Lady Lancers whip Blackshirts

Maybe, just maybe, the Brookfield Central girls basketball team is on the verge of turning the season around.

The Lady Lancers are 3-5 overall and 1-2 in the Greater Metro Conference, but they have won two of their last three games and their next three opponents are a combined 6-16, a .273 winning percentage.

Central travels to Brookfield East (2-6, 0-3) Jan. 6, and then travels to Madison East (2-4) Jan. 10 for a non-conference game. The Lady Lancers then return home for a conference game against Wauwatosa East (2-6, 1-2) Jan. 13.

Central had snapped a three-game losing streak, their longest since 2008, on Dec. 16 by beating West Allis Central (59-46), but then they had a bump in the road by losing a non-conference game at home to Oak Creek (54-44). But they bounced back to whip the Blackshirts, 54-40, on Dec. 28 at Waukesha South.

Central finally shot the ball like it can and played aggressive, hitting the boards hard, something that was missing in the loss to Oak Creek.

The Lady Lancers jumped off to a 9-3 first-quarter lead and then scored 14 points in the second quarter, sparked by sophomore guard Lydia Rohde's three consecutive treys. As a result, Central went into halftime with a 23-12 advantage.

The Lady Lancers raced out in the third period and continued to roll, putting the game away with a 36-20 advantage after three quarters. South did score seven in a row to cut the lead to 11 at one point, but then Central's defense forced some turnovers to maintain its large lead. Debbie Entzminger (four) and Rohde (two) had six key free throws.

Rohde, who was also a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, led the team with 15 points, while senior Anna Liewen scored 14 points, but more importantly, grabbed nine rebounds, six off the offensive glass. Liewen, playing one of her better games, handed out four assists, had two steals and a blocked shot.

While Sarah Fotsch and Entzminger continued to help the offense with nine points each, they combined for 19 rebounds - Fotsch with 12 and Entzminger with seven. If the Lady Lancers can hit the boards like that, they could claw back into the Greater Metro Conference race.

"In this game we were better, compare to Oak Creek," Central coach Dan Wandrey said. "We should be better.

"We played with more urgency, intensity on defense. We got them off balanced."

Wandrey then talked about his team's rebounding.

"Sarah (and) Anna have a nose for the ball," he said. "We stress that constantly."

Entzminger has also played better, averaging six points and 4.5 rebounds this season.

"Entzminger is very talented offensively and she gives us another dimension," Wandrey said. "She takes what the defense gives her.

"If they stay back, she can shoot from the perimeter. If they come up, she can drive on them. She gives us versatility."