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ASHWAUBENON – The plan for Wauwatosa East coach Mary Merg was simple Saturday night − coach in her first state championship game and then have pizza ready for her team around 8 p.m.
The postgame trophy ceremony for the Division 2 state championship game didn't start until around 8:33 p.m.
"Well, the pizza's cold," Merg said with a chuckle as she, Mikaia Litza and Ellie Deprey left their postgame press conference all smiles, still somewhat in shock of what had just transpired.
Behind a spectacular 32-point, nine-rebound, five-steal performance from Litza, the Red Raiders won the program's first state title in 44 years with a 59-58 victory in the first triple-overtime game in WIAA girls basketball history over top-seeded Edgewood.
"It really just depends on the game. I just play whatever comes to me, I'll take," Litza said a day after a near triple-double with 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists against West De Pere in the semifinals.
Muskego falls in D1 title game: Muskego's magical season ends in Division 1 state title game loss to top-seeded Kimberly
"If it's me passing it to shooters in the corner or me driving in for a layup, whatever works."
A lot worked for Litza against a stingy Crusaders defense that appeared to be well-prepared and ready for the high-powered Red Raiders attack. After 19 points Friday, sharpshooter Emma Close didn't score. Audrey Sellinger battled foul trouble after her own 19-point outing Friday. Lyndia Kalumbula hadn't scored in the last three games with just one shot attempt, and chipped in with eight vital points in just over nine minutes of action due to Sellinger's foul troubles.
But in the end, Litza and her 44.8 usage percentage on Tosa East's offensive possessions was the clear-cut plan A and it was a good plan. The Division I recruit was relentless off the dribble and despite multiple bodies being thrown at her all night, she put the Crusaders on their heels over and over again.
"Litza is a great player and has a lot of shake to her game," Edgewood coach Lora Staveness said. "She took (Anna Miller) down low and things happened that typically haven't happened to us. It was her day. She had a special day."
Edgewood's sophomore star did all she could defensively, while also conducting the show offensively for the Crusaders with 16 points and seven assists. She tied the game at 47 with about three seconds left in regulation with a tough lefty layup through traffic after a huge offensive rebound from Maren Schmotzer gave the Crusaders one more chance.
Miller gave Edgewood a 49-47 lead with 2:59 remaining in the first overtime session, but Litza answered with a driving bucket, leading to a second overtime after Miller traveled driving on Sellinger.
The fourth period saw Edgewood with another late lead at 52-50, but Litza forced a fifth period with another driving layup with about 16 ticks left to send the Tosa East fans into a frenzy.
Edgewood edged ahead by four (56-52) with 2:50 left in the third overtime, but another Litza layup – through contact against Miller – brought Tosa East back within one immediately. Deprey put the Red Raiders ahead for good with a huge second-chance bucket just inside of two minutes to play. She scored all 12 of her points on the night after halftime.
Litza cashed home two freebies with 39 seconds left, but Schmotzer answered with a jumper, and two missed Sellinger free throws in the double bonus gave Edgewood one last hurrah. Miller's last-gasp 3-pointer off the right wing had a good line, but ultimately fell short, sending Litza and Deprey into the arms of their teammates and Merg to her knees in celebration after finally climbing the mountain to the top.
"I think just all the hours and time I put into like, getting healthy again and getting stronger again is all worth it for now," Deprey said with tears filling her eyes, realizing her knee rehabilitation had a large payoff after battling through the mental and physical challenges of a major injury.
"I'm just really proud of our team and just everything that I've been through. I think it all is just worth it now, just everything ... all the time and effort we all put in and just the time we all put outside ... just lifting and getting in the gym and all the extra shots we put in. ... I'm just really proud of our team."
Merg had been so close as a player. She lost a Division III national title game as a UW-Whitewater guard 12 years ago to the day on Saturday. After ending a four-decade state tournament drought last year, Merg and the Red Raiders were blitzed in the D2 state semifinals to three-time defending state champion Notre Dame.
Her star player was in the gym the very next day after the state semifinal loss competing "against grown men" because she knew she needed to be tougher for her team. That toughness was on full display in the fourth-best scoring output in D2 state tournament history.
But on Saturday night, the Red Raiders coach got to finally call herself a champion with a special bunch five years removed from a 5-19 campaign and a winless season in Greater Metro Conference play.
"I'm kind of an emotional person, a little animated at times," Merg said. "Honestly, I think when I took over this job at Tosa and those first couple of seasons, I really didn't think this was possible. I thought this was kind of out of reach. ... It's just been a wild road to get here personally.
"To come in here with our staff and turn it around, it's all them," Merg added. "It's the kids. If you get great kids, you get great community support. It's just left me speechless, and honestly I'm just thankful that I could be a part of their journey."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: High school girls basketball: Wauwatosa East wins D2 state title
Continue reading...
The postgame trophy ceremony for the Division 2 state championship game didn't start until around 8:33 p.m.
"Well, the pizza's cold," Merg said with a chuckle as she, Mikaia Litza and Ellie Deprey left their postgame press conference all smiles, still somewhat in shock of what had just transpired.
Behind a spectacular 32-point, nine-rebound, five-steal performance from Litza, the Red Raiders won the program's first state title in 44 years with a 59-58 victory in the first triple-overtime game in WIAA girls basketball history over top-seeded Edgewood.
"It really just depends on the game. I just play whatever comes to me, I'll take," Litza said a day after a near triple-double with 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists against West De Pere in the semifinals.
Muskego falls in D1 title game: Muskego's magical season ends in Division 1 state title game loss to top-seeded Kimberly
"If it's me passing it to shooters in the corner or me driving in for a layup, whatever works."
A lot worked for Litza against a stingy Crusaders defense that appeared to be well-prepared and ready for the high-powered Red Raiders attack. After 19 points Friday, sharpshooter Emma Close didn't score. Audrey Sellinger battled foul trouble after her own 19-point outing Friday. Lyndia Kalumbula hadn't scored in the last three games with just one shot attempt, and chipped in with eight vital points in just over nine minutes of action due to Sellinger's foul troubles.
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But in the end, Litza and her 44.8 usage percentage on Tosa East's offensive possessions was the clear-cut plan A and it was a good plan. The Division I recruit was relentless off the dribble and despite multiple bodies being thrown at her all night, she put the Crusaders on their heels over and over again.
"Litza is a great player and has a lot of shake to her game," Edgewood coach Lora Staveness said. "She took (Anna Miller) down low and things happened that typically haven't happened to us. It was her day. She had a special day."
Edgewood's sophomore star did all she could defensively, while also conducting the show offensively for the Crusaders with 16 points and seven assists. She tied the game at 47 with about three seconds left in regulation with a tough lefty layup through traffic after a huge offensive rebound from Maren Schmotzer gave the Crusaders one more chance.
Miller gave Edgewood a 49-47 lead with 2:59 remaining in the first overtime session, but Litza answered with a driving bucket, leading to a second overtime after Miller traveled driving on Sellinger.
The fourth period saw Edgewood with another late lead at 52-50, but Litza forced a fifth period with another driving layup with about 16 ticks left to send the Tosa East fans into a frenzy.
Edgewood edged ahead by four (56-52) with 2:50 left in the third overtime, but another Litza layup – through contact against Miller – brought Tosa East back within one immediately. Deprey put the Red Raiders ahead for good with a huge second-chance bucket just inside of two minutes to play. She scored all 12 of her points on the night after halftime.
Litza cashed home two freebies with 39 seconds left, but Schmotzer answered with a jumper, and two missed Sellinger free throws in the double bonus gave Edgewood one last hurrah. Miller's last-gasp 3-pointer off the right wing had a good line, but ultimately fell short, sending Litza and Deprey into the arms of their teammates and Merg to her knees in celebration after finally climbing the mountain to the top.
"I think just all the hours and time I put into like, getting healthy again and getting stronger again is all worth it for now," Deprey said with tears filling her eyes, realizing her knee rehabilitation had a large payoff after battling through the mental and physical challenges of a major injury.
"I'm just really proud of our team and just everything that I've been through. I think it all is just worth it now, just everything ... all the time and effort we all put in and just the time we all put outside ... just lifting and getting in the gym and all the extra shots we put in. ... I'm just really proud of our team."
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Merg had been so close as a player. She lost a Division III national title game as a UW-Whitewater guard 12 years ago to the day on Saturday. After ending a four-decade state tournament drought last year, Merg and the Red Raiders were blitzed in the D2 state semifinals to three-time defending state champion Notre Dame.
Her star player was in the gym the very next day after the state semifinal loss competing "against grown men" because she knew she needed to be tougher for her team. That toughness was on full display in the fourth-best scoring output in D2 state tournament history.
But on Saturday night, the Red Raiders coach got to finally call herself a champion with a special bunch five years removed from a 5-19 campaign and a winless season in Greater Metro Conference play.
"I'm kind of an emotional person, a little animated at times," Merg said. "Honestly, I think when I took over this job at Tosa and those first couple of seasons, I really didn't think this was possible. I thought this was kind of out of reach. ... It's just been a wild road to get here personally.
"To come in here with our staff and turn it around, it's all them," Merg added. "It's the kids. If you get great kids, you get great community support. It's just left me speechless, and honestly I'm just thankful that I could be a part of their journey."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: High school girls basketball: Wauwatosa East wins D2 state title
Continue reading...
