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The girls now sit firmly in the #1 spot on MaxPreps‘ state team rankings.  And capping off their regular season, they have earned a Conference Championship following last night’s match against Oshkosh North, beating them 69-47 and taking another step closer to future regional, sectional and state competitions.

Freshman Ellie Buss, a recent addition to the team, noted its success as well as the effort they have put in to reach it.

“[The win] was really important to our team, and just really important to get to the win tonight and finalize it.  Our team has actually worked very hard. I came halfway through the season, and I’ve watched them throughout practices. They just work so hard.  The title means a lot to me.  Coming in as a freshman, it’s like — we’ve never done this,” Buss said.

While the team has traveled far, she acknowledges the road ahead.

Buss adds, “We have the 1-seed for playoffs, and we either play DC Everest or Wisconsin Rapids. Whoever wins that game will go onto regional finals, against either SPASH or Oshkosh West.”

The Ron Einerson Fieldhouse will additionally host the next regional games next Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.  Depending on whether or not the team wins, they will advance to sectional games on March. 2 and March 4, with locations and opponents yet undecided.

A regularly-updating bracket page listing the team’s current progression is available at the WIAA website.

“I think all around; we need to stay together and work together.  I couldn’t be more excited! One game at a time.  We’ll keep focusing on our next opponent every single game,” Buss said with laser focus.

The girls’ last state championship victory was in the 1977-’78 school year, the same year as the boys’ team.  History may (almost) repeat itself with the boys having won the state championship this past school year.