Strong second halves win Port regional title

It didn’t come easy and it may not have looked pretty, but that Division 2 regional title plaque is a welcome accessory for the first time in a quarter century at Port Washington High School.

The Pirate girls won the hardware at home with a 59-45 victory over rival Cedarburg on Saturday behind the strength of their senior post player.

Norah Merow had 29 points on 12-for-21 shooting, 19 rebounds, four blocks and three steals.

“We didn’t really play that well but we were able to use our height and feed Norah and we just kept going to her because it was working,” coach Dave Ross said.

Her 19 boards, he said, might be a school record.

Winning the regional was also noteworthy. It’s the first time Port won such a title since 2000, back when Dave Ross was in his first stint as coach of the Pirates before a successful run at Cedarburg. He returned to Port last season.

“I was so excited for the girls. I’ve been very fortunate to experience regional titles. When somebody hasn’t experienced it, they don’t know what you’re talking about. To watch the girls look around — ‘Oh my gosh, we did it,’” Ross said.

“The excitement is different. You talk about it, but when it happens it’s so nice to see them have that success. You can’t take it away from them. They’re regional champs.”

Point guard Savanna Miller had 12 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. She went 8-for-8 on free throws. Delaney Rauch had 11 points on 5-for-11 shooting. Grace Riley had seven points, going 7-for-9 on free throws.

Port took the lead in the second half after a tight first 18 minutes.

“We took some gambles early and it didn’t pay off,” Ross said.

“We were just a little bit late on some of our entries that really cost us more in the first half. We probably were late on passes to Norah or Delaney seven or eight times that cost us baskets.”

In the second half, the strategy was clear.

“Just go to Norah and play good defense, and I figured we’d wear them out. That’s kinda what happened,” Ross said. “We just slowly pulled away.”

Late in the game, the plan was to get Miller the ball since she’s a 75% free-throw shooter.

“That’s important, having her be the leader out there,” Ross said.

It was the second time Port beat Cedarburg this season. The Pirates beat the Bulldogs at home, 61-24, on Dec. 9.

Saturday’s repeat win came one day after the Pirates beat visiting Kewaskum for the third time this season in a regional semifinal. This one ended 49-38, a harder-fought victory than the first two contests.

Port fell behind, 15-5, in the game’s first 11 and a half minutes, before battling back to trail 21-19 at halftime.

Seven minutes into the second half, Merow hit a shot inside that gave Port a 30-28 lead that they never relinquished.

Merow had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Miller had 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Rauch had eight points and 10 rebounds, many on the defensive side late in the game.

Sophomore Grace Riley had 14 points, going 4-for-4 on three-pointers.

“Grace had an outstanding game. We work on shooting, but you still have to be able to do it. She took care of that,” Ross said.

The game changed after halftime. Merow got more involved, and Port’s defense put the clamps on the Indians.

“Ross yelled at us and said we gotta get it together. We all wanted it bad,” Rauch said.

“It was a little nerve-wracking at first. After halftime, coach helped us relax,” Miller said.

“I think in the second half we fed it into the post a lot more. They are kind of shorter so that really opens it up for me,” Merow said. “And we were able to kick it out more and we had more ball movement.”

Ross was proud his team didn’t fold like it sometimes has in the past.

“It was a big win for our girls — to watch them when things were tough not to crumble,” he said. “When things are going bad we don’t stop encouraging that those shots are going to fall.”

No. 4-seeded Port, 18-7, plays at No. 3-seeded Beaver Dam (20-6) on Thursday, March 5.