Jim Den Hollander, Capital Newspapers
Wisconsin Dells sophomore Heather Conroy, No. 12, takes the ball to the hoop while Portage senior Jessica Kelly-Paul defends on the play during a non-conference girls basketball game at Wisconsin Dells High School on Thursday night. Also pictured for Portage, are from left, Morgan Dahlke, Erin Scharenbroch and Candace Raimer.

WISCONSIN DELLS - With its own inside presence on the bench due to injury, the Portage Warriors were unable to match Wisconsin Dells Thursday night, seeing its three-game winning streak come to an abrupt halt with a 51-35 non-conference loss in Wisconsin Dells.

Sophomore Mackenzie Ziegler was unable to suit up for the Warriors and its other inside presence, senior leading scorer Megan Thompson, received special attention from Dells senior Rachel Thundercloud and was limited to nine points, four of them in the final period.

At the other end of the floor, the Warriors didn't have an answer for Daria Powless, a 6-2 power on the boards who enjoyed her biggest game of the season, picking up 16 points, including some at crucial points of the game.

But Portage head coach Fritz Hammer had to be pleased with the effort of his squad, despite the loss. The squad showed grit in fighting back from a 14-point deficit just past the two minute mark of the second quarter. The Warriors used a 10-0 run to get back into the contest and within four at the halftime buzzer at 22-18.

But the size and domination under the basket may have become a little too overwhelming for the Warriors in the second half.

Was size a factor?

"A little bit," said Hammer. "You know, we had foul trouble, with Erin (Scharenbroch) fouling out and we were without Mackenzie Ziegler tonight who's got an ankle injury. So, that hurt our inside rotation a little bit. That plan changes a little bit. It makes your rotations inside go faster, a little differently and the Chiefs were able to take advantage of that with some nice passes inside to Powless."

As for the second quarter fight, Hammer was pleased with his team's effort.

"Yeah, they're battlers. It's indicative of the group. It doesn't matter the score, if mistakes happen, it happens, that's high school basketball. You've got to shut that one out, turn the page and go on to the next possession and that's what the kids do," said Hammer. "We're becoming a team that can spurt a little bit better than we have in the past, but sustained focus, intensity, for lack of a better word...that's still to come."

The Warriors managed to get within a shot of the lead early in the second half, but then a personal 6-0 run by Powless, followed by an 8-2 run by Kinsey Mace, who finished with a game-high 21 points, had the Chiefs comfortably in front again at 36-23 with just over three minutes to play in the third quarter.

The job of guarding Powless ultimately proved costly as Scharenbroch went to the sidelines following a fifth foul early in the fourth quarter. By then, the Chiefs were able to cruise to the finish line comfortably.

The Warriors return to Badger North Conference play in its next start, playing DeForest in Portage on Saturday.

WISCONSIN DELLS 51, PORTAGE 35

Portage ....................5 13 10 7 - 35

Wisconsin Dells ........15 7 16 13 - 51

PORTAGE - Hemming 3, Donohue 2, Kelly-Paul 7, Thompson 9, Dahlke 9, Scharenbroch 5. Totals 14 4-9 35.

WISCONSIN DELLS - Mace 21, Powless 16, Bork 2, Conroy 2, Myklebust 4, Thundercloud 5, Byrne 1. Totals - 23 3-10 51.

3-Point Goals - P 3 (Hemming, Kelly-Paul, Thompson), WD 2 (Thundercloud, Mace). Total fouls - P 14, WD UA. Fouled out - Scharenbroch. JV - Portage won.