Parker girls edge Craig in overtime
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JANESVILLE — Your best player has an off night. Your second-leading scorer manages one basket. And the opposing crowd hits you with the infamous “over-rated” chant.
Yet you still find a way to win.
Such was life for the top-ranked Janesville Parker High School girls basketball team.
The Vikings were forced to rally late before pulling away in overtime for a 56-51 victory at home Tuesday night in a Big Eight Conference game against cross-town rival Janesville Craig.
The Vikings (14-1, 11-0) were outplayed in the second half. But thanks to the late heroics of freshman Danielle Flood, they managed to stay a game ahead of Middleton in the conference race.
The Cougars (9-7, 6-6) seemingly deserved a better fate, but they couldn’t overcome the Parker mystique.
“We’re tough, and we’re getting close, but now we have to win one of these games,” Craig coach Mark Marsden said after watching his team battle front-running Parker and Middleton close the last two weeks before losing both games. “If we keep playing like this, we’re going to be a factor in the tournament.”
The Cougars were a factor against Parker, especially in the second half. After the Vikings opened up a nine-point halftime lead, Craig surged back in the third quarter. Lauren McQueen’s driving layup with 41 seconds left in the third cut Parker’s lead to 28-27, and set up a whirlwind fourth quarter.
Craig’s Kristy Benson took over in the fourth. The senior point guard had 10 in the quarter, including a three-point play with 3:39 left that tied the game at 37-37.
The Cougars’ Whitney Storbakken gave Craig its first lead of the game with fadeaway shot in the lane with 2:58 to play, and Benson followed with a runner off the glass that gave the Cougars a 41-37 lead with 2:40 to play.
After Parker tied the game at 41-41 on Flood’s putback with 1:08 left, Danielle Straw put the Cougars back up two on a drive to the basket with 45 seconds left. Flood tied the game with 28 seconds left on a nifty move along the baseline, and neither team could score after that.
“I was glad I could step up and help the team,” Flood said. “I think the fact that it was Parker/Craig bothered us a little bit, but we came through in the end.”
Craig took its last lead at 51-50 on a Sofia Sanchez jumper with 1:13 left in overtime, but Parker responded with a 6-0 run to end the game.
Catie O’Leary, the Big Eight’s leading scorer, put Parker ahead for good with 48 seconds left with a three-point play. The 5-foot-11 junior led the Vikings with 14 points, but was 0-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Parker’s Alex Klawitter and Bubba Quillman concluded the scoring with free throws as the Vikings escaped. Klawitter, the team’s second-leading scorer, was held to only five points and only one basket. Quillman finished with 12 points, including two key baskets in overtime, while Flood added 10.
Coach Tom Klawitter has been around enough Parker/Craig games to always expect the unexpected.
“We just didn’t play very well,” coach Klawitter said. “We had them where we wanted them in the first half when we were up 10, but then we started to rush shots. One pass and shoot. The kids know better than that.
“But we’re happy that we survived, and we’ll fix what we didn’t do right.”
PARKER 56, CRAIG 51 (OT)
Craig (51)—Benson, 6-4-16; Sanchez, 3-0-6; Storbakken, 4-0-9; Straw, 5-0-10; Hilden, 2-2-6; McQueen, 2-0-4. Totals: 22-6-51.
Parker (56)—Prom, 0-4-4; Klawitter, 1-2-5; O’Leary, 6-2-14; Koebler, 3-0-9; Quillman, 4-4-12; Flood, 4-0-10; Newlin, 0-2-2. Totals: 18-14-56
Janesville Craig 9 6 12 16 8—51
Janesville Parker 13 11 6 13 13—56
Three-point goals—Craig 1 (Storbakken), Parker 6 (Koebler 3, Flood 2, Klawitter). Free throws missed—Craig 5, Parker 4. Total fouls—Craig 15, Parker 16. Foueld out—Koebler.
Sophomores—Craig 43, Parker 42. Craig is 14-2 overall and 11-1 in the Big Eight; Parker is 5-7 overall and 4-7 in the Big Eight.
Feb 1, 2008 at 6:22 p.m.
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And why does this even matter?
Feb 1, 2008 at 6:56 a.m.
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Lets see, Craig Boys State Titles-0
Parker Girls-3....Yeah lets wait to see Craig boys beat Parker boys tonight. Blah, blah, blah.
Jan 31, 2008 at 10:26 p.m.
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Wow, if you were not at the game, believe me, the outcome was over-hyped. If you were at the game, which I was, it was not a very good game to watch. Basically, nothing was falling for Janesville Parker and everything was going right for Janesville Craig. You can tell that Janesville Parker is just a much better team ~ shots were just not falling. Bottom line ~ good teams and coaches always find ways to win, even on those off nights which everyone has.
Jan 31, 2008 at 4:27 p.m.
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I'm really suprised you commented on the "overrated" comment and not the "act score" chant. Hmmm that doesn't offend anyone right, maybe because it's true? idk. Yay Craig! I'm looking forward to watching the boys win tonight too!
Jan 31, 2008 at 1:49 p.m.
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I guess will just have to wait until the Craig boys blow away the Parker boys tonight.
Jan 31, 2008 at 1:45 p.m.
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The Parker kids were the same way at the Craig Gym. It's all in fun. It was a good game and I think Parker stole one from Craig. It does show that Parker is very beatable.
Jan 31, 2008 at 1:37 p.m.
Jan 31, 2008 at 1:22 p.m.
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I have to say that I disagree with skeptical I was also at the game and beginning new wanted to see what it was all about. I could not believe at times it was a high school game it felt more college level to me. I would be more concerned if students were chanting the way they do at Badger games. I also have to say I noticed an older, offical, looking gentalman go over to the Parker students after one or two derogatory chants and it never happened again. Unlike the Craig students who continued the rest of the night with a staff person standing right in front of them. Just an observation, maybe something was said to them as well and they just did not listen. Either way I thought it was a great game and both teams should be proud of how they played.
Jan 31, 2008 at 12:36 p.m.
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craigholmes ... your "Cow Pie High" comment about yelling over tractors would be pretty funny if it were 1986. How about an updated, original comment, preferrably something from 2000 to the present?
Jan 31, 2008 at 12:23 p.m.
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Um...Craig sucks. Hahaha I'm sorry that us high schoolers have fun cheering at basketball games. Rude perhaps, but the kids are just having a good time. Parker and Craig have a rivalry, get over it and let them chant. The only people upset about this seem to be people who graduated or don't attend either school. Like you didn't do crazy things as a kid? By the way, Craig sucks...haha. Scientology, look it up, it's awesome. You Craig kids are a bunch of Scientologists, go praise Galactic Lord Xenu of the Galactic Confederacy.
Jan 31, 2008 at 11:22 a.m.
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Thank you ski1357.
Let the kids be kids.
Jan 31, 2008 at 11:18 a.m.
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D6 Monkey, I don't have a problem with the "Overrated" chant. I just meant that it should only be used when its appropriate. You usually only hear it used when a team is handily beating a highly ranked team. I wouldn't say that a cross-town rival ALMOST, (but not), beating the number 1 team in the state as a situation where Parker is overrated.
Also, great point about Parker playing with class. These Parker girls teams and their coaching staff have built one of the most respected girls basketball programs in the state. If they didn't do it with class the respect from the rest of the state or teams from other parts of the country would not be there.
Jan 31, 2008 at 8:38 a.m.
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The 'overrated' cheer is one of the few left that students enjoy and are allowed to use. Would you rather the kids sit there silently and simply clap when their team scores?!?! Where's the intesity in that? As a former player, the crowd was always a motivator in games, especially against Craig!
And excuse me to June4th??! Since when does Parker not play with class?!?! They have played at NATIONAL levels, invited to MANY tournaments because of the level of play and the CLASS of their team. Klawitter has worked hard to form these girls into respecting women dedicated to playing their hearts out, not just on game days, but everyday in practice.
Jan 31, 2008 at 7:02 a.m.
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So what if Parker had louder chants, they have been yelling over tractors all their lives!
Jan 31, 2008 at 6:32 a.m.
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Why do both Craig and Parker allow derogatory chants ? Are there no faculty or administrators attending the games? Do we just read the WIAA warning prior to tipoff, and then let our students decide to ignore it ? Or, is rude, boorish, unsportsman-like behavior the image that we are seeking ? Shame on both schools and our administration !
Jan 30, 2008 at 11:11 a.m.
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Half of the chants that Craig made, couldn't be heard. While Parker's chants were heard all around.
Jan 30, 2008 at 11:04 a.m.
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Nothing about how the Craig student section left the game before it was over?
Jan 30, 2008 at 9:42 a.m.
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The Craig girls should be very proud of themselves. They played their hearts out and showed everyone in town how to play with class!
Jan 30, 2008 at 6:04 a.m.
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Yep. Can't call it overrated when you win when it counts.
Jan 30, 2008 at 12:17 a.m.
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"Overrated?" Sure beats the heck out of "aintrated" "neverbeenrated" or "neverwillberated"!!!!
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