Feb. 21, 2015 By Alexander Calles

It has been a rough and disappointing season for the Warhawks. After making it to the D-III Final Four just a season ago, this year was should have been headed in a different direction. There has been injuries to key players like Lisa Palmer’s broken hand that definitely have an effect on how the team plays, but in any given season, those things can happen.

The Warhawks, 13-12, still did finish the season on a high note. After beating UW-Stevens Point (11-12) 64-52 on Feb. 11, they ended the season above the .500 mark with two more wins. This may not seem like the Final Four just over a year ago, but as a struggling team this could be beneficial for next season along with new recruits.

The Hawks to end a down season with an above .500 mark. The way this season has gone, would be an accomplishment in itself. The next game on the schedule is Feb. 14 against UW-River Falls on the road. In the first meeting against the Falcons, the Warhawks won 77-55.

The game that would have been a roadblock for the Warhawks is against No. 19 ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll, UW-Oshkosh (19-3) on Feb. 18 on the road. In the previous meeting, the Titans beat the Warhawks 72-58 in the first half of the season, but the Warhawks won 68-66.

In the first meeting, the Titans got off to a fast start, shooting 14-of-18 in the first half. The Titans had three player in double-digit scoring led by guard Taylor Schmidt with 17, forward Alex Richard with 14 and guard Ashley Neustifter with 10. In addition to those scorers, all the players that entered the game scored at least one point. On the other end of the court, the Hawks had two players score over 10 points.

The way the Titans were shooting, it seemed as if there were no defenders on the floor. It looked like the Warhawks were playing defense in the All-Star game.

Brooke Trewyn led the team in minutes, rebound, assists, steals, and points with 17. The second leading scorer was center Kate McKay with 10 points.

In the rematch, the Warhawks were able to eke out a 68-66 road victory on Feb. 18 spurned by Trewyn’s late free throws.

In the season finale, the Hawks got a crowd that brought a lot of energy to the game, and ended this down season with a win.

The Warhawks are headed to the WIAC tournament on Feb. 24, but will be underdogs in a top-heavy WIAC conference.