Hawks' Season Comes to an End at Cudahy

The Greenfield Hustlin' Hawks entered Friday night’s battle against the Cudahy Packers with hopes of an upset on their mind.

They quickly found out the night was all about Cudahy guard Taylor Gradinjan, as the junior led her team to 78-47 victory and broke the all-time scoring record at Cudahy High School.

“Taylor is an extension of me on the court,” said Cudahy coach Adam Stranc after Gradinjan's 25-point performance. “She is a leader and exactly what you want to have at the point-guard position.”

Greenfield coach Rob Graetz echoed the praise.

“Taylor is such a good player," he said. "She can break anyone down.”

Early on, it appeared that the Hawks would be up to the challenge of facing the regional's top-seeded team. They responded to two early Cudahy 3-pointers to tie the game at six after a steal and lay-up by guard Amber Polachek.

From that point on, however, it was all Cudahy. The Packers went on an immediate 8-0 run to extend the lead to 14-6 and led 19-10 at the end of the first.

The second quarter opened with another 8-0 Cudahy run to put the lead at 17. A strong pressure defense and a fast-paced offense led to the Packers’ success.

“We talked before the game about our defense setting up our offense and that's how it played out. We created turnovers and got to the rim for shots,” Stranc said.

The Packers got the lead to 18 at halftime and were firmly in control. With 19 first-half point, Gradinjan was just six shy of the school record.

It didn’t take long for her to get those points and about four minutes into the third quarter, Gradinjan put in her 1,238th career point to set the record. One possession later, the junior came out of the game to a huge roar from the crowd and congratulations from her bench.

Greenfield senior Kristina Vidakovich was a bright spot for the Hawks, putting in a team-high 20 points in her final high school game.  

“I was a little disappointed, we didn’t play our best basketball,” Graetz said. "(Playing in the playoffs) is a great experience, it’s very good for them. But I just told them in the locker room that the difference was Cudahy was stronger. We need to work in the weight room in the off-season.”  

Cudahy advanced to the regional final where it will take on Wisconsin Lutheran on Saturday. Greenfield ends its season with an 8-15 overall record.