In the 2026 WIAA girls basketball Division state semifinal, the second-seeded (24-4) Pacelli Cardinals faced the third-seeded (22-8) Barneveld Golden Eagles on March 13 in the Resch Center in Green Bay.
A 15-9 lead in the opening minutes of the game gave Pacelli the early advantage over Barneveld. The Golden Eagles got back into the action, taking a one-point lead with 12:48 seconds left in the first half.
Pacelli went on a 9-0 scoring run that gave them back the lead, but Barneveld took back the momentum, scoring five unanswered points of their own.
The Cardinals took a narrow one score lead into halftime as they were up 23-20, headed into the locker room.
In the second half, the Cardinals’ efficiency and controlling the tempo of the game set them apart from the Golden Eagles.
Pacelli outshot Barneveld 17-of-38 shots (44.7) to 10-of-43 (23.3) percent, scored 30 points in the paint to the Golden Eagles six, and the Cardinals only turned the ball over five times to their opponents 16 for the game.
In the second half, Pacelli outscored Barneveld 26-20, gaining their biggest lead by 11 points and winning by a score of 49-40.
Ella Van Order led the Cardinals in scoring with 25 points, while gathering seven rebounds, dishing out four assists, and generating two steals.
Jaedyn Zdroik and Haylee Cisewski both garnered double-doubles as Zdroik scored 12 points and had 11 rebounds, and Cisewski compiled 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
In the State Championship, Pacelli Cardinals took on the undefeated Eleva-Strum Cardinals in the final on March 13.
Pacelli got out to an early 11-3 lead over Eleva-Strum, as they set the early pace of the game.
In the onset, it was easy to see that Pacelli was on a mission as they only allowed one early lead to Eleva-Strum in the opening two minutes before going on several scoring runs in the first half to give them the halftime advantage 35-25.
The Cardinals controlled the game most of the way having the lead for 34:32 seconds of the game.
In the second half, Pacelli went on a 13-0 scoring run and gained their biggest lead of the day, having a 32-point advantage.
Pacelli outscored their undefeated opponent 35-15 in the second half, winning by a score of 70- 40, holding their second consecutive opponent to 40 points on the scoreboard.
Zdroik led Pacelli in scoring with 20 points and nearly matched that number in rebounds with 19. Van Order scored 19 points, and Cisewski scored 19 as they led Pacelli to their first girls basketball state championship.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here