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Victoria Race, pictured at right, reaches in for the ball at Holyoke’s March 2 regional championship game against Meeker. — Jessica Cumming

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Kristin Vieselmeyer, sandwiched between two Denver Christian players, maintains control of the ball. Vieselmeyer alone put up 13 of the team’s 19 points in the first half. — Jessica Cumming

Season ends with 3-point Meeker game

Holyoke girls basketball team crushes Denver Christian in first round of regional play

    Holyoke’s Lady Dragon basketball team concluded its season last Saturday, March 2, after putting up a tough fight against Meeker and making a powerful end-of-game comeback to get within just a few points of its No. 3-seeded rival.
    The regional championship game against the Cowgirls followed Holyoke’s game against Denver Christian on Friday, March 1, in which the team secured a tidy 48-15 victory.
    Reflecting on the Lady Dragons’ 15-9 season, coach John Baumgartner said he is disappointed that the team couldn’t repeat its 2018 state appearance but still proud of how far the girls have come.
    “We had a chance, but I just give our girls all of the credit in the world,” he said. “I’m disappointed to lose, but all season we just battled and competed.”
    The team succeeded in spite of stiff competition — all of the teams that beat Holyoke this year advanced to state.
    He chalked the team’s Friday win to superior numbers and getting in the face of Denver Christian shooters. The rival team was coached by 2006 HHS graduate, Kelvin Haidle, who played under Baumgartner.
    “He’s such a good person, and I know he’s going to do great things with that program,” Baumgartner said. “We knew they were three-point shooters, and defensively we did some really good things.”
    On Saturday, he said the numbers were against Holyoke, and also cited missed free throw opportunities and Meeker’s home court advantage as reasons for the Dragon loss.
    “The difference really was the free throw line,” he said. “We just didn’t do enough on the offensive end.”
    He said seniors Savannah Burris and Kaylee Camblin will be missed for their confidence and leadership on the team.
    However, with three junior starters set to return, along with other rising players and a crop of promising underclassmen, he said the team is on track to keep growing.
    “It’s not like we’re starting from scratch.”
    
Holyoke 48, Denver Christian 15
    Holyoke built up steam during its Friday game, pivoting on a slow first quarter to dominate the court and make plenty of headaches for Denver Christian.
    Defensively, Holyoke virtually shut out the Thunder offense — the team made only three field goals.
    Offensively, the Dragons built momentum and made shots throughout, culminating in a 20-point final quarter.
    Kristin Vieselmeyer opened up the game halfway through the first quarter with a two-pointer. She went on to spearhead the surge in the first half, sinking six two-pointers, including three in the last two minutes, and a free throw to put up most of HHS’s 19 points. Denver Christian lagged behind with five.
    In the third quarter, the Dragons kept going and put up another nine points to Denver Christian’s two for a 21-point lead.
    An end-of-game onslaught saw six Dragon players make baskets — including two of Lauren Herman’s three 3’s. Holyoke ended on top, 48-15. Vieselmeyer and Herman both had stellar games, scoring 15 and 10 points, respectively. Vieselmeyer also led rebounds with 12. Herman led steals with five, and she and Emily Jelden had four assists apiece.

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