Big East split decision:

The Ozaukee girls’ basketball team split a pair of Big East Conference games last week and had a hand in helping rival Cedar Grove-Belgium drop two contests.

Host Ozaukee topped Cedar Grove-Belgium, 48-34, on Jan. 8, when the visitors’ shooting percentage basically matched the temperature.

“We knew Cedar Grove would be a tough task. They are well-coached,” Warriors coach Tim Wolff said.

“Our girls really executed the game plan. We tried to keep them from getting the ball inside and did a really good job of that, especially down the stretch.

Ozaukee made 13 of 18 free-throw attempts and was 7-for-18 behind the arc.

Becca Schauer led Ozaukee with 12 points and six assists. Sisters Greta and Gabby Klas each scored 10 points, and Gabby added five rebounds.

The Warriors’ Abby Miller finished with six rebounds.

Cedar Grove-Belgium’s Amy TenHaken led all scorers with 18 points, including four three-pointers, and had seven rebounds.

“She did a really nice job,” Rockets coach Jason Jones said, praising his guard for success driving to the basket and shooting outside.

Even so, putting the ball in the basket was not the Rockets’ strength on this night.

Cedar Grove-Belgium attempted 56 shots but only made 13 (23%), including a 7-for-32 effort on three-pointers (22%). The Rockets made only one of six free throws.

The Rockets’ Alex Mentink scored six points, and Ellie Felsinger had seven rebounds.

The Warriors held a double-digit lead in the first half, but the Rockets closed the gap and trailed by only 21-17 at the break.

In the second half, the Warriors jumped ahead by 10 again and pulled away.

Last Saturday, Ozaukee faced a sharp Howards Grove team on the road and lost, 57-40.

“We knew it would be really tough,” Wolff said.

“They are a well-coached team with a lot of talent. We didn’t shoot very well, especially from three-point range.”

The Warriors, who normally shoot well from beyond the arc, were 1-for-18 from long range.

“We knew we were going to have to hit some to have a chance,” Wolff said.

“We were just not able to score enough in the beginning to stay competitive. We played hard the whole game. In the second half, we did outscore them.”

The Tigers improved to 10-0 and stand atop the conference.

“They were probably the best team we played all year,” Wolff said.

“Hopefully, if we get to see them again, we can give them a tougher game.”

The Warriors struggled offensively early and trailed, 29-9, at halftime.

Ozaukee played a much better second half and outscored the Tigers, 31-28, but it was far too little too late.

Schauer led the Warriors with 17 points, five assists and four steals. Cami Miller scored six points and pulled down seven rebounds in one of her best games of the season.

The Warriors finished last week at 6-4 in conference and 10-4 overall. This week, they played Sheboygan Falls in a nonconference game Monday and will host Kohler on Thursday in a Big East contest.

Rockets fall to Bombers

Cedar Grove-Belgium fell behind early and never recovered in a 55-38 home loss to Kohler last Friday.

Kohler’s Cecilia Zielke led all scorers with 18 points.

“She’s a really good player, just smart with the ball, a very aggressive player,” Jones said.

Mentink scored 13 points for the Rockets, including three three-pointers, and Felsinger also netted 13.

The Rockets shot 36% from the field and went 12-for-15 on free throws.

The Blue Bombers took advantage of 29 Cedar Grove-Belgium turnovers to score 20 points. They didn’t press but played an aggressive half-court defense and a 1-3-1 zone that gave the Rockets trouble, Jones said.

“We just can’t take these teams lightly. The Big East is a tough conference,” he said.

“It has one or two teams ranked in the state every year, and we have to come out every night and be ready to hustle.”

Kohler improved to  6-4 in the conference,  and Cedar Grove-Belgium fell to 4-6.

This week, the Rockets were to play at nonconference foe Port Washington on Tuesday, face host Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah on Thursday in a Big East game and travel to Campbellsport on Saturday for a nonconference contest.