Fair breaks 1,000-point mark as Nicolet girls overpower Homestead, 58-38

A little something got lost in all the hype and the excitement surrounding the Nicolet girls run to the WIAA state girls basketball championship last winter.

That came in the lopsided state semifinal win over Eau Claire North in Madison, when two-time NOW All-Suburban Player of the Year and now UW-Milwaukee player Ashley Green passed her coach Corey Bronson Wolf as Nicolet's all-time leading scorer.

"It got a little awkward for awhile," Wolf said, "but I was so glad that she did it. Those kids (Alex Cohen, Gabby Bronson, Green, etc.) sat so much last year because we were blowing people out, so she (Green) didn't have as many opportunities as others might have."

There was never quite the time or place to celebrate that particular moment seeing as the Knights were caught up in the intensity and passion of claiming their first WIAA state championship, noted Wolf.

That item came up this past week, because starting shooting guard Brittney Fair became the third member of the state championship team to surpass 1,000 points in her career, when she scored 23 points in leading the short-handed Knights to a 58-38 win over Homestead on Friday.

"It was a great achievement for Brittney," Wolf said. "She's worked so hard for it."

With her total, Fair moves into fourth on the all-time Nicolet list with 1,016 points with Cohen just ahead of her at 1,023, Bronson Wolf 1,222 and Green 1,244. Wolf's sister, Lindsay Bronson, is fifth at 981.

"She (Bronson) got a lot of those her senior year," Wolf said. "Probably the best individual season for a Nicolet player in school history." Bronson averaged 18.9 points per game in earning her second NOW All-Suburban nod.

Point guard duty calls

Fair's own achievement had a little more direct meaning for the second-ranked Knights, as they improved to 14-0 overall and 8-0 in the North Shore. Nicolet was working without point guard Courtney Smith, who was on a college visit in Pennsylvania, which meant that Fair had to handle the point.

"That was important for Courtney, so it was important to us," Wolf said, "but still, we were out of sync. We were without one of our leaders and so we never got into a rhythm. I thought we took a step back tonight."

As indicated, the game itself was not a pleasant event for Wolf despite the margin of victory.

"It was not a 20-point game," she said. "I give credit to Homestead. They are a lot better than the first time we played them, but we gave them opportunities to be successful instead of making them earn them."

Highlanders center Lauren LaDell took keen advantage, leading Homestead (2-6, 2-11) with 18 points, several of which came on well-executed lobs into the post.

Nicolet was up just 26-19 at the half before getting a margin of comfort at 42-28 at the end of three quarters.

Fair had three 3-pointers in her effort while Briana Gray had 12. Becca Olin (nine) and Lanoira Duhart (eight) also contributed to the win.

Marciarae Harmon had eight to help LaDell.

Still working on mental toughness

Wolf hopes the Knights learned something from the lackluster showing.

"It's a learning process," she said. "Even for myself, as we put this puzzle together. There's a little something different that comes out in each practice. We put things together and it's all part of a learning curve.

"Because our mental toughness is still something that we're working on. Can we show up in games other than (Whitefish) Bay or Grafton and play with that kind of intensity? We appeal to each player's personal pride.

"Do you have the attitude of never wanting to be beat?"

The Knights took on Milwaukee Lutheran (1-7, 1-11) on Tuesday and host Port Washington (1-7, 3-10) on Friday as they look to run their North Shore Conference winning streak to 44 games. Homestead, meanwhile, took on Port on Tuesday and hosts Grafton (6-2, 9-4) on Friday.