By Murray Gleffe
Correspondent
DE PERE — What more can be said about De Pere freshman girls’ basketball guard Claire Bjorge.
All Bjorge did was come off the bench and score 35 points to help propel the Redbirds to an 86-45 victory Jan. 16 over previously undefeated Green Bay Southwest.
“Claire gives us a great scoring threat off the bench,” said Jeremy Boileau, De Pere head coach. “She plays with tons of energy. She was assertive with her dribble-drive to the rim to get contact and get to the line. We got our big (Sophia McCarty) into foul trouble early, and it took a bit to get going. Fortunately, we started hitting our perimeter shots.”
Bjorge came into the game averaging 10 points per game.
McKenna Ciesielczyk notched 17 points and four assists, and Jordan Meulemans added 15 for the Redbirds (14-2 overall).
The De Pere bench outscored the Trojans, 50-10.
Southwest (4-1) jumped out to a quick start with Madison McFerrin hitting two 3-pointers and connecting on a jumper in the lane for a a 20-13 lead with 11:18 remaining in the first half.
During the span, the Trojans pulled down six offensive rebounds, showcasing their physical style of play.
On the Redbirds’ next possession, Allison Wettstein hit an elbow jumper, and De Pere didn’t stop there.
A 17-2 run over the course of the next eight minutes gave it a 32-22 lead, with Bjorge nailing multiple threes.
During the spurt, Southwest turned the ball over five times and burned two timeouts to try and thwart the home team’s momentum.
The Redbirds ended the half strong and took a comfortable 44-27 lead into the break.
“We did a better job down the stretch of making Southwest go one and out from the field,” said Boileau. “We sped them up, and our defensive pressure took hold. Thus, we were able to score easier in transition.”
Eajah Danforth knocked down a triple two minutes into the second half for the Trojans, but eight of their first 10 second-half possessions came up empty.
“Our message going in was to hold Meulemans to under 15 and get McCarty into foul trouble,” said Berri West, Southwest head coach. “We accomplished those two things, but unfortunately, after the great start, we didn’t finish around the rim and let De Pere’s bench score lots of points. We’re a young team, and the kids are still learning. We have great shooters, but we have to knock down more than what we did tonight.”
De Pere extended its lead to 68-39 after Greta Czachor connected on a left-wing jumper.
The Redbirds initiated a running clock down the stretch after the point differential reached 40 points.
“To have multiple girls who can score like we did today is huge,” said Boileau. “We have to continue to play with confidence and pick each other up when we have some ups and downs.”
Box score:
Green Bay Southwest: 27, 18 — 45
De Pere: 44, 42 — 86
Trojans: McFerrin 14, Pytleski 11, Hill 8, Danforth 3, Stevens 2, Holmes 2, House 2, Siudzinski 2, Bynum 1.
Redbirds: Bjorge 35, Ciesielczyk 17, Meulemans 15, Wettstein 12, Czachor 2, McCarty 2, Witteck 2, Wall 1.