Pair of aces

There will be good news and bad news for the Greater Metro Conference girls basketball teams next season concerning two-time defending champion Brookfield Central.

The good news: two-time league player of the year Joana Bielefeld will be playing soccer at Ohio University.

The bad news: Erin Lueder, a two-time all-conference performer, will be back to run the show for her senior year.

Bielefeld and Lueder provided the Lady Lancers with an extraordinary one-two punch that led the Lady Lancers to a conference title with a 14-0 record, a 21-game winning streak, a 22-2 overall record and a second straight trip to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament.

As a result, the duo was named to the CNI/NOW All-Suburban Girls Basketball Team for its efforts, repeating a feat it accomplished after last season.

"I'm ecstatic," Bielefeld said when reminded of what the Lady Lancers accomplished this season. "But it couldn't have happened without the help of all my teammates. I thank them and tip my hat to them. It's something that I will never forget."

The senior guard leaves the program as its second-leading scorer with 907 points, behind only Kelly Svetz's 1,219 points from 1994-97.

"That is pretty cool," she said. "I kind of have to think having been on the team four years, it comes with that."

Lueder appreciated Bielefeld's leadership as well as what she brought to the court.

"She was a good example of someone to look up to," the junior tri-captain said. "She did everything you were supposed to do. She tried hard at practice. She would cheer everyone on if she was on the bench. She was just someone to look up to as a senior."

Making something happen

Central coach Dan Wandrey agreed with Lueder. The veteran coach often put the ball in Bielefeld's hands when the game was on the line, and it was up to the gutsy senior to make something happen.

"She had no fear on the court," he said. "It wasn't that she was afraid of making a mistake or being afraid to lose, it was her trying to win so much what drove her and she would do it. She wanted to win that bad."

"She was a flat-out, true go-to player. When we had to run a play, she had the ball, but the beauty of that was everyone knew she would have the ball and she would still make something happen."

Bielefeld's coolness in the clutch was evident on three occasions late this season. In the closing seconds of Central's 37-34 win over Divine Savior Holy Angels, Bielefeld drove the lane, and when the Dashers converged on her, she passed to Lueder, who sank the winning 3-pointer.

When Central nipped Brookfield East, 48-46, in the regional finals, Bielefeld was double-teamed but found sophomore Valerie Rose Agnello, who drove the lane for the winning basket.

Finally, with a trip to state on the line in the sectional championship game, Bielefeld drove the lane in the final seconds and flipped in the winning basket that beat Muskego, 33-32.

Next in line

With Bielefeld gone, it will be up to Lueder to help carry the torch for the Lady Lancers next season. This winter, she moved from shooting guard to point guard, sacrificed her scoring to run the offense, while still being Central's top shutdown defender.

"She handled (the switch) really well," Bielefeld said. "Whenever the team needs her, she is there to fill a hole. Everybody has confidence in her."

Starting with Wandrey.

"When Joana has missed a game or has been in foul trouble, Erin has stepped up for us," he said. "I remember when Joana had to miss the Brookfield East game last year; Erin came through and scored 28 points.

"She is a combination of a great player and also has an understanding of what I am looking for and how I approach the game."

And if the game is on the line, Bielefeld said the Lancers are in good hands with Lueder making the decisions.

"I compare her to myself," Bielefeld said. "The way she adjusts to situations, the leadership role she played this past year. She's following in my footsteps.

"And I learned a lot from her. I hand over (the torch) to her with confidence."

Tom "Sky" Skibosh can be reached at (262) 446-6620. Read Sky's blog at

www.BrookfieldNOW.com.

BY THE NUMBERS

20.2

combined points per game for Joana Bielefeld and Erin Lueder

7.3

combined assists per game for Bielefeld and Lueder

6.4

combined rebounds per game for Bielefeld and Lueder

4.0

combined steals per game for Bielefeld and Lueder