Unbeaten Eleva-Strum looking to take extra step to state this season
For the Eleva-Strum High School Girls Basketball Team, life is good.
After all the Cardinals are meeting their high preseason rankings gained from a Large Daryland Conference title and runner-up finish in the sectionals last season, one of the best in school history, by starting the 2025-26 campaign at 6-0, 5-0 in the Dairyland Conference Large Division. Last week E-S picked up two wins, a hard-fought 48-35 struggle at Cochrane-Fountain City, Tuesday, Dec.2 and a more comfortable 78-49 win on Friday, Dec. 5 at home vs. Whitehall.
Against the Pirates, the Cards' Avaya Zwiefelhofer (15), Avery Glenz (14), and Maddea Brown (10) were all in double figures scoring. They also displayed good defense with 31 deflections, 16 steals (Avery Spangberg with 6), and 21 points off turnovers. Also impressive was their free throw shooting, 22/29, Against the Norse the Cards soared to a 52-21 first half advantage. Glenz was the team's leading scorer and was named WHTL 102.3 FM Player of the Game. Zwiefelhofer finished with 15 points and senior center Aliza Kulig scored 12 points. Sophomore Brenley Bauer led the team in rebounds with eight and Spangerberg had a team-best five assists,
These are the bulk of the players back from last season's team along with Cora Gunderson. Graduated were Neely Lasher, Cora Wright and Ella McConnell and head coach Dave Hazuga hopes Bauer along with varsity newcomers Clara Christ and Miriah Steffenson can fill those roles.
Another good thing for the Redbirds is two of their wins already have come against teams picked to contend in the Dairyland Conference such as C-FC and Independence/Gilmanton who E-S beat in their season-opener, Central faces another good test tonight at Lincoln. The Hornets are off to a 5-1 start to their season.
"We expect to compete hard and be in every game," Hazuga said. "We’re certainly going to try to win the conference title again. It’s a long season we expect to improve as it goes on ,just like we did last year."
Another team that hopes to be on a similar track is Fall Creek. The Crickets are far younger than Eleva-Strum having lost seniors Addy Haynes, Kennedy Tumm, Anna Dougherty, Gracie Marten and Sophie Schmidgall. from a team that went 20-6 and won the Cloverbelt Conference title. They're even younger still as they whon't have back letter-winner and senior center Jasmin Heuer until January recovering from injury. Point guard Becca Sturz is their lone experienced varsity player.
But the FC youngsters are learning fast. They are 3-2 overall and beat defending sectional champ Durand-Arkansaw in their opener and last week, bouncing back from a bad 58-33 loss at Chippewa Falls McDonell, the Crickets rallied from 17 down to win over Stanley-Boyd last week Friday, Dec.5 led by sophomores Jordan Grossinger and Kendyl Haynes. Fall Creek then. just 14 hours later, edged Mondovi 43-40 in the Northwest Tip-Off Classic for girls at the new Sonnentag Center on the UW-Eau Claire Campus. Fall Creek is at Cadott tonight at 7 p.m.
Both Augusta and Osseo-Fairchild returned a good number of players from their respective teams last season (although Augusta finished 5-20 and O-F went 2-22). Both teams are winless so far, both at 0-5. AHS returned the bulk of their starters such as juniors Kaydn Kirkham, Brooklyn Krueger, Cecelia Schroeder, Stephanie Bergman, Degan Guntner and sophomores Laney O'Brien and Rilee Bethke. Last week they lost at Alma/Pepin 52-41 on Tuesday, Dec. 2 despite Zank's 22 points and Kirkham's eight rebounds. They lost again on Friday, Dec. 5 by a 59-51 score at home to Cochrane-Fountain City and again Monday, Dec. 8 in a non-conference game vs, Owen-Withee 59-34 after trailing 29-6 in the first half. AHS will look to get its first win against a 1-4 Whitehall team tonight at Whitehall.
Osseo-Fairchild graduated Hailie Knudtson, Elizabeth Jacobson, Bryssa Johnson, Myrisa Pettis, Kara Skoyen, Addie Helland and Paige Gleiter from last season's team. Returning are sophomores Jianna Scheffer, Julia Whelan, Kierra Seig along with juniors Brylie Johnson and Addie Swanson and senior Makela Kiesow. Last week the Thunder lost 75-19 at Independence/Gilmanton on Tuesday, Dec., 2, and 53-31 at home to Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran on Friday, Dec. 5. On Monday, Dec. 8, O-F was beaten by Cadott in a non-conference contest 67-23 at home. O-F hopes to get win one this season tonight at Alma/Pepin.
Western Cloverbelt Conference Girls Basketball Standings
Team Conf. Overall
Eau Claire Regis 2-0 6-1
Elk Mound 2-0 5-1
Chippewa Falls McDonell 2-0 4-2
Bloomer 1-1 3-2
Fall Creek 1-1 3-2
Cadott 0-2 3-2
Stanley-Boyd 0-2 2-3
Thorp 0-2 1-4
Large Dairyland Conference Girls Basketball Standings
Team Conf. Overall
Eleva-Strum 5-0 6-0
Indendence/Gilmanton 3-2 3-2
Melrose-Mindoro 2-2 2-2
Whitehall 0-3 1-4
Osseo-Fairchild 0-4 0-5
Augusta 0-5 0-6
