Florence freshman Miley VanDenHeuvel (23) brings the ball up court as Niagara senior Rachael Walker (21) applies defensive pressure during Thursday’s matchup at Florence County High School. (Terry Raiche photo)

FLORENCE, Wis. — After dropping its first game of the 2024-25 season, the Niagara girls varsity basketball team took its talents to Florence, Wis. looking to bounce back against the LadyCats on Thursday.

The Lady Badgers did just that, catching fire from 3-point land and taking down Florence, 52-37, at Florence County High School.

“This is a rivalry game and we knew that they were good,” Niagara head coach Karl Lamoreaux said. “They dominated their first game and we lost our first game. I thought that we played well in our loss. It’s just that Laona/Wabeno is an extremely good team.

“So the message was, ‘Show who we are. Because I think we’re a good team. But, I think Florence is a good team too. So, we have to come out and really play.”

The Lady Cats opened with a lopsided win against Wausaukee on Tuesday. However, they couldn’t carry that momentum into Thursday.

“I felt good, but it’s hard to gauge this early,” Florence head coach Kris Johnson said. “We won handily on Tuesday, but it didn’t feel like we were put in a lot of tough, pressure situations. It felt like tonight was the first time we were there and it looked like it was a shocker for some of my girls, especially at the end of the first half.

“We were hanging there for a long time and all of the sudden it’s a 12-or-13 point lead. When us and Niagara are playing, that’s a big lead. Certainly give the Badgers a lot of credit for their preparation, mindset and the way they came into the game.”

After falling to the Rebels in their opener, Lamoreaux felt the biggest difference for the Lady Badgers was how confidently they handled the ball.

“We were able to attack,” Lamoreaux said. “We were able to move the ball and move it quick enough to get those open threes. I think the confidence and handling the ball and moving that ball was an improvement from the first game.

“I’m really happy with the way we played,” Lamoreaux added. “Even in our loss, (they showed) great effort. This team will work. This is a really good win for us.”

Although the Lady Badgers hung close with Laona/Wabeno on Tuesday, they struggled to get shots to drop. That wasn’t the case on Thursday as they connected on eight 3-pointers while holding the LadyCats to five 3-point makes.

“It is wonderful and we have the two sisters, (Mallory and Bristol Sanicki), that can really light it up,” Lamoreaux added. “We’ve got other girls that can hit it, but those two can consistently hit it. When they’re rolling, we’re going to be dangerous.”

Sophomore Bristol Sanicki hit the first 3-pointer for Niagara, giving it a 5-0 lead in the first half.

Florence senior Kamdan Johnson stopped the run with a floater in the paint and then she found Bryn Sullivan cutting to the rim, as the LadyCats cut the Niagara lead to one.

The teams traded baskets from there until the Lady Badgers took a 13-11 lead. Then both teams’ offenses fell silent for nearly six minutes.

Bristol Sanicki broke the tie with a 3-pointer from the right wing and Niagara took off. When the halftime buzzer sounded, the LadyCats trailed 29-13.

“We had to change something,” coach Johnson said. “That team is a streaky-shooting team. Sometimes they make outside shots, sometimes they don’t. Tonight, they did.

“We were a little more worried about their inside game, so we played a zone and they caught fire. Their shooters were shooting it well, so we changed over to a man defense, crept our pressure up and tried to double the ball to create turnovers. And we did, it got exciting there with four minutes left.”

Florence adjusted its pressure as Kamdan Johnson poured in 14 points in the second half. That helped cut the Niagara lead down to 11. However, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide.

“Thanks to Laona/Wabeno, because they pressed us the whole game and we got 36 minutes of practice at it on Tuesday, we were ready for it,” Lamoreaux said. “We watched a little film and saw what press it was. … We handled the first press great. The second press, when they changed to a run and jump, we struggled a little bit. But we’ll work on it, we’ll get that.”

Senior Mallory Sanicki led Niagara with 25 points. She hit four 3-points while going 9 for 11 at the free throw line.

“She played a great game,” Lamoreaux said. “It’s actually who she is and can be on a nightly basis. … She’s a good player.”

The Lady Badgers also received contributions from Bristol Sanicki (9 points), Alivia Kleikamp (3 points), Rachel Walker (4 points) and Sydney Swanson (11 points).

Kamdan Johnson led Florence with 21 points.

The LadyCats also received contributions from Naomi Millan (2 points), CeCe Mills (8 points), Bryn Sullivan (2 points), Miley VanDenHeuvel (2 points) and Abby Novak (2 points).

Although her name didn’t show up on the scoreboard, LadyCats’ freshman Kelsi Chrisman was active on the defensive end.

“It’s huge,” coach Johnson said. “That was a big part of giving us an opportunity down the stretch. (Chrisman) and Kamdan were working well together, knowing when to double team, when to pressure.

“We leaned on her a lot tonight and she delivered.”

Florence and Niagara are off until Dec. 3.

The LadyCats return to play at home against Elcho at 5:30 p.m. while the Lady Badgers kick off the home portion of their schedule against Gillett at 7:15 p.m.