Lady Bobcats Stumble Against Lauralton Hall

Riding a five game winning streak, Brookfield (13-7, 10-5) entered their matchup with the SWC’s top team feeling good about themselves.  After faltering in the fourth quarter, where they were outscored by Lauralton Hall 16-6, that good feeling was gone.  A hard fought, close game turned into a parade to the free throw line in the final minutes as the Lady Crusaders pulled away to a 50-38 win.

"It was a very winnable game," Brookfield head coach Maura Keenan said.

Brookfield had fallen behind 28-21 midway through the second quarter but rallied to pull to within 28-26 at halftime against a Lauralton Hall (15-3, 14-1) team that was playing without its top scorer and Brookfield native, Nicole Matero.

“I think it gave the girls confidence,” Lauralton Hall head coach Alessa Podolak-Laczkoski said of the team winning without Matero.  “They turned around and 15, 20 points are sitting on our bench.  We were playing a very physical tough team in their gym.  They proved something to me.”

In the third quarter both teams turned up the defensive intensity as a playoff atmosphere filled the Brookfield gymnasium.  With smothering defense and ball-hawking players making their presence felt, the teams played to a deadlocked 6-6 tie in the quarter, allowing the Lady Crusaders to maintain their two point lead.

“It was much better and that’s been our focus,” Podolak-Laczkoski said of the team's defense.  “They put it together.  Pressing, that’s what we want to do, take them out of their rhythm.”

Having scored the final two points of the third quarter, Lauralton Hall then scored the first seven points of the fourth to take control of the game with a 9-0 run.  As was the case throughout the game, turnovers were a key factor to the Lady Bobcat letdown.  Their smothering defense helped them overcome earlier mistakes but eventually Lauralton Hall was able to take advantage of the miscues and convert them into points when the game was on the line.

“We had 35 turnovers,” Keenan said.  “The third quarter starts and we have seven turnovers and it is still a two-point game.  They were giving us every opportunity but we just couldn’t score.”

In what was a recurring theme, seemingly every time Brookfield would force a turnover or come up with a steal, they would then proceed to hand the ball right back to the Lady Crusaders, failing to take advantage of a potential extra possession.

Lauralton Hall’s solid play in the backcourt and strong interior defense limited the Lady Bobcats opportunities to score.  Brookfield was  unable to get the ball inside to its post players, seniors Jamie Bickelhaupt and Krista Melchione.

“My all-conference post players are not getting enough touches on the ball,” Keenan said of Bickelhaupt and Melchione being limited.  “My guards couldn’t get the ball in the half court to get them the ball.  When we did get it inside they fouled or we scored on them.”

Free throw shooting kept the Lady Bobcats in the game as they converted 18-25 attempts.  The team only converted 10 field goal attempts, including one the decisive fourth quarter.

Brookfield began the game fast, jumping out to an 8-4 lead.  Sophomore Julia DePoi hit two jumpers in the run, but the harassing Lady Crusader defense would hold her scoreless the rest of the way. 

Bickelhaupt led Brookfield with 11 points and eight rebounds.  Melchione scored seven points, grabbed six rebounds and came up with seven steals.

The Lady Crusaders went to a balanced attack with the absence of their top scorer.  Olivia Levy gave them a strong inside presence, scoring 14 points, eight of which came in the first quarter.  Michelle DeSantis scored 10 points and Sarah Linden added seven.

Brookfield finished the regular season in sixth place in the top heavy SWC despite only losing five games.  They await their matchup but most likely they will have to face Kolbe Cathedral in the quarterfinals set for Saturday.  Kolbe handed the Lady Bobcats two of their conference losses on the season and knocked them off in the Class M state championship game last year.

“We've got post-season now, it’s going to be a brutal SWCs,” Keenan said of re-focusing after the loss.  “We have the state tournament, we got moved up to Class L, which the kids are a little bit upset about, but we are still ranked 14th.  Anything is possible, it’s a whole new season”