By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

LOYAL – The Marshfield Columbus Catholic girls basketball team hung with Loyal for a half but in the end the Cloverbelt Conference East Division champions were too strong for the Dons and went on to a 63-41 victory in a WIAA Division 5 regional final Saturday night at Loyal High School.

Abby Baierl scored 16 points for the Dons, who finish the season with a 12-13 record.

Loyal (21-4) moves on to a WIAA Division 5 sectional semifinal on Thursday in Waupaca against Marawood South co-champ Wisconsin Rapids Assumption (21-4). The winner will play in a sectional final at Oconto Falls on Saturday, March 5.

Loyal led by four points at halftime but outscored Columbus 40-22 in the second half to pull away. The Greyhounds made 27 of 40 free throws in the win. Karsyn Rueth led Loyal with 26 points.

(Hub City Times Sports Reporter Paul Lecker is also the publisher of MarshfieldAreaSports.com.)

Greyhounds 63, Dons 41
Columbus Catholic 19 22 – 41
Loyal 23 40 – 63
COLUMBUS CATHOLIC (41): Maren Seefluth 6, Kendra Baierl 2, Jess Trad 5, Abby Baierl 16, Natalie Pospyhalla 7, Marissa Immerfall 5. FT: 12-16. 3-pointers: 5 (A. Baierl 3, Trad 1, Pospyhalla 1). Record: 12-13.
LOYAL (63): Devyn Schoonover 6, Jedyn Pieper 5, Morgan Reinwand 9, Ryleigh Wilke 11, Amanda Krasselt 1, Hailey Rueth 3, Karsyn Rueth 26, Bailey Parker 2. FT: 27-40. 3-pointers: 8 (Wilke3, Rueth 3, Pieper 1, Schoonover 1). Record: 21-4.