GSL upsets #1 seed Bulldogs 61-54
It seemed to end too soon for them.
The story of the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton girls’ basketball program has been an exciting one to watch. The team has grown drastically since going 2-14 (with their only wins against a winless Madelia team) in the Covid year of 2020-21. Off the heels of another fantastic regular season, including winning the Gopher Conference for the first time in over 20 years, they received the first seed in Section 2AA and looked to punch their ticket to the state tournament.
However, the historic season for the Lady Dawgs basketball program concluded on Monday, March 3, when they were defeated by Glencoe-Silver Lake 61-54 at Bresnan Arena, Minnesota State University, Mankato.
JWP had one previous matchup with GSL’s Panthers in December, and they blew them out 67-29 in that matchup in what turned out to be their best game of the season. However, as Head Coach Brandon Goebel pointed out, they were missing one of their top players in that game. While he felt she wasn’t the absolute catalyst in this one, it definitely helped Glencoe-Silver Lake have a better chance against the #1 seed Bulldogs.
“She played fine, but I don’t think she was the absolute difference maker,” he said. “There were just other things we didn’t do well enough tonight.”
The main issue with this game was their slow start. This team has had its fair share of slow starts. However, they usually work out of it before halftime or counter it with a strong second half. This time, though, their slower start appeared to be the difference, as they could not get back into the game in the latter half, no matter what they did.
The two teams started sluggishly, challenging each other to solve their defenses. Junior Nevaeh Weimert netted a free throw to get the scoring going, followed by fellow junior Katie Olson’s two-pointer. After that, though, the GSL Panthers took a brief 5-3 lead. Olson tied it with another two-pointer, but that was the last time JWP tied or led the game for the rest of the evening.
The Bulldogs couldn’t take advantage of a slow start by GSL, and the Panthers woke up and took a 14-8 lead halfway into the first. JWP also had some uncharacteristic defensive lapses, ranging from a lack of rebound support to leaving players wide open on a three-pointer. Although GSL didn’t make many threes, they still took advantage of the Bulldogs defense underneath the basket.
“We had been battling rebounding all year,” Goebel said. “I knew that was one thing that could have made the difference in this game. Unfortunately, we gave up about 20 offensive rebounds. When you give up that many, you don’t usually have a lot of success.”
A few clutch plays led by Olson, followed by a Mikayla Wheelock three here and a gritty layup by Hope Dimmel there, kept the Bulldogs within it. Although behind 28-23, they still had a chance.
Senior Presley James opened the scoring in the second half. However, an eight-point run for GSL put them behind by double digits, 36-25. It was clear that JWP had to push for baskets to have any chance of staying in the game. However, it seemed fate had different plans.
The Bulldogs stayed within one score throughout most of the second half following the initial 11-point deficit. However, whenever they got within two or three points of tying or taking a lead, it was as if someone hexed the basket. The shots wouldn’t fall. When they were behind by two scores, shots fell in again.
The insult to injury came when James went one-on-one with a Panther player to prevent a shot with over five minutes remaining. However, as the GSL player charged toward the basket, James took a hard bump and fell to the floor with a crash. Salt was rubbed into the wound when the officials called her for the foul, not the GSL player who knocked her down. The crowd of hundreds of JWP fans erupted into boos and not-so-friendly critiques toward the officials. Rarely has this editor heard such loud boos from the Bulldog fans. It may have had something to do with the acoustics in the half-filled arena.
Although James did return, GSL kept yanking the game away from JWP. The officials were extra vigilant when only two minutes were left in the game, and the Bulldogs were caught fouling. Padding their lead with free throws, Glencoe-Silver Lake completed their revenge tour against JWP with a 61-54 upset by padding their lead with free throws.
“Like I told the girls, we had a great second half,” Goebel shared, “but we started off way too slow and couldn’t get our way back into it.”
Captain and junior Nevaeh Weimert also echoed what Goebel said in the preview for this game. “They were missing a lot of players the last time we faced them,” she said.
“They were for sure a different team from the last time we played them,” fellow captain and senior Lilly Strauss agreed. “They came out with the same energy we did, and we came up short.”
Nevaeh Weimert on a layup shot 
Mikayla Wheelock looks up as GSL’s Finley Guerrero looks to block her shot 
Lilly Strauss on a shot attempt 
Nevaeh Weimert 
Lilly Strauss on the open layup attempt 
Presley James attempts a shot with a GSL defender hooking her arm around her Katie Olson attempts a layup with Mylea Monahan putting a hand up. 
Katie Olson looking to pass the ball 
Nevaeh Weimert looking for an open teammate 
Nevaeh Weimert looking to shoot a 3 
Mikayla Wheelock driving through the key 
Katie Olson contemplating a shot 
Lilly Strauss on the attack with Alexis Kube blocking her way to the basket. 
Katie Olson on a rare clean fast break 
Kwynn Krause on the pass 
Another Katie Olson breakaway 
Presley James shooting for 3 
Mikayla Wheelock looking to pass or shoot with GSL’s Finley Guerrero on her 
Katie Olson attempting a layup shot as she collides with Kylea Monahan (#2 GSL) and GSL’s Brooke Mickolichek (#3) behind the play 
Katie Olson passes the ball to Mikayla Wheelock 
Kwynn Krause keeps the ball away from Alexis Kube. 
Mikayla Wheelock on a 3 
Hope Dimmel looking for an open teammate to make a play
It may have been a premature ending to a historic season, with the girls winning their first conference title in 20 years. However, as Goebel pointed out, “I thought we were the best team out of the four playing tonight, but being the #1 seed doesn’t guarantee you’ll win every game. Being the #4 seed doesn’t always mean you aren’t as good as the #1 seed. It’s about who plays the best that night.”
Despite how it ended, he’s proud of how the girls have played this year. “We grew a lot as a team this season, and I think we have a lot of great basketball to come.”
The team will be losing a significant chunk of players to graduation this year. Ten seniors – eight players and two managers – will be leaving the team this year: Captain Presley James, Captain Lilly Strauss, Hope Dimmel, Autumn Thissen, Ava Appel, Onikia Herme, and twins Claire and Paige Walz, along with managers Ellah Oliver and Ella Stenger.
The eight senior players are a prime example of a group where each member had something to contribute, even when not on the court playing. James led the team through her play on both sides of the court, Strauss led through her aggressive play, and Dimmel made some gritty plays for the team all season. While the other seniors may not have seen as much time on the court, they all helped build a positive, winning culture. For example, Thissen was often called “MVP” throughout the season by the student section.
“The senior class did an excellent job leading the team for us,” Goebel said. “They brought a lot to the games and practices, and I’m going to miss all eight of them.”
His advice to them? “Remember these moments. Use this as a lesson for life. Not everything’s going to go your way. How you respond to adversity or a loss says a lot about your character. When you’re dealing with that, respond the right way.”
We interviewed the team captains briefly. We already quoted Weimert and Strauss above, but what did the other captains—Presley James and Katie Olson—have to say about this season?
It seemed too obvious of an answer, but when asked what their proudest achievement was, they all agreed it was getting that conference title. However, Strauss did add, “Making it here to play in a semifinal game at MSU is huge for us. It’s something that hasn’t happened in a long time.”
It was quite the adventure getting there. Five years ago, the team struggled to win a game. With the addition of this year’s seniors as freshmen (and eventually Olson, who joined in 8th grade), the team slowly improved and won a playoff game in 2022. Little by little, the program improved to its current state. James agreed that the struggle throughout the years was worth getting to where they are now.
Olson gave credit to the coaches who helped them get to where they are as a program. “They are part of why there’s a winning culture at JWP,” she said.
When the two junior captains were asked what they’d miss most about this year’s seniors leaving the team, Weimert simply replied, “Everything.”
Olson agreed, but she highlighted their leadership. “I’ve learned a lot from them, especially Lilly and Presley.”
When asked what advice they’d give to the rest of the team, James took the lead out of the two senior captains and said, “Show up and keep working. Be good leaders and stay out of trouble during these years. You have so many of them ahead of you.”
“Nothing’s given to you,” Strauss added. “You have to work for what you want.”
They did just that this season. Although the story ended much earlier than many anticipated for these girls, there is no doubt that they are one of the hardest-working squads in the conference, section, and even the state of Minnesota. While talent and skill are abundant within the Bulldogs girls’ basketball program, it means nothing if it’s not utilized for striving for greatness. And that’s what the 2024-25 Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton girls’ basketball team will be remembered for: not just the history they made but the steps they took to make it.
