Eisenhower's long wait finally over

New Berlin — This time, the tears shed were those of joy and relief - not heartbreak and disbelief.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock and the New Berlin Eisenhower girls basketball team defeated Grafton, 62-54, in a WIAA Division 2 sectional final at Waukesha South on Saturday, Lions coach Gary Schmidt threw his fists in the air, grinning ear to ear.

The victory not only ended Eisenhower's 22-year long state tournament drought, but also helped erase some memories of the 2007 season finale, when Grafton rallied from nine points down in the final five minutes to beat Eisenhower, 47-45, in the Lions' only other sectional final appearance in Schmidt's nine-year tenure.

"Not only did we want this for ourselves, but we wanted this for him, especially since this was the team he lost to three years ago in the exact same game," said Eisenhower junior forward Anna Hahn, who scored 16 points. "It feels good that this win helped everyone feel good."

Free throws a key

On Saturday, the Lions made 15 of 21 free throws over the final 5 minutes, 20 seconds of the game, and fended off the defending state champion Blackhawks down the stretch.

With 30 seconds left, Carley Pfannerstill's 3-pointer pulled Grafton within four at 58-54. But Lions senior Megan Tkachuk made one of two free throws with 21 seconds remaining, and sophomore Nicole Bauman blocked a Grafton 3-point attempt at the other end to help seal the win.

It wasn't until Bauman, who made nine of 11 free throws in the fourth, sank a pair with 1.5 seconds left that Schmidt exhaled, however.

"Without a doubt," Schmidt said when asked if he was having flashbacks to 2007. "I told my assistant, 'We've got to make the free throws.' And I thought we did, the ones we needed. The girls were in tune. You could see it at the line - they were focused, they wanted it and I'm just glad (the free throws) went in this time. I'm very happy about that."

Heading to Madison

It is the Lions' first state tournament appearance since 1988. Eisenhower (24-2) will play Altoona (18-9) in a state semifinal at approximately 3:15 p.m. Friday at the Kohl Center in Madison.

"It's every coach's dream, and I'm no different than anyone else," Schmidt said. "You work hard year after year, and it's everyone's dream come November that you're going to win your first game, that you're eventually going to win conference and then get all the way to state. Getting here is sweet, there's no doubt about it.

"This is such a great group of kids and they deserve this because they put so much effort in the offseason and during the season. I'm so happy for my kids. It's a great feeling."

Hard-fought battle

Grafton (16-11) did not make it easy on Eisenhower on Saturday. The Blackhawks' pressure helped cause eight Eisenhower turnovers in the Lions' first 12 possessions and 13 total in the first half. A desperation heave by Grafton's Abbey Benzschawel from near halfcourt trimmed Eisenhower's lead to 24-21 at the intermission.

"We threw the ball around; we were a little hyped," Schmidt said. "That's going to happen. I told them, 'Don't be afraid. We can't stop doing what we're doing.' We took a timeout, settled down and turned the tide a little bit."

Eisenhower senior Kali Shandley scored nine of her team-high 17 points in the quarter.

"To get this far and to have one of my better games - as a team, we pulled it together," Shandley said.

Another 3 by Benzschawel to start the second half tied the score at 24-24, but a tight third quarter ended with five straight points from Hahn that gave the Lions some breathing room at 43-36.

Shandley scored a pair of baskets in the first minute of the fourth before the Lions went to the free-throw line for the final 15 points.

Benzschawel tallied 17 points for Grafton. In addition to her 14 points, Bauman had nine assists and seven rebounds. Hahn chipped in with five boards.

"This is the most amazing feeling," Hahn said. "Ever since I was little, I've dreamed of going to state. Especially after the boys won (state) a couple years ago (2008), we all talked about how cool it would be and now that's finally here, it's unbelievable.

"As of (Saturday), it was just our goal to get there. But now I think that we're finally there, of course we want to win."

Sectional semifinal

SCORE: Eisenhower 65, Pewaukee 52

WHEN: Thursday, March 18

WHERE: Waukesha West High School

LOWDOWN: Pewaukee (22-4) trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half, but rallied to within three at 41-38 when Brittany Groer drained a 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 30 seconds left in the third quarter. … That's when Lions guard Nicole Bauman (20 points) took over. The sophomore led her team on an 11-0 run to close the third and extend Eisenhower's lead to 52-38. During the stretch, Bauman scored nine points. She started the run by driving to the hoop immediately after Groer's 3 and on Pewaukee's next possession, Bauman stepped into the passing lane, stole the ball and raced to the other end for a layup. … Bauman also contributed eight steals and four assists. … Anna Hahn (15 points) got the Lions started early by scoring seven points as Eisenhower built a 19-6 first-quarter lead. Hahn scored six more in the second to help the Lions carry a 35-29 lead into halftime. … The win avenged the Lions' 59-52 loss to Pewaukee on Jan. 30, Eisenhower's first of the season after starting with 14 straight wins.

→ Looking back: Former star recalls last trip to tournament. Page 14

→ Matchups: Preview of Division 2 tournament field. Page 14