Girls prep basketball: Wahlert holds off Jefferson for 5th straight win

“The dedication we’ve had the last four years and to get a win just shows our hard work and dedication to the sport,” said Emma Donovan, one of four Wahlert seniors recognized before the game.”

Claire Lueken led Wahlert (13-4, 6-4 Mississippi Valley Conference) with 17 points, Emma Donovan had 11 and Olivia Donovan 10. Aubrey Luvan had 15 points, while Emma Slings recorded 14 for the J-Hawks (7-10, 3-6 MVC).

Wahlert largely controlled the first three quarters of play before a final-frame cold spell and a late charge from the J-Hawks made an otherwise lopsided contest rather interesting.

It couldn’t have been a more ideal start for Wahlert. Lueken opened the game with a basket and hit a 3-pointer, and Emma Donovan netted two buckets as the Eagles surged to an 11-0 lead 5 minutes into the game.

“We knew we had to get off to a good start and jump on them right away,” Emma Donovan said. “The goal is to never let up; we did a little bit, but we tuned it in at the end and pulled out the win.”

Wahlert got scoring contributions from five players in the opening 8 minutes and held the J-Hawks scoreless through the first 6 minutes and 11 seconds of the game. Ruth Tauber’s triple at the buzzer gave the home team a 21-8 lead after one quarter.

The Eagles recorded the first six points of the second to take a 20-point lead, 28-8, but Jefferson’s Luvan kept her team afloat, connecting on four first-half 3-pointers — three in the second quarter — to cut the deficit to 36-24 at the break.

“I thought we came out of the gates really intense and really went after it,” Wahlert coach Kris Spiegler said. “Our kids are battling so hard right now. We are just trying to get better each game. They have good chemistry, they work well with each other, and they’re fighters.”

A 3 by Maria Freed and makes by Lueken and Tauber pushed Wahlert’s lead to 15 at three different points of the third quarter in what seemed to be a precursor to a comfortable victory.

The J-Hawks put together a 9-0 run to open the fourth to get as close as they’d been all game, 51-44, with just over 3 minutes to play. Wahlert, however, despite being held to just seven fourth-quarter points, didn’t afford the gap to close any further and connected on 4 of 5 free throw attempts to preserve the victory.

“We just kind of got lost, communication wise,” Emma Donovan said. “So just getting back on track with our communication I think will help a lot going forward.”

Wahlert will look to lock up a city title when it hosts Dubuque Senior on Thursday night.

“We’re going for that city championship,” said Emma Donovan, whose team holds a perfect 4-0 record against its city rivals. “That’s one of our goals, it means a lot to us.”