Raiders falter late in regional semifinal loss to Bloomer

The Arcadia girls basketball team got just the start they wanted to begin their opener to this year’s playoffs. But despite a hot start and a halftime lead, the Raiders couldn’t parlay that into a road win and a regional final berth.

With both teams coming off first-round byes, No. 4 seed Bloomer (14-12) used a strong finishing kick to turn aside No. 5 seed Arcadia (13-12) 58-51 in their Division 3 regional semifinal clash last Friday in Bloomer. The Blackhawks lost to top-seeded Elk Mound the following night.

The Raiders flew out of the gates to an early 16-7 lead and eventually led by five at halftime. However, they could not quite keep that up the whole way, as Bloomer found a better rhythm on offense in the second half and took the lead with about two minutes remaining.

Arcadia had the ball down two in the final minute of regulation, but the Blackhawks forced a turnover and proceed to ice the game with several successful trips to the free-throw line.

Tatum Drazkowski had a dominant double-double with 26 points and 17 rebounds to go along with four blocks and Madison Grotjahn added 15 points to the effort for the Raiders.

“We started the game exactly how we wanted. We were aggressive and took away Bloomer’s strength — their perimeter shooting,” said Arcadia head coach Evan Pagel. “As the game went on, Bloomer got a hold of many offensive rebounds that led to their shooters freeing up. When they were open, they weren’t missing. We, in return, started settling for shots on the offensive end. They won the battle over most 50/50 basketballs, which killed our energy.”

That loss marked the end of senior Kaitlyn Bremer’s Arcadia basketball career. She is a player that Pagel described as “a fantastic leader that cared deeply about her teammates and promoted all of the characteristics that you would want in a student-athlete.”

However, that also means that almost all of the Raider rotation is set to return for the 2025-26 season where they hope to only continue to improve on their recent success.

“It is unfortunate that our season came to an early end, but I view the entirety of the season as a success,” Pagel said. “We finished above .500 for the second year in a row and were able to beat and/or compete with some of the best basketball programs in the area. Arcadia girls basketball is very relevant, and I am positive that our girls will put in the work that is needed during our offseason.”