2008 Woodie Awards
On Cruise Control
Avan gets 200th win as Women's B-ball rolls on
Corey Kempf
Issue date: 2/5/04 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
Lately, the Lakeland women's basketball team has done a gingerbread man act ("You can't catch me...") on their opponents.
Since the UW-Eau Claire Thanksgiving Tournament, the Muskies have gone on a tear, winning 13 of their 15 games, while also accumulating a few milestones along the way.
On December 29, Lakeland crushed new Division III member Mount Mary, 109-15. The 94 point victory margin, aside from no doubt causing a double take, is believed to be the largest in school history. The victory also advanced them to play for fifth place in the Clarke College Holiday Tournament.
In their next game, the Muskies, trailing by 11 points to Mount Mercy at halftime, staged a second half comeback to steal fifth place from the Mustangs.
Against North Park on January 7, the girls snuck past, 52-49, with Renee Steinert leading the way with 17 points and seven rebounds.
On January 10, UW-River Falls visited the Wehr Center for what would turn out to be one of the most exciting games of the season.
The Muskies, who led by three at halftime, shot just 28.6 percent from the field in the second half and were unable to widen the gap. Aubri Rote nailed a jumper with 54 seconds remaining to tie the game. Neither team was able to pull ahead, and the game went to overtime.
In overtime, Lakeland led 69-67 with just under a minute to play, but a three pointer by Darcy Olsen put River Falls up for good. Two Falcon free throws sealed the deal and Lakeland lost the heartbreaker, 69-72.
When school resumed, the Muskies resumed their winning ways, and gave Coach April Arvan a game to remember.
For the first time since last year's loss in the conference tournament finals, the Muskies played Wisconsin Lutheran. The girls took the lead midway through the first half and never looked back. Lakeland led by as many as 16 points in the second half before finally closing out the 57-45 victory.
With the win, the Lady Muskies not only avenged their season-ending loss from a year ago, they gave Coach Arvan her 200th head coaching victory. The milestone came in just her 10th year of coaching, coming to an average of just over 20 wins per season.
Since the UW-Eau Claire Thanksgiving Tournament, the Muskies have gone on a tear, winning 13 of their 15 games, while also accumulating a few milestones along the way.
On December 29, Lakeland crushed new Division III member Mount Mary, 109-15. The 94 point victory margin, aside from no doubt causing a double take, is believed to be the largest in school history. The victory also advanced them to play for fifth place in the Clarke College Holiday Tournament.
In their next game, the Muskies, trailing by 11 points to Mount Mercy at halftime, staged a second half comeback to steal fifth place from the Mustangs.
Against North Park on January 7, the girls snuck past, 52-49, with Renee Steinert leading the way with 17 points and seven rebounds.
On January 10, UW-River Falls visited the Wehr Center for what would turn out to be one of the most exciting games of the season.
The Muskies, who led by three at halftime, shot just 28.6 percent from the field in the second half and were unable to widen the gap. Aubri Rote nailed a jumper with 54 seconds remaining to tie the game. Neither team was able to pull ahead, and the game went to overtime.
In overtime, Lakeland led 69-67 with just under a minute to play, but a three pointer by Darcy Olsen put River Falls up for good. Two Falcon free throws sealed the deal and Lakeland lost the heartbreaker, 69-72.
When school resumed, the Muskies resumed their winning ways, and gave Coach April Arvan a game to remember.
For the first time since last year's loss in the conference tournament finals, the Muskies played Wisconsin Lutheran. The girls took the lead midway through the first half and never looked back. Lakeland led by as many as 16 points in the second half before finally closing out the 57-45 victory.
With the win, the Lady Muskies not only avenged their season-ending loss from a year ago, they gave Coach Arvan her 200th head coaching victory. The milestone came in just her 10th year of coaching, coming to an average of just over 20 wins per season.