Strong finish lifts Oostburg over Tigers in title showdown

OOSTBURG – Fueled by an intense effort on offense and defense, the Oostburg Lady Dutch dominated the fourth quarter en route to a 47-40 victory over Howards Grove in a showdown for the Central Lakeshore Conference girls basketball crown here Friday night.

Oostburg, 18-4 overall, shares the CLC championship with Ozaukee at 16-2. Ozaukee defeated Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah Friday night to clinch a piece of the title.

Howards, which was tied for first with Oostburg and Ozaukee coming into the game, finished 15-3 in the league and is 18-4 heading into the postseason. Two of the Tigers’ three CLC losses were against Oostburg.

The Lady Dutch played tenacious defense, pounded the boards and were aggressive going to the basket in the fourth quarter. Oostburg, which trailed 31-25 after three periods, outscored the Tigers 22-9 in the final quarter.

Senior guard Julie Raeder took the bull by the horns in the fourth quarter to ignite Oostburg. Raeder exploded for 10 of her game-high 25 points, keyed by taking the ball to the basket strong and being relentless on the offensive glass. She scored five rebound baskets.

In the final period, Raeder hit two baskets on drives to the hoop, and converted a three-point play on a follow-up shot. The three-point play climaxed a 13-2 run that gave Oostburg a 38-33 lead with 3:36 left.

Amanda Huibregtse started the spurt with a three-point play that cut the Tigers’ advantage to 31-28 with 7:44 remaining. Oostburg was 9-for-12 at the free-throw line in the final 1:24 which sealed the victory. The Lady Dutch were 14-for-18 at the line in the fourth quarter as they were able to draw several fouls due to strong play inside on offense.

“Attacking the basket in the fourth quarter was the key,” said Oostburg head coach Lisa Immel. Our defense was solid the whole game but it really dug in during the fourth quarter.

“Our team goes as Julie goes. She did what she needed to do. I’m definitely proud of the team.

“It feels great [winning the CLC title]. We reached milestones during the season and for the girls, this is their reward,” Immel said.

“We did not play a complete game of basketball,” said Tiger head coach Heidi Heling. “There were periods of decent basketball but nothing consistent.

“Oostburg played excellent defense. We had no answer for Julie Raeder. She was so determined in the fourth quarter.

“I give Oostburg all the credit. They wanted to win more than we did and they were the better team on Friday night,” Heling said.

Both teams played excellent defense in the first half. The Tigers outscored Oostburg 9-5 in the last 4:15 of the second quarter to take an 18-17 halftime lead.

Alexis Lindstrom’s jumper with one second left put Howards up at halftime. Another key basket was a three-pointer by Kasey Latham that gave the Tigers a 16-14 lead.

An 11-5 run by the Tigers to start the third period gave them a 29-22 lead at the midway point. Sophomore Brianna Morgen hit two jump shots and senior Ali Benning sank a three-pointer to key the stretch. Latham’s fast-break layup, set up by Lindstrom’s blocked shot, capped off the spurt.

The Tigers’ pressure defense smothered Oostburg’s offense in the third quarter – holding the Lady Dutch to just two field goals. Lindstrom’s rebound basket gave Howards its largest lead of the game at 31-23 with 2:22 left in the third period.

Benning had a double-double for Howards with 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Lindstrom led the Tigers in scoring with 12. Benning and Steph Bergman had a team-best three assists each.

Raeder led Oostburg in boards with 11, including five offensive. The team had eight offensive rebounds. Huibregtse had a team-high four steals. Maddy Kaat led in blocks with two.

Oostburg outscored the Tigers by 14 at the charity stripe, led by Raeder’s 8-for-9 effort.

GIRLS
BASKETBALL
HOWARDS	40
GROVE
OOSTBURG 47

Score by Quarters
Howards Grove………..6 12 13 9 – 40
Oostburg…………………9 8 8 22 – 47
Howards Grove scoring: Ali Benning 10, Kasey Latham 5, Steph Bergman 6, Alexis Lindstrom 12, Brianna Morgen 5,
Karyssa Gallenberger 2.
Oostburg scoring: Karly Telschow 3, Morgan Mullikin 2, Amanda Huibregtse 9, Maddy Kaat 8, Julie Raeder 25.
Three-point goals: Lindstrom 1, Latham 1, Benning 2, Raeder 1.
Field goals: Howards Grove 15-39, 38%; Oostburg 13-37, 35%. Free throws: Howards Grove 6-10, 60%; Oostburg
20-32, 63%.
Rebounds: Howards Grove 22, Oostburg 26. Turnovers: Howards Grove ___________________________ 10, Oostburg 9.