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STEVENS POINT — Nothing has been promised for the Pacelli girls basketball team in 2026. A slight drop in bodies forced the JV team to cancel its season, and the Cardinals girls varsity team has been forced to most times practice four-on-four.
In the beginning of February, in the midst of the Cardinals most dire portion of the conference schedule, the team’s defensive anchor and double-digit scorer Maddy Pionek went down with a torn ACL.
That’s when Pacelli's third-year coach Allison Smaglik felt a spark was lit. A spark that led Pacelli to its first ever appearance in the WIAA state tournament in school history.
Learn more about UWSP coach Dernbach: UW-SP's Kent Dernbach's local roots translate to coaching success
“We were playing for a conference championship,” Smaglik said. “So losing Maddy, I'm going to be completely honest, I didn't know how the season would go after losing her, because we're a small team. So definitely extremely proud of how the girls have overcome those challenges and that adversity to get to where we are. As soon as she tore her ACL, the girls were super emotional. And ever since Maddy went out, you could tell that everyone is stepping up in some sort of way to kind of pick up what she brought to the team.
“They've been competing hard every single game and doing the little things. If we have a rough first half, they're able to turn it around in the second half. And, I know the girls are super excited about this too. I've been getting asked so many different questions from them, and ‘“I'm like, this is my first time going to state too. So you got to be patient with me.”’
Smaglik credits inheriting a talented group when taking over as head coach and that the belief has always existed within the group.
“They're now juniors, but it's always been our goal,” Smaglik said. “With how athletic we were and good we were, you know, we kind of fell short of our goals the first two years.”
Those standout juniors include Jaedyn Zdroik, who leads the Cardinals in points (17.7), rebounds (6.9), assists (6.9) and steals (5.3) per game, and Haylee Cisewski who posts 12 points and six rebounds per game.
Senior Ella Van Order (15.9 points per game) has been the exact model of leadership the Cardinals have needed when it matters most, too.
“Our non conference schedule this year was extremely tough. I mean, everyone we played was ranked at some point in the state. And three of the teams are also going to be at state, which were Lomira, St Mary's Catholic and Mosinee. We beat Lomira, but we lost those two tough games against Mosinee and St Mary's.
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“Maddy is, obviously, our paint presence, and she's never backing down from any moment. Same with Ella Van Order. In that Columbus Catholic game, she said that she wanted to step up to the line, and she did a great job of knocking those two down, which has got us here. We were 0.1 seconds away from not being in this moment right now. So, they all have responded to tight games, and you can tell that pressure doesn't bother them.”
When Pacelli takes the floor at the Resch Center in Green Bay on Thursday, March 12 to face No. 3 Barneveld – which is making its second consecutive appearance in the state tournament – in the Division 5 state semifinal, the message is to enjoy but also seize the moment.
“You never know when you're going to get this opportunity again,” said Smaglik. “I want them to compete and show Wisconsin how well of a team we are. We fight to the end.”
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Reporter Alfred Smith III at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AlfredS_III.
This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Pacelli girls basketball reaches first WIAA state tournament
Continue reading...
In the beginning of February, in the midst of the Cardinals most dire portion of the conference schedule, the team’s defensive anchor and double-digit scorer Maddy Pionek went down with a torn ACL.
That’s when Pacelli's third-year coach Allison Smaglik felt a spark was lit. A spark that led Pacelli to its first ever appearance in the WIAA state tournament in school history.
Learn more about UWSP coach Dernbach: UW-SP's Kent Dernbach's local roots translate to coaching success
“We were playing for a conference championship,” Smaglik said. “So losing Maddy, I'm going to be completely honest, I didn't know how the season would go after losing her, because we're a small team. So definitely extremely proud of how the girls have overcome those challenges and that adversity to get to where we are. As soon as she tore her ACL, the girls were super emotional. And ever since Maddy went out, you could tell that everyone is stepping up in some sort of way to kind of pick up what she brought to the team.
“They've been competing hard every single game and doing the little things. If we have a rough first half, they're able to turn it around in the second half. And, I know the girls are super excited about this too. I've been getting asked so many different questions from them, and ‘“I'm like, this is my first time going to state too. So you got to be patient with me.”’
Smaglik credits inheriting a talented group when taking over as head coach and that the belief has always existed within the group.
“They're now juniors, but it's always been our goal,” Smaglik said. “With how athletic we were and good we were, you know, we kind of fell short of our goals the first two years.”
Those standout juniors include Jaedyn Zdroik, who leads the Cardinals in points (17.7), rebounds (6.9), assists (6.9) and steals (5.3) per game, and Haylee Cisewski who posts 12 points and six rebounds per game.
Senior Ella Van Order (15.9 points per game) has been the exact model of leadership the Cardinals have needed when it matters most, too.
“Our non conference schedule this year was extremely tough. I mean, everyone we played was ranked at some point in the state. And three of the teams are also going to be at state, which were Lomira, St Mary's Catholic and Mosinee. We beat Lomira, but we lost those two tough games against Mosinee and St Mary's.
SPASH boys hockey ends drought: SPASH boys hockey ends 17-year drought: 'A little extra motivation'
“Maddy is, obviously, our paint presence, and she's never backing down from any moment. Same with Ella Van Order. In that Columbus Catholic game, she said that she wanted to step up to the line, and she did a great job of knocking those two down, which has got us here. We were 0.1 seconds away from not being in this moment right now. So, they all have responded to tight games, and you can tell that pressure doesn't bother them.”
When Pacelli takes the floor at the Resch Center in Green Bay on Thursday, March 12 to face No. 3 Barneveld – which is making its second consecutive appearance in the state tournament – in the Division 5 state semifinal, the message is to enjoy but also seize the moment.
“You never know when you're going to get this opportunity again,” said Smaglik. “I want them to compete and show Wisconsin how well of a team we are. We fight to the end.”
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Reporter Alfred Smith III at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AlfredS_III.
This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Pacelli girls basketball reaches first WIAA state tournament
Continue reading...
