Kisting scored 22 for Thunderbirds
By Holly Neumann
The Iola-Scandinavia Thunderbirds handed the Manawa Wolves a 61-50 loss Jan. 28 in a matchup of Central Wisconsin Conference girls’ basketball teams.
Iola-Scandinavia had a 33-24 lead at halftime behind Bryanna Kisting, who scored 16 of her game-high 22 points. The Thunderbirds also outscored the Wolves 28-26 in the second half.
Manawa coach Pat Collins gave his team credit for not giving up.
“We did a lot of good things tonight, but we made some mistakes and gave them the lead early in the game,” he said. “The second half, the girls were able to tie the game up at one point. They fought hard, but we fell short.”
Iola-Scandinavia coach Joel Biadasz said Manawa, currently in first place in the CWC North Division, is a good team.
“Coming out in the second half, we were looking to get some good shots,” he said. “We started to force them and Manawa took advantage of that.”
Biadasz credited Marin Hoyord for coming off the bench and scoring some key points for the T-Birds.
“She plays 100 percent the whole time,” he said. “She worked hard and that helped us put it over the top tonight.”
Emilie Briquelet scored 12 points for the T-Birds.
Kaitlyn Miller and Mikenna Wegener led Manawa with 10 points each.
Manawa will return to CWC North Division play Thursday, Jan. 30, at Bowler, while the T-Birds have a matchup with Amherst Friday, Jan. 31, on the Falcons’ home court.
“I think it will be bittersweet, as Amherst will always hold a place in my heart,” said Biadasz, who is from Amherst. “At the same time, I am glad I am in Iola. I look forward to taking on Amherst with my girls on Friday.”
