The Elmwood/Plum City girls’ basketball team may have found a way to turn the season around, even during a game in which the Wolves lost in excruciating fashion.

In the first game of the Elmwood/Plum City Holiday Tournament, the Wolves trailed by as many as nine points late in the second half against the Alma/Pepin Eagles. However, they battled back and took a one-point lead with eight seconds to play before Alma/ Pepin hit a jumper at the buzzer to steal a 3635 win.

With the loss, Elmwood/Plum City dropped to 1-6 overall with the lone victory coming against Glenwood City on Dec. 9. Although devastating, the loss was the first time all season – except for the one win – that the Wolves lost by less than nine points and remained competitive until the end.

Elmwood/Plum City’s success against Alma/Pepin, a team that entered with a 5-3 overall record, was in large part because of the implementation of a full-court press that generated turnovers and gave the Eagles fits, particularly in the second half as the Wolves chipped away at the lead.

“Being 1-6 there had been a lot of reflection since we played last Tuesday, and we’ve been modifying our identity a bit,” Elmwood/ Plum City head coach Tom Sauve said. “With the speed and athleticism we have, we figured we’d do a full-court press, which we implemented over two practices.”

Despite not having a full week of practice in the full-court press, Elmwood/Plum City went to their new defense and had almost immediate success. With just over three minutes left, the Wolves trailed by seven and needed help. That’s when the full-court press took over.

After EPC senior Hannah Forster made a layup to cut the lead to five, 32-27, the Wolves put on the full-court press, which forced a steal and led to another Forster layup. The score made it a one-possession game, 32-29, with just under two minutes to play.

A couple of possessions later, Elmwood/ Plum City trailed 34-31. That’s when EPC senior Allyson Fleishauer went slashing into the lane and made a contested layup to cut the lead to one point, 34-33, with 11 seconds to play. Alma/Pepin missed two free throws on the ensuing possession which gave the Wolves the ball trailing by just one with 11 seconds left.

Almost immediately after getting the ball, Alma/Pepin committed an ill-advised foul that sent the aforementioned Forster to the line, where she buried both free throws to take the lead, 35-34, with eight seconds left.

On the ensuing inbound, the Eagles threw the ball up the court to sophomore guard Bella Post who turned, fired a midrange jumper at the buzzer, and buried it to secure the 36-35 win over Elmwood/Plum City. Coach Sauve spoke about the last-second loss.

“We know them pretty well because we play them non-conference every year, so we know who we don’t want to shoot,” Sauve said. “We got what we wanted and she made the shot, so kudos to the girl for making it – that’s basketball.”

Although the loss certainly hurts, Elmwood/ Plum City competed against a good team with a winning record, in large part because of the full-court pressure that gave the Eagles issues. Coach Sauve spoke about the conversation with his roster about potentially making the press their identity this season.

“I asked them after the game if they had fun today and they said yes, they enjoyed that style,” Sauve said of the locker room conversation. “I asked them if this (press) is something they want to commit to, and they said yes. Pepin/Alma is doing well in the Dairyland (conference), and I thought (the press) was the reason we had a lead there at the end.”

After the loss against Alma/Pepin on the first day of the Elmwood/Plum City Holiday Tournament, the Wolves suffered a 45-38 defeat against Augusta on the second day of the tournament.

The two defeats drop Elmwood/Plum City’s overall record to 1-7 for the 2022-23 season. However, there is optimism among the players and coaching staff that a refined full-court press could start turning the season around in the coming weeks.

The Wolves will be back in action at home against Independence in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Tip-off for that game is slated for 7:15 p.m.

Alma/Pepin junior guard Bella Post (#10) makes the game-winning jump shot against Elmwood/Plum City just as senior Allyson Fleishauer closes out to contest the shot. Photo by ReaganHoverman