Posted: March 5, 2010 |(0) Comments

Cedarburg — Coach Corey Wolf had to dig deep in the archives to find the last time a Nicolet girls basketball team had the level of success the current Knights have experienced this regular season.

A 51-32 win over Cedarburg in the season finale on Friday night put Nicolet's record at a gaudy 19-1 (14-0 North Shore Conference).

The last one-loss year for the traditionally strong program was 1989, the year that the first George Bush became president and the Berlin Wall came down.

"It's been a lot of fun this year," said Wolf. "It's just a great bunch of girls. I think the biggest thing is that they've made a lot of sacrifices for each other. They've given up some of the statistics, the 'me stats.' They play well together."

Nicolet, ranked No. 1 in the area by the Journal Sentinel, used a 17-6 run to end the second quarter and erase an 11-6 lead by the Bulldogs (13-8, 9-5). A layup on a backdoor cut by junior guard Ashley Green, who led Nicolet with 13 points, put the Knights ahead 23-17 at the break.

"They've got a lot of weapons," said Cedarburg assistant coach Pat Moore, who filled in for coach Dave Ross, who was sidelined with a knee injury.

"When you make small mistakes against a really good basketball team . . . it just makes it really hard to come back. I thought the girls played hard, and I thought it was a good stepping stone for us heading into the (state) playoffs."

Consecutive layups by junior forward Gaby Bronson stretched the Knights' lead to 42-27 with 3 minutes 38 seconds left and effectively put the game out of reach.

"We always talk about taking what the defense gives you, and that was the difference here tonight and all season," said Wolf. "One night one kid steps up, and one night another kid steps up. We just take what teams give us, and that's what makes this team special."

Nicolet has won 18 games in a row. The Knights' last loss came on Nov. 28 at the hands of Milwaukee Vincent, the three-time defending Division 1 state champions.

"Last year we started the team chemistry, and we've been able to build on it this year," said Sam Lautmann, Nicolet's lone senior. "We've got some momentum to go into the tournament. It's time to focus game by game now."

Added Wolf: "I thought the game tonight prepared us well for the postseason. Cedarburg played well, and they're a very good team. Nineteen and 1 is great, but come Monday when we get back to practice we're 0-0."