Divine Savior Holy Angels went on a 15-0 run to end the second quarter and open the third, and for the 10th consecutive season, the Wauwatosa West girls basketball team's season ended Saturday short of the sectional in a 46-38 loss to DSHA.
And for the second straight season, it was the Dashers who extended the Trojans' streak.
The Trojans, who have not played in a sectional game since 2000, lost to DSHA, 28-12, in last year's regional final.
DSHA's Kelly Brandenburg scored 15 points to lead her team to the victory over West (17-7) in a regional final at DSHA.
Big run breaks tie
The Dashers (17-7) broke the game open with a 15-0 run that lasted from the end of the second quarter into the third, a run that snapped an 18-18 tie. DSHA never led by fewer than seven points the rest of the way.
Six-foot junior forward Erin Levenhagen scored seven points and Brandenburg added five to key the Dashers 15-0 run.
"They started that 15-0 run with a questionable 5-point play," Tosa West coach Mike Pietrowiak said. "Seven points came in that stretch from what I thought were questionable calls.
"But then we didn't help ourselves when we came out (after halftime). We weren't sure what we were doing for some reason because we had talked about it at half. You lose by eight, they go on a 15-0 run, you can't do that against a good team."
Turnovers plague West
The Trojans struggled to get into an offensive flow. Through three quarters, they had 16 turnovers and just 20 shot attempts.
"We made too many mistakes. Offensively, we weren't patient waiting for screens," Pietrowiak said. "We ended up getting no one open, then picked up our dribble and got into trouble. Then we started throwing the ball away."
It was a physical game, as 43 fouls were called 38 free throws were attempted, only 20 were made as both teams struggled from the free-throw line.
"We're not that physical a team. We don't see that on a daily basis," Pietrowiak said. "Sure, it was tough to get into a flow. I don't want to use that as an excuse. We preach being physical and aggressive. But it takes a while to get used to.
"And we still have to play. We still have to adjust to whatever they allow. It took us awhile to do that and we did."
Boyle leads Trojans
West senior Molly Boyle scored a game-high 17 points, including three 3-pointers, but no other Tosa West player had more than five points.
The Trojans, who trailed 37-24, going into the final quarter, played well, outscoring the Dashers 12-9. But it was too little, too late. Boyle had seven points and Jackie Glaser five in that period.
Pietrowiak admitted it was frustrating to see his offense take so long to deliver.
"Yes, because that's what we preached all week (getting aggressive and getting to the basket)," he said. "If we're just going to play pass, then they will force out us further out and wide, and we just won't get anything. So it was nice to see us finally do it (go to the basket). But it took us a while to get there."
The Dashers play Pius XI at 8 p.m. Friday at Whitefish Bay.
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