by Vern Hollister - Correspondent

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Almost forgotten during the furor of their male counterparts entering tournament play, girls basketball finished their season Friday night. Phelps defeated Goodman/Pembine, Three Lakes clinched the title with a dominant win over Elcho, Crandon played a non-conference match with Tomahawk, and Wabeno faced Laona at home.

A big second quarter when the Lady Rollers ran off a string of 19 straight points lifted Wabeno from a 12-9 first period lead to a 31-9 advantage just before the half. From then on, they rode to a 58-36 final.

"This was an important game for us," Wabeno coach Ben Hommerding said. "No matter what happened to Three Lakes, we had to win. It was a great first half. We played better than in the past two games. It was tight in the beginning."

Both teams got off to a foul-laden beginning with seven fouls collectively in the first two and a half minutes. Laona center Kristin Zimmer hit from inside after coming off a successful free throw, and the Kellys led 5-1 and 5-2 early. Kelly Branch's 3-pointer tied the score, 5-5, before a pair of steals, first by Kenzie Krawze and then Megan McLaughlin. Each of the thefts resulted in a Krawze and a McLaughlin assist to Allyssa Tinsman streaking downcourt.

Laona's scoring halted right then and there. Wabeno began their scoring binge, in reality 26 consecutive points. Kristen Baugnet dumped in 10 points from inside during the streak, Autumn Aderholdt added seven points, Branch four more points; and by halftime, Wabeno led 33-14.

To Laona's credit, short on the bench, they played out the game, especially Zimmer. In her last regular season game for Laona, Zimmer poured in 16 final half points to finish with a game-high 23.

Zimmer, who will play basketball for Northland College in Ashland next year, said, "In the second half, we just had fun. We were more relaxed and also played with more intensity."

At the opening, she said it would have been nice if they had been less anxious, but the game got away; and the only thing left to do was to play the game to its conclusion and have some fun doing it.

"When it started, we thought it was going to be a good season, and then it went downhill," Zimmer said. "We've had some team chemistry problems." Still, Zimmer said it was the Kellys best season in awhile. "It's the first time in a lot of years we've had a home playoff game."

Tuesday, Laona opened at home against St. Thomas Aquinas Academy in the playoffs. Wabeno, ranked at the top in the bracket, had a first round bye and plays Thursday.

"Zimmer's a great player," Hommerding said. "She just killed us on the boards in the second half. I definitely respect her a lot," he said. "We were balanced tonight."

Three Rollers scored in double figures. Aderholdt's 16 points led Wabeno's scoring. Baugnet added 14 and Branch 11. Ainsley Cornell, in foul trouble early, added 6 points, and Jenna Kortendick put in another 6, her points in quick succession during the third quarter. Though Laona was getting the ball in to Zimmer for eight points that period, it wasn't enough to match Wabeno's balance. They led 46-26 after three.

The Kellys played without Melanie Albrecht at a guard spot, who by Zimmer's description was struck by the "big plague going through Laona." Tinsman added 6 points to Zimmer's 23.

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