In the final regular-season girls basketball game of the 2018-19 season, and likely the game that ended the latest across Wisconsin, Belleville knocked off New Glarus in overtime 61-56 on Saturday night.
It was a wild back-and-forth game, with the teams trading leads several times early. New Glarus took a 26-24 lead into the locker room, as Belleville was hampered by early foul trouble, including their leading scorer, Rachael Heittola, who sat much of the first half with three quick fouls. However, the Wildcats roared out of the halftime break with a 10-0 run to take the game's largest lead at 34-26 with 13:26 left in the second half.
New Glarus was able to chip away at the lead thanks to timely plays by Emily Streiff and Jaylynn Benson, while Belleville kept pace thanks to big shots by Jenna Shrader, who made two big threes to keep the Wildcats in it. The Glarner Knights took a 52-48 lead into the final moments, but clutch free throw shooting and a big basket by Heittola got the game to overtime, before New Glarus missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer.
Shrader came up big in the extra session, hitting a three to extend a one-point Belleville lead to four, and the hosting Wildcats hung on for a 61-56 win on the final game of the regular season.
Belleville, the #2 seed in their half sectional, will play the winner of #7 Pardeville and #10 Deerfield on Friday night in the regional semifinals. In the same half sectional, New Glarus is the #4 seed, awaiting the winner of #5 Waterloo and #12 Williams Bay on Friday night.
BELLEVILLE - 24|28|9=61
NEW GLARUS - 26|26|4=56
Belleville Scoring - Jenna Shrader 16, Rachael Heitolla 12, Ava Foley 12, Jade Halvensleben 9, Alyssa Caskey 4, Ashley Hansen 3, Sophia Grady 3, Erin Kittleson 2
New Glarus Scoring - Jaylynn Benson 18, Dylan Moll 10, Emily Streiff 10, Lexi Krause 6, Lily Himmelmann 6, Megan Hustad 5, Emma Marty 2