The Kewaunee girls basketball team got hot at the right time Thursday night as it got past Manitowoc Lutheran 75-69 in Denmark to advance to Saturday's sectional final.
The two teams exchanged baskets early on, but it was the Lancers who held the upper hand because of the hot shooting of their two star players and their tenacious offensive rebounding that gave them extra opportunities. The Melthorn sisters combined for 16 points in the half, with Marissa and Lilly each knocking down three-pointers. The Storm was kept relatively quiet from behind the arc in the first half, with Summer Walechka knocking down the only shot from deep.
Gabby Stangel, Walechka and Braelyn Chevalier all had at least five points in the first half, but the Storm found itself chasing the Lancers 31-25 at the break.
The Storm came out quickly in the second half to take a couple of one-point leads, only to see the Lancers retake the lead and eventually stretch it to as much as 10 points in the opening minutes. The momentum swung right along with the Storm's ability to knock down three-pointers, with Stangel, Riha and Jade Kroll all hitting multiple shots from deep. Stangel, who hit four threes in the second half, said after the game that she was too locked in to realize the significance of hitting that first three-pointer in the second half that broke open the dam for the Storm's offense.
The Lancers did their part to reel in the Storm, with Makiah Krause scoring 13 of her team-high 19 points after the break, but Kewaunee's defense stiffened late, including the game-clincher that punched the team's ticket to the sectional final in Brillion.
All five starters reached double figures for the Storm, with Stangel registering 17 points, Walechka with 15, Chevalier and Riha with 14 apiece, and Kroll with 13. Marissa Melthorn complemented Krause with 17 points, while sister Lilly chipped in 12.
The Storm will play St. Mary Catholic on Saturday at 1 p.m. on 96.7 WBDK after the Zephyrs throttled Stratford 52-21 in Omro.
