Over 20 years in the making

Lady Dawgs win Gopher Conference Championship

Winning a conference is never easy, especially in the Gopher Conference, where the top two teams in their respective divisions duke it out for the title. Between NRHEG, Triton, and so many other talented schools, it’s one of the most challenging battles in the season for anyone.

But for the first time in over 20 years, the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton girls’ basketball team is bringing home the Gopher Conference title after traveling to Triton and beating the Cobras 64-57.

“I am incredibly proud of the girls,” Head Coach Brandon Goebel said. “Everything we went through this year – games we lost that we probably shouldn’t have, all the close games – we were battle tested. The strength of our schedule this year helped us. I’m super proud of how they fought.”

The last time these two played, JWP had a steady lead until Triton nearly pulled off a comeback. Mikayla Wheelock’s three-pointer not only saved the Bulldogs from losing, but the 57-55 win was the difference maker between them and NRHEG facing the Cobras once again in this championship.

The game was close once again, but for many different reasons. Whether it was jitters or the moment catching up to them, the Bulldogs made a few uncharacteristic mistakes. While Katie Olson scored the opening two points, the game was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team having a string of shots and a physical battle for possession in the first half.

Triton took a 16-11 lead, but a Wheelock three got JWP back in the game, with Olson hitting two free throws to tie it. Again, a few errors by the Bulldogs hindered them. In one instance, Olson had a fast break shot opportunity, but the ball hit her leg on a dribble and sailed out of bounds in front of her. Senior Presley James also had a couple of routine layups that got away from her, as she was either inaccurate or charged toward the basket too quickly to get a good shot off.

However, what kept JWP in the game was their tenacity on defense and their ability to match Triton’s physicality. While Triton deployed a full-court press nearly the entire game, JWP rarely allowed clean shots in the paint. If it wasn’t James blocking a shot, it was Olson breaking up a pass or Lilly Strauss fighting for possession of the ball. Hope Dimmel was slow to get up halfway into the first half after nearly getting sandwiched by two Triton defenders on a layup attempt, but she fought through it and stayed on the court for nearly another minute before leaving the court for a breather. A Kwynn Krause two-pointer made it 25-22 at the half.

Weimert scored the opening two points in the second half. The Cobras tried their best to suffocate JWP on defense while deploying a venomous offense off of threes. However, despite being down 41-34 five minutes in, JWP bounced back with a six-point run in under a minute to get back into the game. It was once again a back-and-forth game.

At 54 all, Nevaeh Weimert hit a crucial two-pointer in the game’s final two minutes, with Wheelock hitting another three like she’s done all season. After Triton made it 59-57 in favor of JWP, they tried desperately to slow down the Bulldogs. However, their physicality and desperation ultimately cost them a handful of fouls in only a few seconds, with JWP earning five of its final points off free throws. Weimert made one of the first two attempts, with Olson going flawless on all four of her attempts to make the final score 64-57.

“This game speaks to how they are as players and how they are as people,” Coach Goebel said.

All season, they relied on their leading scorers – Katie Olson, Nevaeh Weimert, Presley James, and Mikayla Wheelock – to lead the team. And all four did. Olson had 23 points and five rebounds, Weimert had 19 points and four rebounds, Wheelock compiled 12 points and five rebounds, and James contributed eight and led the team in rebounds with 11. Captain Lilly Strauss also set the tone on defense, and Dimmel fought for all of her eight crucial rebounds.

On Olson and Weimert, who combined for 41 of the team’s 64 points:  “That’s what they do. They’ve all been playing for a long time, and they know what I expect of them. They know what this team needs from them. And in times like this, when a shot has to go in, they take them. They have the confidence to take those shots. I’m incredibly proud of them and the rest of the team, too.”

Will this historic win settle in for them? Maybe it’s too early to ask that. “Maybe it will on the bus ride home…maybe tomorrow. But right now, I’m just super excited for the girls. In previous years, there hasn’t been a lot of success. But we’re trying to build that success. We’re trying to build that winning culture at JWP. And this is a step in the right direction.”

We also had to talk to the team captains—Strauss, James, Weimert, and Olson—about this win. As expected, they were all excited about the victory.

“I’m feeling pumped,” James said first. “This was one of our team goals at the beginning of the season.”

They knew that Triton was going to press them and bring their A-game. How did they figure it out? “I think it all came down to our composure and staying strong with the ball,” Olson replied first.

“We trusted each other and believed in ourselves,” Weimert added.

“We tried our best not to get nervous,” James said.

Olson also felt like it all started on defense, which was absolutely the difference-maker in this one. “Getting those defensive stops like we did results in what we were able to do on the court today.”

When reminded that the JWP girls had last won a conference championship over twenty years ago, they were still in awe. Nearly all of them laughed out of the excitement of hearing those words.

“I think, eventually, it will sink in,” Strauss said. “But right now, I still can’t believe it.”

“We’ll for sure brag about it, though,” James joked. There is still business to be done after this. JWP will travel to Cleveland on Tuesday, Feb. 18, for their final regular season game. After that, it will be section playoff time. They currently have the best Section 2AA record with 12-2, meaning they will likely get the first seed and a bye. But for now, they will spend the rest of the weekend relishing in the glory a conference championship brings and the history they have made.