Indians girls fall to Central, face critical home game with DSHA

Menomonee Falls - The Brookfield Central girls basketball team used a big third quarter to crush Menomonee Falls, 57-39, on Friday and move to within one game of second place and just two of first in the ever-evolving Greater Metro Conference race.

The win left Central at 5-3 (8-6 overall) one game behind Falls (6-2, 13-3) and Sussex Hamilton (6-2, 10-2) and two games behind first-place Divine Savior Holy Angels (7-1, 10-3). The Dashers took on Central on Tuesday.

Falls hosts DSHA in what will be the game of the year for the Indians on Friday. The Indians beat the Dashers in thriller at DSHA in December. They took on Wauwatosa East on Tuesday.

Passion play

The Lancers defeated the Indians on Friday largely because they played with a passion that had been missing for most of the season They trailed 19-11 with 4:20 left in the half, but then went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 19 at intermission.

Nicole Hinz started the run with a big rebound basket and then Jasime Lewis dropped in two free throws. Sarah Fotsch then hit a jumper and Anna Liewen two free throws in the final seconds of the half.

The Lancers then exploded for a 20-9 third period, closing it out with an 8-3 run and a 39-28 lead after three periods.

Freshman Emma Brauer put in a rebound basket, Lewis and Bauer each sank two free throws and then Liewen scored on a drive to the basket for a 39-25 lead. Mikayla Robertson sank a three with 46.9 seconds left in the quarter for the Indians.

The Lancers continued to move the ball, shoot extremely well and play solid defense in the final quarter to win going away.

Liewen and Lydia Rohde each had 12 points, while Brauer had 11 and Fotsch 10. Robertson led the Indians with 13.

Second-half run key

"Lydia scored early, she shot well," Central coach Dan Wandrey said. "Anna started a little slow, but then started rebounding. Emma was freaking huge. That's how she plays in practice all the time."

Wandrey was impressed with the second quarter run that got his team back in that game.

"That is something we haven't done," he said. "Usually we wait until the hole is too deep."

"They shot very well," Falls coach Craig Amundson said. "We threw everything at them that we had - diamond and one, 1-3-1, man, I give them all the credit in the world. They played really well and they made their shots."