Thunderbirds overcome slow start

It didn’t take long for the Waupaca and Iola-Scandinavia girls’ basketball teams to find themselves in a close game.

The Comets and Thunderbirds opened the season on Nov. 19 at Waupaca High School, and Iola-Scandinavia returned home with a 44-42 nonconference win.

Cold shooting hurt the T-Birds early, as they found themselves in a 15-1 deficit midway through the first half. McKenzie Bonikowske’s basket, the T-Birds’ first, cut the Comets’ lead to 15-3 and started an 11-0 run that cut Waupaca’s lead to 15-12.

Ava Printz gave Iola-Scandinavia its first lead in the final minute of the first half, and the T-Birds headed to the locker room with a 21-20 advantage.
Neither team led by more than four points in a second half that included six lead changes and three ties.

Printz’s two free throws with just over two minutes remaining in the game broke a 40-40 tie, and the T-Birds never trailed again.

Josie Nickel’s basket in the final minute cut Iola-Scandinavia’s lead to 44-42. Waupaca had an opportunity to set up a game-tying or game-winning shot after Kendra Petersen missed a pair of free throws with 12.6 seconds to go.

The Comets called a time-out to set up a play, but Amelia Koran’s shot just before the final buzzer bounced off the rim.

Waupaca’s Hailey Bechard led all players with 15 points, while Nickel and Rossi Wehmeyer added eight each. Bonikowske and Brylee Jueds led the T-Birds with 10 points.

Both teams’ conference openers are scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 3. Waupaca will open North Eastern Conference play at home against Wrightstown, while Iola-Scandinavia will host Amherst in a matchup of Central Wisconsin Conference-East teams.