Mosinee gives Oostburg a scare but falls to unbeaten, defending state champs in D-3 state semifinal.

For a half the Mosinee girls' basketball team were in a position to pull off an upset very few outside their program saw happening. That wasn't because of anything that Mosinee had or hadn't done this season but because of their opponent. Oostburg may have been the top ranked team in Division 3 but they could, arguably, be called the best team in any of the divisions as the state tournament began Thursday at the Resch Center in Green Bay. Not only did the Lady Dutch come in undefeated and the defending state champion, they have defeated three of the four teams competing in the D-1 state tournament this weekend. None of that mattered to Mosinee. In a game that was much closer than the final score indicated, Oostburg moved to 29-0 on the season with a 63-50 victory.

Through 18 minutes of basketball, the Indians had Oostburg frustrated and in a position they are very rarely, if ever, in: down at halftime. Mosinee went to the locker room up 30-22 and had Oostburg's top performers shaking their head in frustration. Sophomore Paetyn Jirschele continued to perform beyond her years with 9 points in the half. However, like the champions they are, Oostburg started the second half red-hot. A 14-0 run to begin the half turned the 8 point Mosinee lead into a 36-30 Oostburg lead. Despite the Lady Dutch avalanche to begin the half, Mosinee did not go away. With just over 4 minutes left in the game Mosinee trailed by just two at 49-47. However, a 14-3 run the rest of the way gave Oostburg the hard fought win.

The Ketterhagen sisters have paced Oostburg all season long and they did so again on Thursday. Senior Riley Ketterhagen (who will be playing her college basketball at D-1 UW-Green Bay next year) led the way with 18 points while Ady Ketterhagen added 14 and sophomore Kinsley Ketterhagen 12. Junior Addy Henrich had 17 points for Mosinee with freshman Pacyn Stoffel battling to a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds and Jirschele finishing with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Mosinee saw a 19 game winning streak end but finishes with a record of 24-5 and first trip to state since 2008.