UW-Whitewater 81, UW-Superior 46

WHITEWATER, Wis. (March 2, 2018) – Kachel Gymnasium was the site for the Yellowjackets third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. It was a tough go for the Yellowjackets as a strong Warhawk team took the win.

The Yellowjackets got off to a slow start in the first quarter, as Hannah Norlin (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) found the basket first at the 7:30 mark down low. The 'Jackets would the find their next basket 5:01 as they cut the Warhawk lead to 8-4 on another Norlin layup.

It was a foul frenzy in the first as both teams reached the bonus at the end of one. Amelia Leger (Andover, Minn./Andover) would find the cup towards the end of the quarter, and Norlin would add a free throw to trail 18-7 at the end of one.

The Warhawks went on a small run that was interrupted by an Emily Carpenter (St. Peter, Minn./St. Peter) 2-point jumper two minutes into the second, while Norlin found her seventh point at the 4:13-minute mark to help stall another Warhawk run; the score was 31-11. The final seven points came in the last two minutes when Eva Reinertsen (Duluth, Minn./Homeschooled) scored the layup, Carpenter saw 1-of-2 layups go in, and Norlin got to double-digits on the layup.

It was a 37-18 Warhawk lead at the end of the first half.

To start the second half, Hailey Kontny (Superior, Wis./Superior) would find her first points of the game on a signature 2-point jumper. It was then Norlin with a layup in the paint and Jade Tucker (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake) who got back-to-back buckets for 24 points on the board.

Reinertsen then found the free throw line at 3:02 of the third quarter, knocking down both. She would add two more about a minute later to make it a 53-28 Warhawk lead. Justine Larson (Stanchfield, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) would get her first points of the contest on two made free throws, and just a while later, Kontny added free throws of her own. Norlin would end the period with her 15th point, getting the 'Jackets to 34 points.

Kontny scored the first two baskets of the final period for Superior, knocking down a layup and then another 2-point jumper at 6:06. It was then Norlin's turn on a layup to make it a 74-40 game. Carpenter added a spark with three minutes remaining as she drove to the cup and hit the and-one layup and free throw to get 43 points on the board.

The final baskets would come from Kontny as she hit the second of two free throws, while Mackenzie Kmecik (Superior, Wis./Superior) knocked down a jumper after a steal on the other end.

Norlin was the leading scorer for Superior, dropping 17 points; she also was responsible for 12 rebounds, securing her eighth double-double on the season.

Kontny added nine points and grabbed six rebounds on the night, while Reinertsen and Carpenter added six points each.

The Yellowjackets were able to block six Warhawk shots, and stole the ball eight times.

With the conclusion of the 2017-18 season Superior will say goodbye to five seniors: Amelia Leger (Andover, Minn./Andover), Jade Tucker (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake), Hailey Kontny (Superior, Wis./Superior), Justine Larson (Stanchfield, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti), and Brittany Laehn (Gilmanton, Wis./Gilmanton). This group combined for an 89-22 record over their four-year span, the best stretch in Yellowjacket history.