Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Howard Lake, Lester Prairie, Winsted, Watertown, Mayer, New Germany, Waverly, MN and the surrounding area

PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL: Czinano sisters lead Royals to WCC win over Litchfield


WATERTOWN – The Czinano family is coming full circle. Back when Maggie Czinano was an eighth-grader, she had her older sister Monika to look up to and learn from. Now it’s Maggie leading the way for her younger sister Mallory.

It took both Czinanos for the Royals to come out with a 72-61 win over the visiting Litchfield Dragons Friday night as both teams dealt with foul trouble throughout.

“It definitely was a team effort tonight,” Royals coach John Rosholt said. “We told the girls that there’s going to be games like this where there are going to be a lot of fouls called. We can’t control the referees. That’s something that’s out of our control. We just got to play through it. I thought our bench stepped up and did a real nice job.”

With Maggie Czinano drawing a box-and-one coverage, it gave everybody else a chance to step up. They did just that, especially in the second half. After leading by just two at the half, W-M extended their lead to as many as 13 in the second half.

“Foul trouble was something we had to overcome tonight,” Maggie Czinano said. “We definitely got bench play tonight which was amazing. Nothing changed when those bench girls came in. That was big for us.”

After Bella Barden got the scoring started with a three-point play the old-fashioned way,  Maggie Czinano and Carly Killian took over. Czinano scored five straight for the Royals, then it was Killian who delivered with a big 3-pointer to put the Royals up 52-43.

“We kind of stalled out a little bit when they went to the junk (box and one), but after a while we got everybody else involved,” Rosholt said. “That’s what we need. You need to get everyone involved. That’s when they said they can’t stay in that junk anymore because everybody is looking to shoot the ball. That’s how you break the triangles and two, the boxes and ones, and stuff like that.”

After that, it was time for little Czinano to take over. Mallory Czinano scored seven straight points for the Royals, giving them a much-needed spark.

“Before the game, we had such good energy,” Mallory said. “We brought that on the court and it was nice. We just kept it going. My teammates had such good passes to me. It was just great. The energy was fun to build off.”

Mallory Czinano, a freshman, was big inside for the Royals despite dealing with foul trouble of her own. She finished with 10 points, giving W-M a presence inside they need to open things up on the perimeter.

“We talked about the benefits of having a post presence,” Rosholt said. “That’s big. She stayed aggressive and kept looking to score.”

Despite being a freshman, Mallory Czinano is becoming a legitimate scoring option for the Royals. After passing up shots earlier in the season, she’s not afraid to make a move resembling her oldest sister (Monika) down in the paint now.

“Earlier in the year, she would get the ball at the rim and her sister (Maggie) would call her name and she would automatically throw it out to her,” Rosholt said. “Now she’s starting to say that I can ignore my sister every once in a while and shoot the ball myself.”

The bond for Mallory and Maggie on the floor has brought smiles and wins for the Royals. In the end, they’re both just happy to play the game together.

“I remember when she used to play with Monika,” Mallory said. “It was a fun experience for her and now I’m getting that playing with her this year.”

“It’s really cool,” Maggie added. “It’s cool to see me enter Monika’s position that she had for me. That baby Czinano nickname is (for her now). It’s just so fun.”

The Czinano dynamic hasn’t been lost on Rosholt either who’s been coaching all three of them.

“That is fun,” he said. “They’ve been a fun family to have and play with. They’re fun to coach.”

With the win, W-M improved to 11-3 overall and 7-4 in the Wright County Conference. Their conference schedule, although tough, has them ready to get going for when the postseason arrives.

“It has been tough,” Rosholt said. “Every game has been tough. Litchfield is so athletic and so deep. When we play them, it’s always a strange game at their place and it’s always a close game here. The conference just has some quality teams in it.”

The Royals are back at it Tuesday, March 2 when they host New London-Spicer. The Wildcats are the No. 1-ranked team in Class AA and are still undefeated this season. The Royals are hoping the win over Litchfield carries over.

“It’s always a goal for us every year to beat Litchfield,” Maggie said. “Those wins bring confidence and I know it feels good in that locker room right now.”

For the complete story and more Herald Journal sports coverage, check out the March 5 edition of the Herald Journal. Click here for subscription information. 

Follow Kip Kovar on Twitter: @Kovar_HJSports

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.