Lake Holcombe tears through Regionals to face Macks

It was a jubilant Lake Holcombe bench Feb. 12, evident on coach Jennifer Lechleitner’s face (center) as the Chieftains beat out Flambeau (undefeated in conference) in the second round of Regionals. The away match saw Lake Holcombe pull away in the second half to take the 49-35 win. Photo by Todd Roehl

It was high seeding for the Lake Holcombe girls basketball program, as they started out in Regional playoff action, coming in as No. 3 in their bracket.

Feb. 9 vs. Bruce (W 52-45)

The Chieftains played host to No. 6 Bruce, who Lake Holcombe is well familiar with throughout the season. However, the Raiders offered a surprise when they came to call in the playoffs.

“Bruce, played a much tougher game than what we were ready for,” said coach Jennifer Lechleitner.

Lake Holcombe took a nine-point lead into halftime, but got outscored 30-28 in the second half. Thanks to their first-half scoring, the Chieftains held on to the game, winning 52-45.

“Congrats, Bruce, for playing with five girls most of your season,” said Lechleitner.

Junior Brooke Lechleitner led the way on the scoreboard for the Chieftains, with 19 points, followed by freshman Emma Lechleitner, with 14. Sophomore Karly Kirkman came next, with 10 points, while freshman Ella Hartzell ended with 6.

Senior Allison Golat-Hattamer finished the night with 3 points.

“This is the first time in many years, that Holcombe girls have made it to the next round in playoffs,” said J. Lechleitner. “With seven committed players all season, as a coach, I couldn’t be prouder.”

Feb. 12 vs. Flambeau (W 49-35)

The Chieftains played host to No. 6 Bruce, who Lake Holcombe is well familiar with throughout the season. However, the Raiders offered a surprise when they came to call in the playoffs.

“Bruce, played a much tougher game than what we were ready for,” said coach Jennifer Lechleitner.

Lake Holcombe took a nine-point lead into halftime, but got outscored 30-28 in the second half. Thanks to their firsthalf scoring, the Chieftains held on to the game, winning 52-45.

“Congrats, Bruce, for playing with five girls most of your season,” said Lechleitner.

Junior Brooke Lechleitner led the way on the scoreboard for the Chieftains, with 19 points, followed by freshman Emma Lechleitner, with 14. Sophomore Karly Kirkman came next, with 10 points, while freshman Ella Hartzell ended with 6.

Senior Allison Golat-Hattamer finished the night with 3 points.

“This is the first time in many years, that Holcombe girls have made it to the next round in playoffs,” said J. Lechleit- ner. “With seven committed players all season, as a coach, I couldn’t be prouder.”

The Chieftains then hit the road to take on No. 2 Flambeau, who won over Lake Holcombe twice in the regular season and went undefeated in conference play.

The game was close in the second half, with Lake Holcombe pulling ahead slightly to take a four-point lead into the break. By the second half, scoring stalled slightly to begin, but as time wound down, the Chieftains kicked into high gear.

Outscoring their opponents, 28-18, Lake Holcombe claimed the 49-35 victory, taking down the powerhouse Falcons and moving on to the next round.

“What an exciting night for them and our sole senior (Hattamer),” said J. Lechleitner.

B. Lechleitner again led on the board, with 15 points, followed by Kirkman, with 12, and Hattamer, who also had 12, including a three-point shot. E. Lechleitner followed that up with 6 points and junior Carly Vavra added a long range shot, for 3 points.

Junior Belle Jones also got on the board, with 1 point.

“Starting out our season three weeks behind everyone in our conference, I couldn’t be more happy to have gotten as far as we have with seven girls on our team,” said J. Lechleitner.

Feb. 13 vs. McDonell (L 57-44)

Taking on McDonell in the Regional championship game, Lake Holcombe traveled to the No. 1 Macks’ court for the match-up. The Chieftains played to their strenghts against McDonell, with the advantage of a deep bench, the Macks took an eight-point lead into halftime. Lake Holcombe wouldn’t make it easy on them, however, and kept pace with the Macks into the second half.

Again, McDonell’s deep bench proved too much and time ran out on the Chieftains’ season, with the championship going to the Macks, 57-44. It’s been 12 years since Lake Holcombe made it that far in the playoffs, but the team accepted the loss with grace and sportsmanship.

“I’m very happy of how we ended the season,” said J. Lechleitner.

Hattamer ended the night and her high school career with a season high 22 points, including three shots from beyond the arc.

“When I said, ‘Leave it all on the court and no regrets,’ she did just that,” said J. Lechleitner. “I, for one, will truly miss Allison. I was able to see her blossom and grow all through high school. Not only is she an athlete, but a caring and dedicated leader, both on and off the floor.” Following Hattamer’s scoring, was Kirkman, who knocked down two, threepointers, ending with 10 points. E. Lechleitner also got on the board, with 6 points, as did B. Lechleitner, with 5. Vavra rounded out the scoring, with 1 point.

[caption id="attachment_112150" align="alignnone" width="281"] Karly Kirkman, Lake Holcome sophomore (left), fights for a rebound Feb. 13, in a Regional championship at McDonell. It was a hard fought game, but in the end, bench depth helped McDonell to a 57-44 victory, ending the Chieftains’ season. Photo by Ginna Young[/caption]