Oostburg girls fall in state finals

MADISON – The Oostburg Lady Dutch battled back in the second half but were unable to overcome a huge disparity in rebounding as they fell to No. 1-ranked Cuba City, 53-40, in the Division 3 girls state basketball championship game Saturday afternoon at the Kohl Center.

Cuba City, which won an impressive ninth state title, outrebounded Oostburg 35-20, including an 11-5 edge on offense. Danielle Matuzak led the Cubans’ strong board work with 11 rebounds – six on offense.

Oostburg trailed 29-19 at halftime and was down 34-23 with 5:22 left in the third quarter. The Lady Dutch went on a 10-3 run to cut the deficit to 37-33 early in the fourth period. Amanda Huibregtse keyed the rally with four points.

The Cubans answered with a 9-2 spurt that bumped their lead back up to 11, 46-35, with 4:13 left. Katie Langmeier’s six points sparked the run.

Huibregtse and Julie Raeder led Oostburg in scoring with 15 points each. Allie Paluchniak and Karly Telschow had a team-high five rebounds apiece. Raeder and Paluchniak led in assists with three each.

Matuzak paced Cuba City’s attack with 17 points.

Oostburg, which was making its fourth straight state appearance (won championship in 2008), finished 24-5. The Lady Dutch lost to Cuba City in last year’s state semifinals.

The Cubans chalked up a 29-0 season.

The Lady Dutch advanced to the title game with a 64-43 rout over Osseo-Fairchild in Thursday’s semifinals. Raeder poured in a game-high 27 points to ignite Oostburg’s offense. Huibregtse added 17.

Raeder, Huibregtse and Telschow ended outstanding careers at Oostburg. They were members of the Lady Dutch’s state teams the past four seasons.