By John Kemmeter

For the first time since winning the State Title in 2009, the Amherst High School girls basketball team is headed to the State Tournament.

The Amherst High School girls basketball team celebrates after it earned a trip to the WIAA Division 3 State Tournament with a 50-39 win over Southern Door in a Sectional Final at Kaukauna Saturday, March 3.
(John Kemmeter photo)

The third-ranked Falcons (25-1) avenged a season-ending loss from a year ago when it knocked off top-ranked Wrightstown (23-2) in a WIAA Division 3 Sectional Semifinal at Menasha Thursday, March 1, and then won 50-39 over Southern Door (21-5) in the Sectional Final at Kaukauna Saturday, March 3, to advance to state.

Amherst is set to face Milwaukee Saint Thomas Moore (21-5) in a WIAA Division 3 State Semifinal at the Resch Center in Green Bay at 3:15 p.m. Thursday, March 8, with the winner to play in the State Championship Game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 10.

“It’s an amazing feeling, just watching the boys go to state every year for football, and finally being able to realize what this feels like,” said Amherst senior center Heather Pearson. “This was my dream my whole four years of going to high school, I’ve always wanted to go to state, and it’s finally come true.”

“I love seeing how happy everyone is, and I love this team to death,” said junior guard Ashley Groshek. “Last year was our first year in D3, and I think if we would have got this trip right away, it wouldn’t have meant as much.

“That that was our motivation all year, ‘we don’t want to feel like that again,’” she said.

The 2017-18 Amherst High School girls basketball team enters the WIAA Division 3 State Tournament this weekend with a 25-1 record. Team members are, front row from left: Shailyn Brooks, Lauren Boelte, Heather Pearson, Maizie Berry, Lindsay Dose and Amara Benn. Middle: Erin Lutz, River Dombrowski, Grace Moe, Ashley Groshek, Geena Jensen, head coach Gregg Jensen and manager Hannah Hoffman. Back row: Assistant coaches Jeff Lutz, Marcus Jensen, Claire Glodowski and Joey Biadasz.
(John Kemmeter photo)

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