Florence freshman Miley VandenHeuvel (23) brings the ball up the court as Niagara senior Rachel Walker (21) applies defensive pressure during Thursday’s game at Florence County High School. (Terry Reich photo)
FLORENCE, Wis. — After dropping the first game of the 2024-25 season, the Niagara women’s varsity basketball team took its talent to Florence, Wis., looking to bounce back Thursday against the Ladycats.
The Lady Badgers did just that, catching fire from 3-point land and defeating Florence 52-37 at Florence County High School.
“This was a rivalry game and we knew they were good.” Niagara head coach Karl Lamoreaux said. “They dominated the first game, but we lost the first game. Even though we lost, I think we played well. But the thing is, Raona/Wabeno is a very good team.
“So the message was, ‘Please show us who we are,’ because I think we’re a good team. But I also think Florence is a good team. So we came out and You have to play hard.”
The Lady Cats opened with a lopsided win against Wausaukee on Tuesday. However, they were unable to carry that momentum into Thursday.
“It felt good, but it’s difficult to judge this early.” said Florence head coach Chris Johnson. “We won easily on Tuesday, but I didn’t feel like we were put in too many high-pressure situations. I felt like tonight was the first time we were there, especially at the end of the first half, with some of our guys… It must have been a shock for the girls.
“We’ve been hanging on for a long time and all of a sudden we’re down to a 12- or 13-point lead. When we’re playing Niagara, that’s a big lead. Certainly, the Badgers’ preparation, their mindset, their game. The way he entered is to be highly commended.”
After losing to the Rebels in the season opener, Lamoreaux felt the biggest difference for the Lady Badgers was how confident they were with the ball.
“I was able to attack.” Lamoreaux said. “We were able to move the ball and move the ball fast enough to get open threes. We were able to move the ball fast enough to get open threes. We were able to move the ball with confidence and move the ball, which was an improvement from the first game.” I think so.
“I’m really happy with how we played.” Lamoreaux added. “Even though we lost, (they) showed a great effort. This team works. This is a really good win for us.”
The Lady Badgers had a close game against Laona/Wabeno on Tuesday, but struggled to knock down shots. That wasn’t the case Thursday, as she made eight 3-pointers while holding the Ladycats to just five 3-pointers.
“It’s great and we have two sisters (Mallory and Bristol Sanicki) who really brighten the situation.” Lamoreaux added. “We have other guys that can hit, but those two can hit consistently. When they’re on the move, we’re going to be dangerous.”
Niagara took a 5-0 lead at the half after sophomore Bristol Sanicki made her first 3-pointer.
Florence senior Camdan Johnson took a floater in the paint to stop the run and found Bryn Sullivan to cut to the rim as the Ladycats cut Niagara’s lead to one point.
From there, both teams traded baskets until the Lady Badgers took a 13-11 lead. After that, both teams’ offenses were silent for nearly six minutes.
Bristol Sanicki broke the deadlock with a 3-point shot from the right side, giving Niagara the lead. When the halftime buzzer sounded, the LadyCats led 29-13.
“Something had to change.” Coach Johnson said. “That team is a streak-shooting team. Sometimes they make outside shots, sometimes they don’t. They did that tonight.
“We were a little worried about their inside game, so we played zone and they caught fire. Their shooters were shooting well, so we switched to man defense and gradually put more pressure on them.” We tried to double the ball and create turnovers. And we did that, and it got exciting with four minutes left.”
Florence adjusted the pressure as Kamdan Johnson poured in 14 points in the second half. This cut the lead against Niagara to 11 points, but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide.
“Thanks to Laona and Wabeno, they pressed us the whole game and we practiced for 36 minutes on Tuesday, so we were ready.” Lamoreaux said. “We watched a little film and found out what kind of coverage it was. …The first press was handled great. When we switched to the second press, the run and jump, we struggled a little bit. But we’ll work on it, and we’ll get it.”
Senior Mallory Sanicki led Niagara with 25 points. She made four 3-pointers while going 9-of-11 from the free-throw line.
“She had a great game.” Lamoreaux said. “Really, that’s who she is and can be every night. … She’s a good player.”
The Lady Badgers also received contributions from Bristol Sanicki (9 points), Alivia Kreikamp (3 points), Rachel Walker (4 points) and Sydney Swanson (11 points).
Kamdan Johnson led Florence with 21 points.
The LadyCats also received contributions from Naomi Millan (2 points), CeCe Mills (8 points), Bryn Sullivan (2 points), Miley Vandenheuvel (2 points) and Abby Novak (2 points).
Although her name didn’t appear on the scoreboard, Ladycats freshman Kelsey Crisman was active on the defensive end.
“It’s big.” Coach Johnson said. “That was a big part of giving us a chance down the road. (Chrisman) and Kamdan worked well together and knew when to double-team and when to apply pressure.
“We relied on her a lot tonight and she came through just fine.”
Florence and Niagara are closed until December 3rd.
The Lady Cats return to action at home against Elcho at 5:30 p.m., while the Lady Badgers kick off the home portion of the schedule against Gillette at 7:15 p.m.
