New London's late rally tips Denmark

DENMARK - Through eight games this season the New London girls basketball team was pasting its opponents by an average of 38.5 points per game.

But Tuesday’s road matchup at Denmark was expected to be the Bulldogs’ toughest game to-date as both teams entered the game perfect in the Bay Conference.

The Vikings held up their end, hitting 11-of-21 3-point shots to push New London to the brink. But with the chips down, the Bulldogs showed why they haven’t lost a game in quite a while.

Bulldogs star Tara Knapstein made three key plays down the stretch as New London erased a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit by scoring the game's final nine points and beat the Vikings, 43-41, in the Girls Basketball GameTime Game of the Week.

New London, which watched a Denmark 3-pointer miss at the final buzzer, stretched its winning streak to 23 games and is the only undefeated team left in the Bay.

“I think it was good for us,” New London coach Troy Krause said of playing a tight game. “I know the girls wanted a tight game. I know as coaches you always want a couple tight games.

“They shot the ball well. I don’t know how many threes they hit, but it was a ton. We kept fighting … we fought through it and were able to get the win.”

Added Knapstein: “It was great to finally come into a game with a big challenge. We were definitely ready for it, but we weren’t ready for the intensity that Denmark brought. They definitely hit a lot of threes, which we weren’t expecting.

“That kind of got us down, but we kept our composure. It was nice to have a good, competitive win.”

Early on it appeared New London, ranked No. 1 in the FOX 11 Top 11 girls basketball poll, might once again cruise by another opponent. The Bulldogs opened a 21-10 lead early in the second quarter, despite Knapstein struggling from the floor.

But Denmark wasn’t backing down and closed the gap to 26-22 at halftime.

However, it appeared Knapstein was ready to take over the game early in the third quarter. After Denmark opened the quarter with a 3-pointer, Knapstein hit her first two shots of the game, burying a 3-pointer and converting a 3-point play on consecutive possessions to give New London a 32-25 lead.

Surprisingly, Krause then substituted for Knapstein, the team’s leading scorer who started getting hot, and Bridget Pethke, the team’s second-leading scorer. Denmark took advantage by scoring the next eight points to grab a 33-32 lead.

Why did Krause take out his scorers?

“That was us subbing a lot because in the past because we have had comfortable leads,” Krause said. “I think we kind of fell back to what we’ve done the last eight or nine games.”

Denmark fed off the run as with less than six minutes left in the game the Vikings built a 41-34 lead. The Bulldogs’ winning streak and perfect season were on the line and that’s when Knapstein, a University of Wisconsin-Parkside recruit, decided to step up.

After Brenna Heise scored for New London, Knapstein scored on back-to-back possessions on drives to close the gap to 41-40. Then later, the 5-foot-10 forward fed Pethke for a 3-point shot that she drilled and that proved to be the game-winning points.

“I was getting a little frustrated in the beginning,” said Knapstein, who entered the game averaging 15.2 points per game. “I just tried to amp up my intensity and try to rebound more. Down the stretch, I’m a captain, so I have to try to take some control.”

Knapstein didn’t just step up, so did New London’s pressure defense. Through three quarters, Denmark committed 12 turnovers, which wasn’t bad considering how intense New London is on defense.

But in the fourth, the Vikings wilted. They started to play like they were thinking about how big an upset it would be and turned the ball over eight times, including six straight possessions.

“I think we got them with our press,” Knapstein said. “I think we caused them to get a little jittery and turn the ball over.”

Nonetheless, Denmark, which made just two 2-point field goals all game, had a chance at the end to win it. With 2.6 second left to play, Denmark was able to get Stephanie Weigman open for a three on an out-of-bounds play from under its own basket. However, Weigman hit the back of the iron from the left wing.

New London survived, barely.

What was Knapstein thinking when Weigman launched the three?

“Shoot, because I was guarding her,” Knapstein said. “I got screened and I just tried to get out on her.

“Everyone in the locker room, when we got in there, we just said that was the longest three of our lives. We were praying it wasn’t going in.”

• Notes: Knapstein and Heise led New London with 12 points, while Pethke added 11. … Knapstein has 905 career points. … Lauren LeFevre led Denmark with 10 points. … Denmark was 11-of-21 from 3-point range and 2-of-9 from 2-point range. … New London next plays Friday at West De Pere. … Denmark next plays at Freedom on Jan. 17. … New London is the No. 1-ranked team in the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Division 2 poll. ... Freedom