One of the most successful eras of Sevastopol girls' basketball ended earlier this month, when head coach Ben Rikkola and his wife, JV coach Beth Rikkola, resigned from their positions.

Their resignations were approved during the consent agenda of the Sevastopol School Board meeting last week with no additional comment.

Rikkola took the reins of the program in 2019, finishing his first two seasons with a record of 14-29. He would never lose more than eight games in a season again, guiding the Pioneers to a pair of regional championships including an appearance in the sectional championship game against eventual state champion Assumption earlier this month. He ended his coaching stint with an overall record of 102-48 and oversaw two of his daughters, Bailey and Naomi, become the top scorers in program history. 

After performing the same role for the boys ' squad, a familiar face will guide the Door County United girls' soccer team this spring.

Chris Roedl was named the new girls' soccer coach for Door County United, a co-op team featuring students from Sevastopol and Gibraltar high schools. He replaces Chad Andreae, who has been 21-58-9 overall since taking over the program in 2018. 

Roedl is coming off a breakthrough season for the boys' team, which saw them win a regional championship and earn a second-place finish behind local power Sturgeon Bay. 

Sevastopol guards Naomi Rikkola and Kayla Ranly picked up more postseason honors this week after collecting All-Packerland Conference honors over the weekend.

Both girls were named to the 2025 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division 5 Girls Basketball All-State team as honorable mention selections. Ingrid Beaumont and Alexandria Meerstein joined them as all-state honorees from the Packerland Conference. The pair led the Pioneers in scoring en route to their sectional final appearance, with Ranly scoring 16.7 ppg and Rikkola registering 16.6 ppg. Rikkola also led the team in rebounds (7.3 rpg) and assists (3.9 apg).

Earlier in the week, Rikkola's WBCA Academic All-State recognition is lifted even higher as she was named to the Elite Academic All-State Award list. To be recognized, WBCA member coaches were required to nominate their athletes. Minimum requirements for nomination included seniors with a GPA of at least 3.5 and an ACT score of at least 25. Nominating coaches could also provide additional information, including on-court statistics, awards and accolades, and a personal narrative. Only 16 girls and 15 boys were named to the list.  

The lone unanimous selections to the All-Packerland Conference Girls Basketball team reside on Sevastopol's squad after the league announced its selections over the weekend.

Naomi Rikkola and Kayla Ranly were named to the All-Packerland Conference First Team as unanimous selections after finishing in the top five in scoring. Not even Packerland Player of the Year Jade Kroll was listed as a unanimous selection. Logan Schuh was the lone representative for the boys team with an honorable mention selection after averaging 10.0 ppg and 5.7 rpg.

WBCA All-State

Kayla Ranly

Naomi Rikkola

WBCA Academic All-State

Lucas Delsart

Reid Kacmarynski

Damien Lardnois 

Logan Schuh 

Bo Tanck 

Andrew Weisner 

Lyvia Duessler 

Naomi Rikkola* 

Sadie Rikkola 

Addison Schauske 

Braelyn Staats 

Ella Volkmann 

*Elite Academic All-State

The Sevastopol Pioneers girls basketball team saw their season end on Thursday in the sectional final, losing to Assumption 61-42.

The Pioneers and the Royals exchanged blows early as both teams used their defense as an overpowering force to disrupt the offensive flow of the game. Jordan Jaglinski showed why she is one of the top three-point shooters in the state with two early three-pointers for the Royals, while Kayla Ranly used her ability to drive to the Pioneers' advantage with four buckets inside the arc. The Royals entered the locker room with a slim 25-23 advantage thanks to 10 first-half points from Jaglinski and six from Sarah Shaw. Ranly and the Rikkolas did their best to keep things close as they combined to score all 23 first-half points.

The first crack in the Pioneers' armor came right away in the second half when an early turnover sparked a 9-0 Royals run to expand their lead in double digits for the first time. Their lead would extend it to a dozen before the Pioneers began to whittle it away. Addison Schauske's three-pointer from well beyond the arc made it a 39-36 lead with 9:40 remaining in the game.

 

 

 

 

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With the momentum in the Pioneers' favor, the Royals' rally restarted when Leire Sainz de Rozas hit her own three-pointer on the very next possession, beginning a run that saw Assumption score 22 of the next 28 points in the game.

Four Royals players finished in double figures, with Shaw scoring 15 points, Jaglinski pouring 14 points, Addi Vollert adding 12 points, and Anna Schooley contributing 11 points. Ranly ended her career as the Pioneers' highest scorer with 19 points. Rikkola added to her program-record scoring mark with 14 more points, while Sadie Rikkola added six points, and Schauske chipped in three points.

Assumption will play in next weekend's WIAA State Girls Basketball Tournament at the Resch Center, while Sevastopol's ends as one of the most successful in school history as they ended a 40-year drought without playing in a sectional final. 

A trip to the Resch Center is the prize up for grabs in Waupaca where the Sevastopol Pioneers will meet the Assumption Royals in the sectional final on Saturday.

The Pioneers overcame slow starts in both halves to beat Oneida Nation 45-28 on Thursday in Manitowoc. Three-pointers from Sadie Rikkola and Addison Schauske broke the dam open for the Pioneers, paving the way for Kayla Ranly to score 10 first-half points to guide the team to the locker room nursing a 28-13 advantage. Ranly led all scorers with 16 points, with Naomi Rikkola adding another 11 and Sadie Rikkola chipping in nine points for the Pioneers. Previously in the tournament, the Pioneers beat Wausaukee  70-13, Wabeno-Laona 50-21, and Florence 50-31. 

The Royals qualified for the sectional semifinal after beating Pacelli 61-43 at Adams-Friendship High School on Thursday. It was vengeance for a game earlier in the season when the Cardinals dealt the Royals their only loss of the season. Jordyn Jaglinski (15.2 ppg), Anna Schooley (14.5 ppg), and Sarah Shaw (12.0 ppg) all average double figures while Addi Volert is close behind at 8.5 ppg. They also beat Royal 55-14 and Almond-Bancroft 62-26 en route to Waupaca with a trip to Green Bay on the line. Sevastopol head coach Ben Rikkola is certainly aware of the challenge awaiting his team.

 

 

 

 

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The NEW Radio Sports Network will be live in Waupaca for the contest, and the game will air on U-102.1. The pregame show will begin at 6:45 p.m., followed by the opening tip at 7 p.m.

Tim Kowols and Tom Ash will be on the call.

The Sevastopol girls basketball team is just one win away from the Resch Center after beating Oneida Nation 45-28 in Manitowoc.

Both teams struggled to get their offenses going in both halves, but the Thunderhawks took advantage early in the opening period. They jumped out to a 7-1 lead as Mariah Cloud got to the hoop against a Pioneers team expecting the Thunderhawks to pour it in from beyond the arc. Three-pointers from Sadie Rikkola and Addison Schauske broke the dam open for the Pioneers, paving the way for Kayla Ranly to score 10 first-half points to guide the team to the locker room nursing a 28-13 advantage.

The Pioneers kept the Thunderhawks at bay thanks to defensive pressure up and down the court, including several steals from Naomi Rikkola and Ella Volkmann and strong rebounding efforts from Sienna Cain. The Thunderhawks eventually found their stroke from behind the arc late in the second half after being shut down from deep in the first half, but the Pioneers' lead was too much for them to overcome in the end.

Ranly led all scorers with 16 points, with Naomi Rikkola adding another 11 and Sadie Rikkola chipping in nine points for the Pioneers. Mariah Cloud led the Thunderhawks with seven points, all of which came in the first half, while Kamaben knocked down two three-pointers to contribute six points.

The Pioneers return to action on Saturday night when they face Assumption in Waupaca at 7 p.m. They dismantled Pacelli 61-43 in the other sectional semifinal hosted by Adams-Friendship. The Royals now stand at 26-1 and are looking for their third trip to state since the 2020-2021 season, where they won the Division 5 championship against Three Lakes/Phelps. The Pioneers' win on Thursday marked the furthest they have gone in the tournament since the mid-1980s.

The Sevastopol Pioneers girls basketball will take their march to the Resch Center to the sectional round where they will face Oneida Nation.

The Pioneers have opened the tournament with three wins in double figures, including Monday's 50-31 regional title clincher against Florence. After a shaky opening period, the defense of the Pioneers found its footing in the second half, holding the Bobcats to just 11 second-half points compared to the Pioneers' 33 second-half points. The Pioneers' leading scorers in the Regional Championship were Naomi Rikkola, with 29, Kayla Ranly, with 11, and Sienna Cain, with 4.

The Thunderhawks are 18-8 overall and were 10-6 in Marinette & Oconto Conference play this year. They opened the playoffs with a 90-31 beatdown of Bowler before avenging a loss to Niagara a few days later. In the regional title game, Kamaben White (12 points), Mariah Cloud (11 points), and Jaylyn Caldwell (10 points) all reached double figures as they survived their contest against NEW Lutheran 46-45. 

Tim Kowols and Bryan Mazur will have the call from Manitowoc Lincoln beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the pregame show followed by the opening tip at 7 p.m.

It was a tale of two very different halves for the Sevastopol Pioneers, but the Ladies survived the challenge and defended a packed home gymnasium, defeating the Florence Bobcats 50-31 and capturing a Regional title. This is the Pioneers' second Regional Championship in three years.  

The first half got off to a hot start as Naomi Rikkola drained a three on the Pioneers' opening possession. However, the Florence Bobcats used a full-court press that Sevastopol has not seen too often this year to frustrate the Pioneers the entire half. The Pioneers' trap defense kept the game close, though, as it entered halftime with the Bobcats holding a small 20-17 lead.

Coming out of the half, the Bobcats would add to the lead, as the Pioneers were held over 4 minutes without a basket to open the half, but the defense of Sienna Cain and Kayla Ranly also ramped up.  Those two would force nearly a dozen turnovers in the second half alone. Combining the Pioneers' ramped-up defense and a hot hand of Naomi Rikkola, who would hit a trio of threes in a matter of minutes, they soon found themselves up by 6 in just over 2 minutes.  The defense of the Pioneers found its footing in the second half, holding the Bobcats to just 11 second-half points compared to the Pioneers' 33 second-half points. 

The Pioneers' leading scorers in the Regional Championship were Naomi Rikkola, with 29, Kayla Ranly, with 11, and Sienna Cain, with 4.

The Pioneers will now face Oneida Nation on Thursday Night at a neutral site. That game can be heard on U102.1 and New Radio Sports Network. 

The wait is over for the Sevastopol girls basketball team as they will finally get to play their regional final game against Florence on Monday night.

The Pioneers chased off demons of tournaments' past when they beat Wabeno-Laona 50-21 last Friday. The Rebels' had previously eliminated the Pioneers, but six three-pointers in the first half gave Sevastopol a 27-10 lead at the break that they would not relinquish. Kayla Ranly paced the Pioneers with 13 points while Naomi Rikkola added nine and Ella Volkmann chipped in eight.

The Bobcats secured one of the two big upsets in the Division 5 region with a 39-38 win over second-seeded Gillett. The Bobcats posted a 16-8 record during the regular season thanks to Kamdan Johnson, who leads the Bobcats with 13.2 ppg and 6.2 rpg.

Jacob Nate and Bryan Mazur will have the call on U-102.1 beginning at 5:45 p.m. with the pregame show followed by the opening tip at 6 p.m.