Jim Sydow has known from the get-go that this group of girls was
talented. And after the Immanuel Lutheran girls basketball team's
performance Tuesday that notion became widespread.
The Lancers beat Clear Lake 58-9 in the WIAA Division 5 regional
quarterfinal to advance. The host team didn't allow the Warriors to
score until midway through the second quarter.
"Quite candidly we're pretty good," Sydow said.
"We've learned to play defense, and offensively we can score a lot of
points, as you saw tonight."
The Lancers established a huge lead right off the
bat. By the end of the first quarter, Immanuel Lutheran had a 25-0 lead.
Clear Lake didn't get on the board until three minutes into the second
quarter to make the score 33-2. But that was all the Warriors would
score in the first half, and they went into the intermission down 38-2.
Sydow was able to play the majority of his bench
players in the second half, which gave some of his starters time to
recoup from nagging aches and pains — three starters entered the
playoffs with ongoing injuries.
"I think the neat thing is we got a chance for girls
who hadn't gotten a lot of playing time to get in the game," Sydow said.
"They've been practicing with us all year, and it was really important
for them to get some time on the floor."
Because players got more time off the bench than they
normally would, the coaching staff was able to see what some of the
reserve athletes were able to do. One of the girls that impressed them
the most was freshman Chara Meyer.
Meyer is one of the first girls off the bench and is a
big presence on the court — she stands at 6-foot-1. Meyer can shoot
with both hands and finished the game with 12 points — second only
behind Abbie Hein's 15.
"She's going to be good," Sydow said of Meyer. "She's
big and she's very strong. She's improved immensely this season. When
she gets her hand on the ball, she's pretty much got it in the hoop."
The Lancers (20-3) advanced to the regional semifinals, in which they will take on McDonell on Friday.
The two teams faced each other Jan. 24 and Immanuel
came away with a 63-44 win. But, regardless, the Lancers know they will
have their hands full later this week.
"They're really good," Sydow said. "We'll have to
play really well to beat them. But this is a special group of girls, so
if they play how they are capable, I think they'll do all right."
Immanuel Lutheran 58, Clear Lake 9
Clear Lake — Courtney Clark 3, Hannah Fitzer 2, Emily Buhr 2, Carly Warner 2. Totals (FGM FT-FTA TP): 3 3-6 9.
Immanuel Lutheran — Rachel Schaser 8, Abbie Hein 15,
Abby Sydow 3, Lauren Lisak 4, Johanna Meyer 6, Chara Meyer 12, Rhiannon
Roehl 4, Emily Hein 2, Abi Bernthal 4. Totals: 22 13-15 58.
Clear Lake 0 2 2 5 — 9
ECIL 25 13 14 6 — 58
3-point goals: Clear Lake 0, Immanuel Lutheran 1 (A.
Hein). Total fouls: Clear Lake 11, Immanuel Lutheran 4. Records: Clear
Lake 2-19; Immanuel Lutheran 20-3.
