BELOIT — Nick Faralli paused before summing up the sport of basketball in nine words: “It’s a fun thing, but it can be painful.â€
No one understands that more than Faralli’s Beloit Turner girls basketball team, which started three sophomores and a freshman yet tore through the regular season to end 18-6, finished second in the Rock Valley Rock Division and won more games than any other Trojans’ squad has in more than 21 years.
The heartbreaking aspect of the game came into play Friday night when fourth-seeded Turner missed a few crucial shots down the stretch and fell to No. 5 Platteville 44-43 in a WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal.
“You can do all of the things right and sometimes it’s just not your night,†the Trojans’ head coach continued. “We got the shots we wanted, but they just didn’t go in. That’s basketball. I’m proud of the kids for their effort. They never stopped fighting.â€
The gap between the two never went higher than four points throughout the game, and as the clock ticked under a minute the Hillwomen found themselves up 42-41. But as they did all night, the Trojans answered as sophomore Portia Segerstrom drove behind the basket and delivered a floating layup to give Turner a one-point lead.
“We just wanted to do this for each other,†sophomore Kaylee Kramer said. “We worked so hard this season for those moments, and those moments paid off. In the end, it didn’t go our way.â€
Avery Richard fought through Kramer’s blocking to get to the rim and put Platteville back in front with 40 seconds left. Segerstrom was fouled as she released her jumper on the ensuing possession and was sent to the free-throw line.
But both of the point guard’s shots were a little short, hitting the front of the rim and leaving Platteville (17-8) in front by one.
Turner (18-7) quickly fouled Richard, but she missed both of her ensuing tries from the line and gave the Trojans 10 seconds to make a play.
Segerstrom brought the ball full court and passed it to senior Nevayah House, who passed it back to Segerstrom in the right corner, where two defenders crowded her. She dumped off a pass to senior Mariya Babilius, who launched a good-looking 3-point try that was off the mark as time expired.
“In low scoring defensive games, a lot of times it comes down to the free-throw line,†Faralli said. “And it comes down to getting a big shot to fall late. For whatever reason, we were one basket short tonight. But I’m proud of them, they never stopped grinding.â€
Battling was all the Trojans could do in the physical contest. Turner committed 23 fouls as the Hillwomen went 14 for 26 from the charity stripe in comparison to the Trojans’ 3 for 9.
“They’re just so relentless on the offensive glass,†Faralli said. “Their ability to get second chances — any time you’re (giving up) second chances, you’re out of position defensively.â€
Kramer scored four points as Turner took a 6-2 lead before Platteville scored seven straight points. Segerstrom and Babilius hit treys to give Turner another four-point lead before Macie Noble hit back-to-back 3’s as the Hillwomen took a 19-18 lead into halftime.
The Trojans managed to limit Platteville offensively by clogging up the paint and blocking or contesting shot after shot.
“We worked really hard in practice to front out the post and close out on shooters,†Kramer said.
It stayed back and forth in a second half that featured six ties and nine lead changes.
“A ton of credit to Beloit Turner,†Platteville head coach Brandon Temperly said. “Holy cow, a hard-nosed team and well-coached. Their length is an issue for teams, but their physicality tonight was impressive. We were having a hard time moving freely around the lane and around the rim.â€
Segerstrom and Babilius hit baskets to make it 29-26 before Alyssa Blevins answered with six straight points as Platteville took a 32-29 lead. Jayla Hodges and Kramer each scored at the rim late to give Turner a 39-38 advantage while Segerstrom’s basket later tied it at 41. Richard hit a free throw before the final sequence played out.
Segerstrom paced Turner with 15 points while Kramer added 11. Richard scored 13 for Platteville and Blevins was next with 11.
“The future of this program is going to be really good,†Kramer said. “I already know it because we have so many young players and we’ve all been playing together for the longest time, so we just need to keep building our connection.â€
PLATTEVILLE 44, TURNER 43
Platteville 19 25 — 44
Turner 18 25 — 43
Platteville (fg ftm-fta pts) — Huser 2 0-0 5, Berntgen 1 3-5 6, Noble 2 0-0 3, Richard 4 5-11 13, Blevins 2 5-8 11, Dye 1 1-2 3. Totals: 13 14-26 44.
Beloit Turner (fg ftm-fta pts) — Segerstrom 6 0-3 15, Kramer 4 2-2 11, Pozzani 2 0-2 4, Babilius 2 0-0 6, Hodges 3 1-2 7. Totals: 17 3-9 43.
3-point goals — P 3 (Noble 2, Huser), BT 6 (Segerstrom 3, Babilius 2, Kramer). Total fouls — P 13, BT 23. Fouled out: Hodges (BT).
Division 4 regionals: No. 5 seed Brodhead took down No. 4 seed Belleville 53-50 on Friday night before taking on No. 1 seed New Glarus on Saturday night. The Glarner Knights eliminated the Cardinals in a 72-49 game. No further information was reported.
