By Kevin Naze
Contributing Writer
KEWAUNEE COUNTY – Kewaunee’s bid for an unbeaten Packerland Conference season was derailed at Institute Monday night, 41-37.
It was the Storm’s first game in 10 days, with two games postponed due to a tragic loss of 17-year-old Owen Vaughn Feb. 3.
Junior classmate Jade Kroll sat both halves with foul trouble, but managed to surpass 1,000 career points in the loss.
“It was very hard,” a tearful Kroll said after the game. “We had the funeral just on Saturday, and … I don’t know. Going to school with him every day, and now having to play with him not in our student section, it was really hard.”
A flurry of three-pointers gave the Pioneers an early 12-5 lead four minutes in, and it was still 17-11 with 9:30 left in the first half. The Storm battled back, tying the game at 17 and taking a 22-21 lead into halftime.
Neither team could get much going early in the second half.
The turning point may have been at the 14:37 mark, when a driving bank-shot bucket by Kroll — a basket that seemingly moved her from 999 points to 1,001 — was whistled as a charging foul. Instead of leading by five, Kroll headed to the bench with her third foul.
Kewaunee’s last lead was 27-24 with 10:44 left. Freshman Naomi Rikkola then tied it with a three-pointer, then drilled another a minute later for a 32-27 lead.
Neither team could buy a basket for the next few minutes, but Kroll made the first of two free throws around the 7:50 mark for her 1,000th point.
She got another point two minutes later and it was 32-29.
But that’s as close as they’d get the rest of the way.
The Pioneers went on an 8-2 run to make it 40-31 with 2:44 left.
Gabby Stangel hit a three-pointer, but the Storm couldn’t get enough shots to fall.
“The girls kept battling, that’s the main thing,” said Kewaunee coach Lynn Geier. “They battled with Jade being on the bench, they kept it close and were more disciplined in some things that we’ve asked them to be.”
Said Kroll, “All of us, all together, we play with all our heart. Even if one of us is on the bench, the others pick up and we all play together as one.”
Pioneers coach Ben Rikkola said his freshman daughter has been hitting big shots against other teams, but her two 3s and another crucial basket in the second half surge was her first time doing that against a big-time opponent.
“She’s a shooter,” Rikkola said. “She has a lot to live up to. We’ve been waiting for that.”
Her two older sisters are both 1,000-point scorers at Sevastopol, Bailey two seasons ago and Naomi this year. The Pioneers’ Kayla Ranly also surpassed 1,000 points this season.
“Kayla’s not only can score, she usually guards the other team’s leading scorer,” Ben Rikkola said. “She’s a very intense defender.”
Naomi Rikkola scored a game-high 14 points, including a pair of three-pointers in the first half. Sadie added 10, Ranly 9, Addison Schauske two early three-pointers and Ella Volkman 2.
Stangel led the Storm with 10 points. Kroll added 8, Braelyn Chevalier and Breanna Riha each 5, Brianna Demmin 4, Lexi Hanrahan 3 and Lily Morton 2.
Demmin was 4-for-4 from the line, but the rest of the team missed 10 of 17 free throws.
Kroll said surpassing 1,000 points, even with the loss, felt great knowing that she had finally accomplished that.
She said she was thinking about it early on, until she started to get in foul trouble.
Now she’s got her sights set on finishing the season strong.
“We want to get further than we did last year (in the tournament),” Kroll said.
Packerland Boys Basketball standings as of Feb. 10
Southern Door 11-0
Kewaunee 8-1
Algoma 9-2
Oconto 6-5
Sturgeon Bay 6-5
Peshtigo 3-8
Sevastopol 2-9
NEW/Providence 2-9
Gibraltar 2-10
Packerland Girls Basketball standings as of Feb. 10
Kewaunee 11-1
Sevastopol 11-2
Algoma 11-2
Oconto 8-4
Peshtigo 6-6
NEW/Providence 5-8
Southern Door 3-10
Sturgeon Bay 1-11
Gibraltar 0-13
County boys schedule
Feb. 11: Oconto at Kewaunee, Sevastopol at Algoma, FVL at Lux-Casco
Feb. 13: Kewaunee at Sturgeon Bay, Lux-Casco at Wrightstown
Feb. 15: Algoma at Southern Door
Feb. 18: Algoma at Sturgeon Bay, Sevastopol at Kewaunee
Feb. 21: Kewaunee at Southern Door, Freedom at Lux-Casco
County girls schedule
Feb. 11: Algoma at Oconto, Kewaunee at Menasha, Lux-Casco at FVL
Feb. 13: Suring at Algoma, Valders at Kewaunee
Feb. 14: Oshkosh Lourdes at Algoma, Southern Door at Kewaunee, Lux-Casco at Freedom
Feb. 17: Gibraltar at Algoma, Kewaunee at Sturgeon Bay, L-C at Mishicot
Feb. 20: Algoma at Kewaunee, L-C at Waupaca
Feb. 21: Peshtigo at Kewaunee
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