On a night when River Falls held La Crosse Central’s all-state senior guard to 22% shooting and nine points less than her season average, head coach Ian Sticht would have thought his Wildcats had a great chance to win.

And they would have if La Crosse Central freshman Alahnna Simpson didn’t have the best scoring performance of her life. 

Simpson’s career-high 32 points, 26 of which came in the first half, proved to be too much for River Falls to overcome. The Riverhawks knocked off the Wildcats 60-49 in the Division 2 regional semifinal in La Crosse on Friday, Feb. 24.

La Crosse Central all-state senior guard Brittney Mislivecek picked up a pair of fouls in the opening minutes of Friday night’s game and subsequently spent nearly the entire first half on the bench. That paved the way for Simpson to have the best 18-minute stretch of her young career.

Her lights-out performance began around the 12-minute mark when River Falls held a 7-6 advantage. That’s when Simpson scored 10 unanswered points that gave La Crosse Central a 16-7 lead with just under 10 minutes to play in the first half.

Simpson continued her scoring surge late into the half as she hit mid-range jumpers and slashed to the rim for layups seemingly at will. In the closing seconds before the break, she achieved the elusive four-point play, as she buried a three-pointer and got fouled in the act. Simpson made the free throw and gave her Riverhawks a 34-19 lead going into the break.

“She was unreal in that first half,” Sticht said. “I think we had some lapses where we didn’t cover our gaps and were not physical enough with her. But also credit to her – she was cooking. Watching the film we knew she could score when she got downhill, but she hasn’t shot the ball well this year, so we planned to give her space and let her shoot over the top – that obviously backfired.”

No team ever wants to be trailing by double digits in a playoff game. However, River Falls felt as if it wasn’t over. The Wildcats had been in that position in several instances this year and multiple times found ways to get back into the game.

Perhaps none more notable than the regular season home contest against Eau Claire North on Feb. 11. River Falls trailed by 14 midway through the second half of that game and still found a way to grind out a victory. Sticht spoke about how that impacted the locker room feeling at halftime against La Crosse.

“I think we felt at halftime that we had a chance,” Sticht said. “We have been in that position a few times this year where we were down and have been able to come back in the second half. We weren’t turning the ball over and we were getting a lot of shots we wanted and felt good about, but they were not going in.”

River Falls methodically chipped away at La Crosse Central’s lead and had cut it to nine, 46-37, with eight minutes to play. The Wildcats went on a 10-3 run over the next five minutes to cut the advantage to two points, 49-47, and even had possession with a chance to tie or take the lead.

La Crosse Central showed its killer instinct in those final three minutes, as the Riverhawks finished the game on an 11-2 run that sealed River Falls’ 60-49 defeat in the regional semifinal. The Wildcats finished the season 9-14 overall and 5-9 in Big Rivers Conference games.

Friday night’s game marked the end of senior Ella Peters and Olivia Pizzi’s high school basketball careers. The two longtime Lady Wildcat starters leave a lasting legacy in the program with their play on the floor and their leadership in the locker room.

“Ella and Olivia are two of the best kids I have ever coached,” Sticht said. “They are great teammates, leaders and hard workers. They lead by example day in and day out and would do anything to help their team or teammates. It’s hard to put into words how much they have meant to the program because they also have parents that have been just incredible to work with. Both of their dads served on the youth basketball board for many years. Olivia’s mom coordinated all the team meals the last few years. Ella’s parents volunteer so much time to do the broadcast. I’m incredibly sad to see them and their families graduate.”

Pizzi finished her career with 99 made three-pointers, the second-most in program history. Although she ended up being a high-impact player for multiple years, that wasn’t always guaranteed. Sticht spoke about her dedication to developing and getting better as a young player.

“The thing with Oivia is that she was on JV2 for some of her freshman year,” Sticht said. “It really shows what kind of a person she is – instead of quitting or blaming others, she put in so much work to get to where she is now. The fact that she graduates with 99 threes is just a great story of how anyone willing to put the time in can find success.”

While Peters and Pizzi will graduate in May, a majority of River Falls’ roster will return for the 2023-24 season next winter.