Manawa wins playoff at home

By Holly Neumann

Laynie Bessette scored a game-high 25 points for Manawa to lead the Wolves to a 63-52 win over Coleman Feb. 19 in the opening round of the WIAA state girls’ basketball tournament.

The Cougars used a half-court press to shake the Wolves up, but that didn’t stop Kellynn Kaczorowski scoring nine points to give Manawa a 29-20 halftime lead.

Bessette had the hot hand for the Wolves the rest of the way, scoring 17 points in the second half.

Kaczorowski and Kaitlyn Miller also finished in double figures for the Wolves with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Cameron Compe led Coleman with 13 points, while Kyla Manning added 10.

Manawa improved to 17-5 with the win and will travel to Crivitz Friday, Feb. 22, for a Division 4 regional semifinal. Manawa is seeded sixth in its regional, while the Wolverines, which had a bye in the opening round, are a No. 3 seed.

Tipoff is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m. The winner of that game will play for a regional championship at 7 p.m. the following day.

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Manawa's Kellynn Kaczorowski keeps Coleman's Christina Ermis out of the lane Feb. 19 in a WIAA Division 4 regional girls' basketball game at Little Wolf High School. Kaczorowski scored 13 points in the Wolves' win over the Cougars. Holly Neumann Photo