Gilman girls survive struggle with Spencer, give Neillsville a fight

GILMAN GIRLS BASKETBALL

Strong interior defense throughout and a fast start offensively were enough for the Gilman girls basketball team to hold off Spencer 44-34 Friday in the Pirates’ Parents’ Night game.

The win looked like it would come fairly easily at first, but the Pirates lost their offensive rhythm in the second half and Spencer made a late run, closing within 32-31 and had the ball with a chance to take the lead. But Gilman got a couple of big rebounds, sank a few free throws and sealed it with a couple of late buckets to improve to 8-4 in the Eastern Cloverbelt Conference play and 11-6 overall.

The win also snapped the program’s four-game losing streak to Spencer that started in the 2020-21 season and had extended into the first week of this season.

Tatum Weir led the Pirates with a 16-point, 17-rebound double-double that included six blocked shots and two assists. Danielle Mann just missed a doubledouble with 13 points and nine rebounds. She had six steals. Kayleigh James added seven points, three steals and two assists.

“It was good in the first half, but in the second half we decided to force the ball too much and had too many turnovers,” Gilman head coach Tammy Weir said. “The girls played hard and did well on defense to shut them down.”

The Pirates got off to a blazing start as Mann sank a 3-pointer right off the opening tip, Tatum Weir scored inside, James made two free throws following a technical foul and Ava Warner nailed a 3-ball to put the Pirates up 10-0 just three minutes in. Another basket by Weir made it 12-0 before Spencer (3-8, 3-15) got on the board.

Gilman’s lead got as high as 21-7 following a short jumper by Claire Drier off a baseline inbound play, Aubrey Steinbach’s first varsity 3-pointer and Weir putting back her own miss with 1:25 left in the half. Gilman led 21-11 at halftime.

Weir’s 3 on the first possession of the second half put the lead back up to 13 and she hit another to make it 30-17 with 10:10 left in the game.

But Spencer got back in it behind a pair of long 3s from freshman Autumn Davis and a basket from Hannah Schreiner off a Davis assist made it 31-28 at the sevenminute mark. After James and Alexis Mlsna traded free throws, a bucket by Davis pulled the Rockets within one with 3:32 to go. Spencer got a stop and Davis was fouled on the ensuing possession, but she missed a bonus free throw with 2:55 left. Drier was fouled and missed her bonus throw, but Mann was there to grab the rebound and put it in. Weir grabbed the defensive rebound on Spencer’s next possession and was fouled. She nailed both bonus throws to put Gilman up 3631. Weir then blocked a shot by Spencer’s Claudia Krause, leading to a James free throw. James hit two more free throws with 1:59 left following a Rocket turnover that made it 39-31 and restored order for the Pirates.

Warner and Steinbach finished with three points each. Drier had seven rebounds and three assists to go with her two points. Allie Olynick had two rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Davis led Spencer with 12 points before fouling out. Schreiner added seven.

Gilman is already at the end of its Eastern Cloverbelt Conference schedule with the last two games coming tonight, Thursday, at Owen-Withee and Tuesday at home against Columbus Catholic. In between, the Pirates are making up a non-conference game Monday at Thorp, which was postponed back on Dec. 22.

The Pirates are still in the running for second place in the conference. They’ll likely have to win both league games to have a shot of jumping over Columbus (83) for that spot.

Neillsville 53, Gilman 30

The Pirates put together a much-improved effort Thursday in their second meeting of the season with conference champion and undefeated Neillsville, but the Warriors used a late first-half run to create some separation and then shut Gilman down in the second half in their 53-30 win.

“We battled and put up a great fight,” coach Weir said. “The girls played hard and smart. They took care of the ball and just did a great job. Huge improvements and strides with this group. Neillsville was tough as ever, as usual. But, we created opportunities, controlled our offense and hustled like crazy on defense.”

In the first meeting, back on Dec. 2, the Warriors clicked on all cylinders offensively and quickly ran away from the Pirates in a 90-31 rout. This time on its home floor, Gilman matched the Warriors nearly shot for shot for the 10 minutes. The Pirates were able to break Neillsville’s half-court traps in that stretch, sometimes getting quick scores before the Warriors could drop back into their 1-3-1. Other times, the Pirates got shots against that zone out of their halfcourt offense.

The Warriors went up 8-4 on 3-point shots from Delaney Rochester and Amelia Trunkel, but Mann got an offensive rebound and earned two free throws, which she made. The Pirates got a stop and a 3-pointer from Warner to take the lead and Tatum Weir hit a 15-foot jumper to put Gilman ahead 11-8.

Rochester tied it with a triple and Weir’s free throw with 12:49 left in the half gave Gilman its last lead at 12-11. Another Rochester 3, a bucket by Trunkel and a steal and score from Emerson Ormond put Neillsville up 18-12 before Gilman got an Olynick free throw and a hoop from Weir to pull within 18-15.

Gilman had 15 turnovers, a respectable total against Neillsville’s defense, but if there was a tough stretch in that department, it came in the latter stages of the first half. The Warriors scored three times directly off traps and steals and, combined with 3s from Paris Opelt and Trunkel, the Warriors finished the half on a 17-7 run that opened up a 35-22 lead.

Drier sank a 3 and Weir scored off a Drier lob pass and then added another basket to pull Gilman within 39-29, but her second hoop at the 11:24 mark proved to be the Pirates’ last field goal of the game. The Warriors slammed the door with a 14-1 run to close out the game.

Weir led Gilman with 13 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Drier added seven points, three steals, two assists and a rebound. Warner hit two 3s for six points. Mann had two points, seven rebounds and three assists. Olynick had two points from the free throw line and James had five rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Neillsville had a 27-26 edge in rebounding and the Warriors turned the ball over 12 times.

“We went head-to-head with them on the boards, but allowed too many second-chance shots,” coach Weir said. “We had 15 turnovers, but only six of them turned into a score. On the others, we stopped them. I am very proud of how well we played. Overall it was a great, great effort on offense and defense by these young ladies.”

Trunkel had 18 points, Opelt had 16 and Rochester added 13 for Neillsville. Warriors’ head coach John Gaier earned his 500th career win with Thursday’s victory.