The New Glarus Glarner Knights girls basketball team set the tone early Tuesday night and never let up, using defense, hustle and good scoring to earn a 41-27 nonconference win over the Dodgeland Trojans who made the drive all of the way in from Juneau, Wisconsin for tonight’s matchup.

New Glarus raced out to a 6-0 lead in the opening 90 seconds, forcing turnovers and converting nearly every early possession. Annabelle Curl opened the scoring from the right corner, then followed with a quick layup on the very next possession as the Glarner Knights’ pressure defense immediately put Dodgeland on its heels.

With head coach Kevin Parman stacking length in the lane, the Knights clogged passing lanes and made life difficult for the Trojans’ smaller lineup. Dodgeland managed its first basket more than four minutes into the game, but New Glarus continued to control the pace.

A highlight moment came midway through the first half when Kalia Malaise wrestled the ball loose at center court and, while seated on the floor, fed a streaking Ellie Brenkman for a layup that pushed the lead to 17-4. Moments later, junior Marie Besley, who was starting in place of injured Sophie Vasquez, scored her first points of the night underneath as New Glarus surged ahead 19-4.