Cardinals rout Menomonie girls

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By JON WEISBROD The Chippewa Herald
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 10:29 AM CST

With 47 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the lively Chi-Hi students section began a chant directed at the Menomonie girls basketball team.

It was simple: “Season’s over!”

The game, however, was done long before that.

Behind a dizzying display from downtown in the first half by Sam Buonauro, the third-seeded Cardinals buried the sixth-seeded Indians early, en route to a 63-25 victory in the opening round of the WIAA Division 1 playoffs Tuesday.

With the victory, the Cardinals (17-5) earn a spot in the regional final against No.2 Eau Claire North on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Eau Claire.

Buonauro cranked in four 3-pointers in the first 16 minutes, leading the Chi-Hi offense that shot 70 percent from the floor in the first two quarters. The Cardinals sailed to a 37-8 halftime lead.

“We’ve had games like this before, but not at this type of level so early (in the game),” Chi-Hi coach Jeff Dahl said. “It’s hard to learn much from a performance like this, but we can just hope to continue and feed off it.”

Buonauro, who needs one more 3-pointer to tie Stephanie Johnson’s single-season record of 47, poured in all of her game-high 18 points in the first half. She did not miss a shot from beyond the arc and was 7-for-9 from the field. She also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

“She really sparked us,” Dahl said of her senior sharp-shooter. “That’s exactly what you wanna do — jump out on a team early. It makes everything that much easier.”

Emily Mattison — who rattled in a last-second 14-foot jumper right before the halftime buzzer — chipped in with 13 points, three assists and two steals.

As dazzling as the offensive numbers were, Dahl was a bit more charmed by his team’s defensive effort.

“Our plan tonight was to come out and play good defense,” Dahl said. “I think the biggest difference in this game compared to last Friday’s was our intensity on defense. I was very pleased.”

Chi-Hi held the Indians to nine total field goals — none in the third quarter — and 24 percent shooting from the floor.

The Cardinals’ blistering first-half performance started in the game’s opening possession when Buonauro splashed in a 3-pointer from the left wing. She would score Chi-Hi’s first seven points, finishing with 11 in the first quarter alone.

The Indians (2-18) didn’t surpass 11 points as a team until early in the fourth.