the start of a 14-0 run by Spring Valley, who took a commanding lead as the game passed midperiod. This streak was capped off by a nice three-pointer by Audrey Mathison at the 7:20 mark.

When the score finally reached 27-8, Elmwood signaled for a timeout to talk things over. This seemed to help the Wolves as they came out of the play stoppage going shot for shot with the Cardinals, slowing them down and even starting to gain ground after a couple minutes. With 4:00 remaining in the opening frame, the score moved to 31-12.

Senior shooter Charli Vanasse, who recently came back from an injury that had kept her out for most of the season, made her presence felt with a steal from under the basket and immediately dumped it in for two points. The Wolves answered with a steal of their own which they turned into a deep shot for three as the clock ticked under 3:00.

Spring Valley finished the period out in stellar form, putting up nine more in a row, a run that was punctuated by a shot from downtown by sophomore guard Riley Fritz to bring the score to 42-15 at the half.

The second period was a near carbon copy of the first for the Wolves offensively; however, their performance improved greatly on the defensive side of the ball, especially early on. In fact, over the first 7:00 of play, Elmwood limited the Cardinals to just seven total points. Unfortunately, they only managed to put up five during the same time period, so they were unable to gain any ground.

A steal by the Wolves seemed to give them a bit of a spark at midperiod, followed by a deep jump shot from Willow Cripe and a couple more points from the line by Elmwood’s top shooter Hailey Webb to bring the score to 54-24. Subsequent field goals by both teams prompted a Cardinal timeout to try to get back on track.

Things kept going point for point over the next couple minutes, but a steal by Ducklow seemed to reinvigorate the Spring Valley offense while the defense shored up at the same time. This confluence of events allowed the red birds to start pulling away rapidly as the game entered the final minutes of play. With 6:05 remaining in regulation, it was 62-28, and the Cardinals began to get some of their bench players some valuable minutes of competitive game time.

Spring Valley would go on an 8-2 run to close out the night, bringing the final score to 70-30 while securing their second conference victory in as many nights.

The story of the night and the week for the Cardinals is the return of Vanasse from multiple injuries which have kept her sidelined all season. This return has coincided with the beginnings of a win streak and have allowed Spring Valley to climb in the overall conference rankings as the team enters the final weeks of Dunn-St. Croix play before the postseason.

Mara Ducklow says things are really picking up for the Cardinals as they start their final eight-game stretch of the season.

“We got Charli back, so that’s helped a lot. I feel like practices have been going good, and we’ve been playing really well as a team,” Ducklow said. “Young girls have been stepping up a lot, like Riley Fritz. Audrey shot really well tonight too. I also think playoffs are going to be a little easier for us after moving down to Division 5.”

That move to Division 5 should surely help a Cardinal team that is now almost completely healthy and playing its most competitive ball of the season.

Vanasse says she’s fully healed and ready to finish the season strong after watching her teammates do the heavy lifting while she rehabbed, and she’s ready for their new postseason schedule.

“I’m feeling good, and I feel like I owe it to my team to go out there and work because they’ve been working while I’ve been sitting on the bench. I’ve got a lot to prove,” Vanasse said. “Moving back to Division 5 will obviously be a little bit easier. We’ve had some tough competition all season, and we’ve lost some heartbreaking games, so I think it’ll be good for us. We can maybe go farther.”

Head Coach Sean Hoolihan says getting Vanasse back is great for their team, which has continuously fought to improve all season.

“Just from a standpoint of experience, getting Chuck back on the court helps. The other girls who played more minutes when she wasn't in there did a great job, but as a senior, she kind of brings some more composure to the game and also helps us with our rotations,” Hoolihan said. “We said the beginning of the year was going to be a process. They bought in, and they've gotten better and better. We're playing good ball right now, and I'm really proud of them because they've stuck with it.”

With this victory, the Cardinals move to 4-4 on the season in Dunn-St. Croix Conference play. They will have two more chances this week to climb the standings ladder when they travel to play the 3-4 Glenwood City Hilltoppers on Tuesday and then return home to host the 5-2 Colfax Vikings on Friday. Both games tip off at 7:15 p.m.

As for the Elmwood-Plum City Wolves, first year Head Coach Paige Saniter says that this is a growth year for the program and knows better days are ahead as this young team continues to work hard on their overall game play.

“Our defense is currently one of our rockiest parts of the games. Some days we operate our zone with confidence and aggression, and other days we play uncertainly or over play and end up in other teammates' zones which opens a lane for the opponent to score,” Saniter said. “It is really hard right now because the scores of our games don't reflect how much work the girls are putting in. They’re coachable, and they go the extra mile to get better. We are becoming more confident with the ball and cleaning up our shots and offense, and we’ve started to decrease our turnovers.” 

As her first season winds down, Saniter reflects on all the positives of her first term as head coach of the Wolves.

“So far, I have learned that having a group of girls like the ones we have makes being a head coach the best experience. How can you beat having girls that will give you 110% all day, every day?” Saniter said. “I am so proud of them and grateful for them. It takes a lot of willpower and drive to lose like we have been and continue to push yourself and keep your heart in it.” 

On deck for the Wolves is a two-game slate of Dunn-St. Croix opponents. First up is a road game against Mondovi on Tuesday, and then they return home to host Durand-Arkansaw on Friday. Both games tip off at 7:15 p.m.