Midland wins tournament championship

A 4-0 start heading into Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play isn’t too shabby.

A MLC/Holiday Lodge Tournament title isn’t bad, either.

While the Midland Lutheran College Lady Warriors have accomplished both, Coach Joanne Bracker knows her team needs to get better.

Midland defeated Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) 57-55 for the tournament title Saturday.

"It was not our best performance," Bracker said. "Out of our four outings so far, this was probably our most lackadaisical, both defensively and offensively."

The Wolves hung around the entire game, despite shooting only 29.2 percent from the field in the game. Coming off a Lady Warrior turnover, Cardinal Stritch's Tina Ewald nailed a 3-point shot to break a 46-46 tie with 6:59 remaining in the game.

Midland also struggled from the floor by shooting 40.4 percent for the game.

After freshman Mallory Pinger hit two free throws to bring the score within one again, a Cardinal Stritch turnover helped Midland take the lead. Senior Liz Sneed hit a jumper to give the Lady Warriors the 50-49 edge.

Sneed later drove toward the hoop and found Ashley Bruegman alone near the foul line. The senior connected on the shot to extend the Midland lead to 52-49 with 5:11 remaining.

But Stritch came charging back again when freshman Brittany Daum kicked the ball out to Beth Gilgenback, who buried a bucket from near the three-point line to take a 55-54 lead with 2:17 remaining.

In the remaining minutes, Midland secured the win from the foul line. Sneed hit the second of a pair of free throws with :02 left to make the score to 57-55. Midland connected on 17-of-39 chances from the line in the game.

"Missing shots from the free-throw line is a definite indication of lack of focus," Bracker said.

The Wolves had trouble finding the hoop in the final minute of the game. Defensively, Midland eased from a full-court press, but played tough defense in that final minute.

"We’ve got a bunch of competitors,” Bracker said. “The seniors have played a lot of basketball and they have been through a lot of stressful situations, so there is no doubt in my mind that at a tight moment in a game they really, really want to win."

Strong defense was a factor in the low-scoring first half. Cardinal Stritch coughed up the ball eight times in the half, while Midland committed seven turnovers.

"I think we play really good defense," junior Marcy Hauschild said. "Were really quick getting up and down the court in transition."

Offensively, the Lady Warriors warmed up in the final minutes in the first half. After rattling off seven points in a minute, Midland took a 28-17 lead. The scoring barrage began when Bruegman pulled down a rebound off a missed shot by senior Kendra Kuncl. Junior Karmen Jericevic hit a shot to take a 21-17 lead with five minutes remaining. Jericevic scored eight of her 14 points in the first half.

Sneed led all scorers with 15 points. Hauschild chipped in nine points and three steals. Junior Allie Rippe pulled down 11 rebounds while Bruegman grabbed eight.

For Midland, Rippe and Sneed were named to the All-Tournament team. For Cardinal Stritch, Renet Skorusa took home all-tournament honors. Leisha Tennal (Peru State College) and Amber Lewellen (Columbia) College) also were selected to the team.

Midland travels Tuesday night to face GPAC foe Briar Cliff.

Cardinal Stritch (55)

Caldwell 4-14, 1-2, 10; Gilgenbach 4-6, 0-0, 9; Skorusa 2-9, 5-7, 9; Shirley, 2-13, 3-4, 7; Herrera 1-3, 4-4, 6; Rickert 2-7, 0-0, 4; Ewald 1-5, 0-0, 3; Daum 1-4, 0-0, 3; Stelloh 1-1, 0-0, 2; Reid 1-3, 0-2, 2; Bares 0-0, 0-0, 0; Henke 0-0, 0-0, 0. Totals 19-65, 13-19, 55.

3-point field goals: Caldwell, Gilgenbach, Shirley.

Midland (57) Sneed 3-10, 9-11, 15; Jericevic 7-12, 0-0, 14; Hauschild 2-4, 3-4, 9; Wollenburg 3-7, 0-3, 6; Pinger 1-4, 3-5, 5; Bruegman 2-4, 0-0, 4; Bumsted 1-1, 0-0, 2; Sullivan 0-0, 1-2, 1; Rippe 0-0, 1-2, 1; Butzke 0-0, 0-0, 0; Kuncl 0-5, 0-2, 0. Totals 19-47, 17-29, 57.

3-point field goals: Hauschild 2.

Rebounds-Cardinal Stritch University 45 (Shirey 10), Midland Lutheran College 43 (Rippe 11).