RIVER FALLS — Wildcat girls basketball split a pair of conference games on the week, falling to Eau Claire Memorial 71-38 before rebounding to beat Chippewa Falls 51-31 Jan. 30.

It was no secret going in that the Eau Claire Memorial game would be a tall task. The 14-3 Old Abes are a perfect 9-0 in Big Rivers Conference play. Memorial makes life difficult through their off-ball defense, forcing opponents to take on their defense one-on-one, which is easier said than done.

Offensively, Memorial does not settle for poor shots, and they can afford to work through the offense until they get a good shot because they take care of the basketball.

“We didn’t handle their pressure very well, and we turned it over a little bit,” Head Coach Ian Sticht said. “They stretched out the score, and at that point you just try to play catch-up. You start taking quick shots on offense… The snowball effect. They’re really good.”

Playing against three of the state’s best twice this year in Memorial, Rice Lake and Hudson, River Falls got to face three different styles of great basketball to poke holes and find areas the Wildcats can improve for the postseason.

“They play different styles of basketball. That’s a good thing for us to be exposed to,” Sticht said. “Certainly frustrating short-term, but long-term, playing those teams obviously brings an added dynamic of understanding.”

Sticht said they intentionally schedule a tougher non-conference schedule as well.

On Jan. 30, the Wildcats got back in the win column with a 20-point win over Chippewa Falls. It was not the best offensive night for River Falls, down from 74 points in the previous matchup with the Cardinals, but allowing just 31 points put them in prime position to win.

Senior Hayley Quinn scored 20 points in the win on 8-of-17 shooting. Fellow senior Abigail Treichel had an insane game inside, swatting seven shots and grabbing 15 rebounds to go with 12 points.

“She has the ability to impact the game in so many ways offensively and defensively,” Sticht said. “We thought for sure she had a triple-double.”

River Falls opens February with an interesting week, taking on New Richmond at home Feb. 2 and on the road Feb. 6. Playing the same team back-to-back in conference play poses its own set of challenges, but at 3-15 on the season, the Tigers are likely a team River Falls expects to beat.

“It’s just a strange dynamic,” Sticht said. “Just try some things tonight and see if they’re successful… Just treat them each as separate games, just talking about tonight, focus on this.”

Sticht only recalled playing the same team twice in a row once, a regular season finale and postseason opener stretch. This pair of games has a bit of a different feel than those did, Sticht said.