D3hoops.com: Notables

By Tim Calderwood,
D3hoops.com

As freshmen, Trisha Thill and Lindsey Buechner finished 14-12 at UW-Whitewater and were under .500 in WIAC play at 7-9. That was in Keri Carollo’s third season as head coach at the school. As seniors, in Carollo’s sixth year, they were cutting down the nets on their home floor following an 83-80 sectional win over the defending national champions DePauw and have established a school record for wins with 28 entering the Final Four, but the Warhawks would like to add a few more wins to that total.

UW-Whitewater got a taste of success last season, finishing second in the WIAC. The Warhawks were eliminated early in the conference tournament however, denying them an NCAA Tournament bid despite a 19-7 record, a seven-game improvement over their sophomore campaign. UW-Whitewater used that as motivation coming into this season.

“Last season was extremely important,” Carollo said. “Losing in the first round of the conference tournament put a bad taste in their mouth and they really made a commitment to make this year special. Our girls realized how close we were and the potential of the team at that point and realized that they missed out on an opportunity and definitely weren’t going to let that happen again.”

Buechner, who played in a Wisconsin state championship game at Middleton High School, posted a double-double in the win against DePauw, dropping in 14 points while snaring 10 rebounds. It was her fourth double-double of the season. Buechner’s layup with 1:45 to play knotted the score at 80.

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Following a missed layup by sophomore point guard Kelsey Hendrickson with under a minute to go, Buechner corralled an offensive rebound to keep the possession alive and led to a Dana Thompson free throw which gave the Warhawks a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Trisha Thill, who won a Wisconsin state championship at Ozaukee High School, netted the final two points of the game after a steal, dropping in a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left to account for the final total. Thill, who led the Warhawks with 18 points in the win over ninth-ranked Simpson, has been a four-year starter but has never averaged in double figures.

“We’ve tried to recruit athletes who had success in high school,” Carollo said. “When you’ve had that winning mentality it really helps, especially when you’re trying to build a program. There’s no two kids that I’d rather put the ball in their hands in those type of situations. I have all the confidence in the world in those two and they have really proved themselves for four years.”

The two seniors have
their name etched near several school records. They will finish second and third respectively in games played. Buechner is fourth in all-time scoring and can reach third with just four more points. She also ranks among the top five in rebounds, blocks, free throws made, and is in the top 10 in steals, field goals made, and attempted in addition to being the career leader in free throw attempts.

“It’s tough to be able to step in and play a big role early, especially at the college level,” Carollo said. “I think a lot of it has to do with maturity. They are both very mature and were ready for roles and handled it very well. Both were willing to help us build the program and that was something we communicated to them so they were excited about the opportunity to play.”

Thill is the career and single season leader in steals. She ranks among the school’s top ten in three-point percentage, three-points field goals made and attempted, and assists.

Shannon Moore was a freshman during a 9-17 campaign in 2003-04, and received a fifth year of eligibility for this season due to an injury as a sophomore. Moore was chosen to the WIAC Sportsmanship Team this year.

“Shannon’s unselfishness and ability to work hard in practice is crucial for our bench,” Carollo said. “She has really bought into that role and helped set an example for our team.”

While Anna Findley put up 44 points for Oglethorpe in its sectional win and Meia Daniels tallied 37 for Howard Payne, the Warhawks boasted four double digit scorers, none of which were more than 15.

Prior to besting DePauw, the Warhawks, making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1995, had an average margin of victory at nearly 23 points in tournament play. On the season the average scoring margin is 21.9. In fact, in the four NCAA Tournament games, the Warhawks have had only one individual (Tiffany Morton) score 20 points, and that came in the tournament opener, a 77-60 win over Manchester. While Morton is the team’s leading scorer (14.5 points per game) and has led the team or tied for the lead in three of the four tournament games, Kelsey Hendrickson, Thill, and Buechner have also led the team in scoring during the tournament. Six players reached double figures in the win over Simpson.

“That’s kind of been the story of our whole season,” Carollo said. “It hasn’t really been one person that’s done it for us all year. It has really been a team effort and it’s great to see that continue through the NCAA Tournament.”

The Warhawks enter Holland ranking third in the nation in points per game at 83.5, the highest total among the Final Four teams and nearly 300 points more than their previous school record. Yet the defense is overlooked. The Warhawks have only allowed an opponent to score over 70 points in five games this year.

On her bio, Buechner lists beating UW-Stevens Point twice last season as her favorite Warhawk memory. She and the other two seniors look to create new memories to a season full of them at Hope this weekend.