Lions Regional Champions for the First Time since 2012

On Feb 28, Lomira girls basketball beat Howards Grove 60-46 on the road in the regional final, advancing to the Division four sectionals.
Three-seed Lomira (20-6) held a 12-9 lead over Two-seed Howards Grove (20-6) thanks to three-pointers from Kennedy Goebel and Lily Christian.
Howards Grove took back the lead at 17-14 before the Lions went on a 14-2 scoring stretch over the final eight minutes of the game, featuring six points from Goebel and five points from Josie Christian, including her patented step-back three-pointer to give Lomira a 28-19 halftime lead.
J. Christian scored the Lions’ first 12 points of the second half highlgihted by a step back three-pointer and two offensive rebound put-backs, showing her versatility on the offensive end of the court to give Lomira a 40-30 lead with 10:54 left in the game.

Goebel scored four points for Lomira before Howards Grove closed the gap to 44-38 with less than five minutes left in the game.
Lomira got a big defensive play from J, Christian when she stole the ball after Howards Grove got a defensive rebound, then J, Christian proceeded to deflate the Grove’s comeback attempt when she splashed in her fourth three-pointer of the game to give the Lions a 47-38 lead with 3:25 left in the regional final.
Howard Grove wouldn’t get any closer than seven points in the final three minutes with J. Christian making ten free throws to close out the 60-46 regional final win for the Lions to advance to sectionals for the first time since 2012.
“The 2012 team was my sister’s team, so it has been a long time since the girls basketball program has seen a regional championship, and it was great to bring that back to the school community,” said Cook. “This team had worked extremely hard all season to become the team they are and deserve it.”
“It was a great win because of all the hard work that we put in this season, and I am especially proud of my team for not giving up and to keep pushing,” said Josie Christian. “I was pretty excited with my performance, but it really came down to my teammates trying to find me and trusting me with the ball.”
Josie Christian scored a game-high 37 points with 25 of her points coming in the second half, and Kennedy Goebel scored 15 points to secure the tournament road win.
“Josie and Kennedy did a great job of finding a way to score when other shots weren’t falling,” said Cook. “Their teams did a great job of getting them open by setting good screens and making great passes so they had an easier shot.”
Vs WLA
On Feb. 27, Lomira girls basketball defeated Winnebago Lutheran Academy 54-37 in the second round of the WIAA Girls State Tournament, advancing to the Regional Final.
WLA (13-13) had a 9-4 lead over Lomira (20-6) before the Lions went on a 13-0 scoring run featuring two three-pointers from Lily Christian, a three-pointer from Josie Christian, and four points from Kennedy Goeble to give Lomira a 17-9 lead.
The Lions increased their lead to 26-14 thanks to another L.Christian three-pointer and Goebel’s offensive rebound putback.
The Vikings cut the lead to 26-19 when L. Christian hit her fourth three-pointer, and J, Christian scored five points, including a three-pointer, to give Lomira a 34-21 lead.
J. Christian knocked down her third three-pointer of the game, and the Lions’ defense didn’t allow a basket for over five minutes to give the Lions a commanding 50-28 lead over the Vikings.
Lomira got baskets from J. Christian and Goebel to finish off their 54-37 tournament win over the Vikings.
Josie Christian’s 20 points and Lily Christian’s 16 points paved the way for the Lions to advance to the Regional Final.
Lomira girls basketball will play top seed Kohler in the sectional semifinals on March 5 at 7 p.m. at Chilton High School. The sectional finals will be on March 7.
Game Summary
Saturday, Feb. 28
WiAA Tournament-Regional Final
#3 Lomira 28-32 60
#2 Howards Grove 19-27 46
Final
Points: Josie Christian 37. Kennedy Goebel 15. Lily Christian 6. Brianna Frea 1
3pt: J. Christian 4. L. Christian 2. Goebel 1
Friday, Feb. 27
WIAA Tournament-Second Round
#6 WLA 21-16 37
#3 Lomira 34-20 54
Final
Points: Josie Christian 20. Lily Christian 16. Kennedy Goebel 12. Jadalee Luedtke 5. Hanna Faber 1
3pt: L. Christian 4. J. Christian 3. Luedtke 1