Dons hope to build on momentum of last season

MARSHFIELD – At the end of last season, the Columbus Dons girls basketball team won seven of their last eight games, before being eliminated from the playoffs by a Pittsville team that lost only six games all year.

“Last year we only had one senior. Gracie Wilczek was our only senior that we graduated and we got better throughout the year,” third-year head coach Eric Wilson told Hub City Times recently. “We finished 16-10 and I think if you ask most of the coaches around the area, they didn’t want to play us. We were playing really well. We were shooting the ball well. We just got knocked out by a really good senior-laden Pittsville team in the Regional Semifinal.”

Now, perhaps the biggest challenge facing Wilson is keeping a varsity team on the floor – with just nine girls out for basketball this season.

“That’s with the whole program, so we don’t have a JV program. We’re not going to have a JV team this year,” Wilson said. “And it’s becoming a trend in high school girls basketball. I read an article the other day. There are two Division 1 Green Bay schools that are not going to have a varsity team this year. I think there are two or three other schools in our conference that are not going to have a JV team. Numbers, as a whole, for girls basketball right now – and there are a lot of reasons – are just down. We’ve had some kids make some decisions that basketball is not for them, and we’ve also had some kids focus on other sports. What I feel good about is I believe we’ve got the best kids still playing, and I think that’s a positive, and we’re working on some things to change our numbers and I think that will happen going forward.”    

Wilson says he’s excited about the kids he does have in the program this season, including three seniors returning from a year ago — Katelyn Casperson, Chayse Blenker and Jaylee Garneau.

“Kate Casperson was an Honorable Mention All-Conference player for us last year,” said Wilson. “I expect nothing but build on that. She’s made herself into a really good shooter and she’s a team leader for us. 

“Chayse Blenker — also a team leader for us,” Wilson continued. “She started for us most of last year. She is injured to start the season. She’s got a little bit of a foot issue. I don’t think she’s going to miss a lot, but hopefully she’s back quickly.

“Jaylee is our third senior. And Jaylee is the type of kid that will do anything you ask of her.

“So, those are the three seniors coming back. Really excited for their year. They put a ton of work in and bought in to everything we do.”     

This year’s junior class includes Sophie Wilczek and Aubrey Lambrecht.

“She (Sophie) has started for us since she was a freshman,” Wilson told us. “I look for big things from her this year.

“And Aubrey is back. Great attitude. Does a lot of different things for us.”

Columbus sophomores on this year’s squad are Izzy Holz and Maddie Bernick.

“Izzy Holz was Second Team All-Conference for us last year as a freshman,” Wilson said. “She is going to have, in my opinion, a huge year this year. She loves the game of basketball. She’s a three-sport athlete and just loves to compete. She’s going to turn into a leader for us this year as we go. 

“Maddy Bernick is our other sophomore. Maddy has improved tremendously over the summer. She is going to bring an inside presence for us that we probably haven’t quite had before,” Wilson added. “She just is relentless on the boards.”

The freshmen on the Columbus roster this season include Elly Gardner and Kenly Hilgemann.

“Really good athlete. Was a really good volleyball player this past year,” Wilson said of Hilgemann. “She brings some size and some skill to the team.

“Elly Gardner will be part of the team this year as well. Really excited about her future,” said Wilson. “Very skilled guard for us. Loves being in the gym, and I think you’re going to see some really nice things from her this year as well.”

As for his team’s offense, Wilson says fans will notice a change in tempo this season.

“One of the things that I noticed coming from the boys’ program is that there was always this mentality that the girls didn’t play as fast as the guys did. I just think that’s wrong,” Wilson told us. “I think the reality is that if you can get a girls team to play fast, you’re different. So, we’re going to try to play fast. We’re going to get the ball up the floor. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to look for good shots, but the ball’s going to get up the floor fast.

“The other part about it is we’re going to push people defensively.

“We’re going to make people uncomfortable. And the two programs in the area that I think have set the bar are Assumption and Neillsville. And if you really look at them, they do things differently than everybody else. So, I’ve spent a lot of time understanding what they do, and I think it really comes down to it’s no different than Coach K. (Joe Konieczny) with the boys’ program. He did things differently. You know, everybody says, ‘You shoot so many threes.’ Well, it’s because you had kids to do that, so he adjusted to the skill level he has, and we’re going to do the same.”

Following the Cranberry Classic Nov. 28-29 at Assumption High School in Wisconsin Rapids, the Dons will open their Eastern Cloverbelt Conference schedule on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at Greenwood, followed by a visit to Neillsville Dec. 5.

The Dons will then host Gilman at Columbus Catholic High School in Marshfield on Thursday, Dec. 11, followed by a trip to Spencer to face the Rockets on Dec. 16.