Lancers girls step up, whip Falls

Suddenly, the Brookfield Central girls basketball team is playing with passion again.

Friday night the Lancers used a big third quarter to crush co-leader Menomonee Falls, 57-39, at Central and move one game out of second place and two out of first in the Greater Metro Conference going into Tuesday's game against Divine Savior Holy Angels (see separate story).

The win left Central at 5-3 (8-6 overall) one game behind Falls (6-2, 13-3) and Sussex Hamilton (6-2, 10-2) and two games behind first-place DSHA (7-1, 10-3).

A passionate comeback

The Lancers played with a passion that they had been missing for most of the season, trailing 19-11 with 4:20 left in the half, when the Lancers went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 19 at intermission.

Reserves Nicole Hinz started the run with a big rebound basket, and then Jasmine Lewis dropped in two free throws. Captain Sarah Fotsch then hit a jumper and Anna Liewen two free throws in the final seconds of the half.

The Lancers then exploded for a 20-9 third period, closing it out with an 8-3 run and a 39-28 lead after three periods.

"The last few minutes of the second quarter was awesome," Central coach Dan Wandrey said. "I think it was very important for us. That was something we haven't done. When we've fallen behind, we wait until the hole is too deep.

"We talked at half; we have the confidence to be aggressive. We were getting inside. We were patient, but aggressive. It was the best game we played in terms of sharing the ball.

"Man, in that third quarter when they had a 1-3-1, two, three times we would move from top to corner, run a diagonal and make that extra pass for a wide open shot. It's really important that we believe and trust in each other and I saw that tonight."

Finishing the third strong

Freshman Emma Brauer started that 8-3 run at the end of the third quarter with a rebound basket, Lewis and Brauer each sank two free throws and then Liewen scored on a drive to the basket for a 39-25 lead. Mikayla Robertson sank a three with 46.9 seconds left in the quarter for the Indians.

The Lancers continue to move the ball, shoot extremely well and play solid defense in the final quarter (18-11) to win going away.

"They shot very well," Falls coach Craig Amundson said. "We threw everything at them that we had - diamond and one, 1-3-1, man, I give them all the credit in the world. They played really well and they made their shots."

Liewen and Lydia Rohde each had 12 points, with Rohde adding six assists and three steals. Brauer had 11 points and Fotsch 10. Robertson led the Indians with 13.

Liewen, who Wandrey said has been "a beast on the boards," grabbed 13 rebounds, while Lewis, who is seeing more action lately, had five rebounds, four on the offensive boards. Fotsch and Brauer added four each.

"We always have effort, but we need to go the extra step to get the loose ball," Liewen said. "We do rebounding drills all the time in practice and we're working harder and that reflects in our game."

Pleased with effort

Wandrey has been pleased with his troops.

"Lydia scored early, she shot well," Central coach Dan Wandrey said. "Anna started a little slow, but then started rebounding. Emma was freaking huge. That's how she plays in practice all the time."

Brauer's game has also continued to get better.

"Before every game I'm nervous, anxious, but once I get started and get into the flow of the game, I calm down. We always work together and depend on each other getting open. As for my shooting, in the beginning I might have lacked confidence in that part of the game, but now I feel more confident about that," Brauer said.

Wandrey feels that his team turned a corner in the fourth quarter of the 41-38 loss at Sussex Hamilton.

"It was like they said, 'We're sick of this. We're better than this,' " he said. "During a timeout, the girls were sitting and I was kneeling and I could see four girls who knees were bloodied. We had to clean them up and bandage them.

"I don't know what clicked, but it did. We have talked about being good, but we need to add that (passion) to it. We can't just show up and play. To their credit they realize it."