ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (AP) - Paige Schabo scored 16 points to help unbeaten Appleton North win its first girls basketball state title, 49-34, over De Pere in the WIAA Division 1 championship Saturday at the Resch Center.
Kari Brekke added 13 points for the Lightning (28-0), which never trailed in the game but didn’t pull away until late in the second half.
Appleton North became the first undefeated Division 1 state champion since Oshkosh West (26-0) in 2003.
The Lightning held De Pere to 29.3 percent shooting from the floor for the game.
After leading 20-16 at halftime, Appleton North wasn’t able to shake the Redbirds until Schabo made two free throws with less than 12 minutes to play to break a 27-27 tie, the start of a 20-4 run that put the Lightning ahead 47-31.
Rachel Kerkhoff led De Pere (25-3) with 11 points. The Redbirds were denied a fourth state title as their 17-game winning streak ended.
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