Wausau East is 0-10 against Marshfield since February of 2020 but things could change on Friday. The Wausau East Lumberjacks will look to defend their home court against the Marshfield Tigers at 7:15 p.m.
Wausau East is headed into Friday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their 13th straight game dating back to last season on Tuesday. They received a blow as they fell 69-53 to Merrill. One positive for the Lumberjacks, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.
Despite the loss, Wausau East got top-tier performance from Evelyn Thome, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 16 boards. That was a full 47.2% of Wausau East's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points. Jerzey Moen was another key player, going 5 for 10 on her way to 10 points.
Even though they lost, Wausau East smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in five consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Marshfield waltzed into their game on Tuesday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They strolled past the Evergreens with points to spare, taking the game 51-33.
Wausau East better focus on containing Zaida Kolbeck and Hailey Klumb as the pair were huge in Marshfield's win. Kolbeck went 8 of 16 en route to 24 points along with five assists and five steals, while Klumb went 5 for 10 on her way to 16 points and eight rebounds. The dominant performance gave Kolbeck a new career-high in steals.
Marshfield pushed their record up to 9-8 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.0 points per game. As for Wausau East, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Wausau East has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Marshfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Wausau East was dealt a bruising 74-17 loss at the hands of Marshfield in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Kolbeck, who went 6 of 9 en route to 14 points in addition to six assists and three steals. Now that Wausau East knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
