Grocholski joins 2,000-point club; Gaier earns 500th win; other news

Kettle Moraine senior Grace Grocholski scored a career-high 35 points and went over 2,000 points in her career during Tuesday’s 77-55 win over Muskego. 

The 5-10 wing added seven rebounds and five assists in the victory.

Grocholski is the 34th player in girls’ basketball history to reach the milestone. 

The NCAA Division I West Virginia recruit is averaging 24.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.4 steals per game for coach Todd Hansen and the defending Division 1 state champions. 

The Lasers, ranked No. 1 in the Division 1 WisSports.net Coaches Poll, are 18-1 overall and 11-0 in the Classic Eight. 

Kettle Moraine’s most recent win was against D1 No. 7 Arrowhead, 56-52, with Grocholski netting a game-high 29 points. The Lasers ended the game on a 15-3 run.

Neillsville head coach John Gaier earned his 500th career victory last week. 

Gaier is currently 502-113 overall with a 445-71 record (.862 winning percentage) as the girls’ coach at Neillsville.

He has guided the Warriors to all six of their state tournament appearances, including winning the Division 4 state championship in 2012. 

Neillsville is 19-0 overall and 13-0 in the Cloverbelt East. They are ranked No. 7 in the Division 4 WSN Coaches Poll, one of five unbeaten teams remaining in the state, and have won 54 consecutive conference games, the third-longest active winning streak in the state for league games.   

Jefferson head coach Dena Smith won her 300th career game on Thursday night when the Eagles defeated Whitewater, 40-37.

Smith is in her second stint as Jefferson’s head coach. She guided the Eagles to the Division 2 state championship in 2005. 

Dena also had coaching stops at Shell Lake, West Allis Central, and Lake Mills, compiling a 300-204 record. 

Jefferson is currently 9-11 overall and 7-7 in the Rock Valley. 

Winneconne senior Joey Perry dropped a career-best 40 points in Monday’s 60-48 win over defending Division 3 state champion Waupun (D3 #8). Perry, a 5-7 point guard, is averaging 20.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.8 steals, and 2.2 blocks per game for coach Andrea Flease and the Wolves, 8-12 overall and 5-5 in the East Central. 

Reedsburg junior Sydney Cherney scored 38 points on Monday in a 75-63 loss to Edgewood. Cherney, a 5-9 guard, leads the state with 31.3 points per game and has three performances with over 40 points, scoring a program-record 50 points in a win over Monona Grove last month. Cherney, who holds four NCAA Division II offers, also tallies 12.4 rebounds per game for coach Mark Simon and the 17-4 Beavers. 

Wilmot junior McKenna Johnson netted 37 points in the Panthers’ 52-48 victory against Burlington on Tuesday. The 5-8 lefty guard is seventh in the state in scoring with 25.4 points per game for coach Keith Skrzynecki and the Panthers, 6-15 overall and 3-8 in the Southern Lakes. Johnson, who holds several NCAA Division I offers, scored a career-high 47 points against Burlington earlier in the season. 

Altoona junior Alyssa Wirth scored a career-high 35 points in the Railroaders’ 59-52 win over Colfax on Tuesday. Wirth, a 6-5 center, is averaging 15.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game for coach Michelle Peplinski and the Railroaders, 10-8 overall and 5-4 in the Middle Border. Wirth is committed to the University of Minnesota. Altoona handed conference leader Prescott its first league loss of the season on Thursday, winning 53-47. 

Single-Game Scoring Leaders

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