LADY ROCKETS ADVANCE TO REGIONAL FINALS
Danielle Berry goes up for two in the Rockets second round regional game.
By David Paradise
Star-Times Sports Editor
The New Lisbon (13-9) girls basketball team started WIAA Division IV regional action on Tuesday when they hosted the Granton Bulldogs (3-18) in the opening round.
New Lisbon opened up a three-point lead after the first quarter, outscoring the visiting Bulldogs, 18-15.
The Rockets began to pull away in the second quarter, scoring 13 points. New Lisbon's defensive effort picked up in the second and limited Granton to just six points, to take a 31-21 lead into halftime.
Tanya Stickney had a big first half for the Rockets, scoring 12 points. Hilary Roscovius and Megan Neitzel added seven apiece in the opening half for the Rockets.
New Lisbon continued to pull away from the Bulldogs in the third, outscoring Granton 18-1.
The Rockets began the period with a 13-0 run. Haley Woggon had six of the Rockets' 13 in the run, and Stickney added four.
Granton ended the Rockets' run with a free throw before Roscovius scored five straight to give New Lisbon a 49-22 lead heading into the fourth.
New Lisbon continued their dominance in the fourth with a quarter opening 10-0 run, that put the Rockets up 59-22, with 5:47 remaining. The Rockets held the Bulldogs to four points in the quarter on their way to the 62-26 victory.
"We came out sluggish in the first quarter defensively," New Lisbon coach Brad Bolton said. "The girls stepped up in the second half, holding them to five. It was a big win for us. That, hopefully, will propel us in later rounds."
Stickney led the Rockets with a game-high 18 points.
Roscovius added 13 and Neitzel finished with nine.
Jill Niles added seven, and Danielle Berry and Woggon finished with six points apiece.
On Thursday, the Rockets continued tournament action when they hosted the Cochrane-Fountain City Pirates (5-14).
The Pirates opened the game with a 5-2 run, to take an early lead.
Roscovius knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at five. Stickney hit a free throw, and Berry added a tough basket to give New Lisbon a 8-5 lead after one.
Niles pushed the lead to 10-5 with a basket to start the second quarter, before a 4-0 Pirates run narrowed the lead to just one.
Roscovius scored four straight points to put New Lisbon back up by five, 14-9. The Pirates ended the half with a 5-2 run and trailed by just two at the break.
New Lisbon's defense picked up in the third quarter, limiting the Pirates to just six points. Stickney scored seven of the Rockets' 16 as New Lisbon pushed their lead to 12, 32-20, at the end of the third.
The Pirates scored all 11 of their fourth quarter points from the free throw line as the Rockets held on for the 47-31 win.
"Very proud of the effort. We picked up the defense in the second half again, tale of two halves again," Bolton said. "Tanya (Stickney) did a nice job down low in the second half, and Hilary (Roscovius) did a great job finishing tonight. All around, great team effort."
Roscovius led the Rockets with 13 points. Berry added 12 and Stickney finished with 10.
New Lisbon will continue regional action Saturday, when they travel to West Salem to face Alma Center-Lincoln (13-9) at 5 p.m.