SOUTH WAYNE - The Black Hawk boys basketball team moved a step closer to a regional championship Friday night with a 56-38 win over Cambria-Friesland in the regional semifinal.
Black Hawk took charge from the start, leading 14-6 after the first quarter and 31-12 at halftime.
"I thought the kids came out with great intensity," said Black Hawk coach Corey Manlick. "We had a great determination to stick to the scouting report and stick to the game plan, basically. We recognized their scorers. One thing we didn't do well, but that they didn't take advantage of was, they (Cambria-Friesland) didn't make their second chance opportunities. We moved the ball well offensively. Seth (Butler) made a huge three in the first, along with Coltin (Piefer) and Merik (Meythaler)."
The third quarter was a bit more difficult for the Warriors, especially on the offensive end, as they mustered just four points, while surrendering eight.
"Defensively, they came out in man and we didn't adjust real well," Manlick said. "There was a lot of contact not called, but we have to play through. We got caught up in the heat of the moment a few times. We allowed them to create some turnovers. Fortunately, they didn't score, either. Our defense held true even when things weren't going well offensively."
Owen Schaalma was the leading scorer for the Hilltoppers with 15 points. Heath Butler scored 17 points to lead Black Hawk. He was joined in double figures by Coltin Piefer (11 points) and Seth Butler (10 points).
"It's a great team effort," said Manlick. "Both Butlers stood out throughout the game. Coltin hit some big shots throughout the game. Guys made some clutch free throws. All of the kids played really well, it was a solid performance as a team."
Black Hawk (22-1) will now host the regional championship on Monday at 7 p.m. against either Potosi or Green Lake/Princeton. The game was originally scheduled for tonight, but the game between Potosi and Green Lake/Princeton was postponed from Friday night to today.
"We're gonna go scout tomorrow, find out who we play," Manlick said. "The kids are definitely prepared and ready to go. We have a chance to do something pretty special: Its been since 2006 since we brought a regional championship back to South Wayne and the Black Hawk School District."
Milwaukee Academy of Science 53,
Juda 41
MILWAUKEE - The Juda boys basketball team went toe-to-toe with top-seeded Milwaukee Academy of Science for much of their regional semifinal game Friday night, but the Panthers came up short in the end, falling to the Novas, 53-41.
Juda led 10-9 after a quarter of play, and trailed just 19-17 at halftime. The Novas were able to expand their lead a bit in the third to take a 35-25 lead into the fourth. MAS outscored Juda 18-16 in the final period.
"It was an area of the game that we didn't take care of it on offense," Juda coach Mike Armitage said of the third quarter. "They were rewarding themselves for their defensive pressure. They capitalized on it. They got to the hoop and attacked. We didn't come out flat or stale. When we did make mistakes they rewarded themselves."
Ladell Hickman was the leading scorer for MAS with 21 points.
"Ultimately, the guy who hurt us was Hickman," said Armitage. "He's so darn quick. We tried to play off, but then he had 5 threes."
Cody Suiter led Juda with 15 points. The next leading scorers for the Panthers were Cole Bauman and Cory Segner, both of whom scored 7.
"We didn't shoot particularly well. Suiter still had 15. They knew he would be a scorer," Armitage said.
Juda's season came to an end with the loss. The Panthers finished the season with an 8-16 record.
"This was a very trying season in many ways. We didn't have the same roster we started with, to say the least," Armitage said. "This was a difficult season, one that I'll never forget as a coach, and I don't think the kids will as players. They tackled a ton of adversity and, in many ways, they persevered through."
Catholic Cent. 67, Monticello 60
MONTICELLO - A three-point barrage from Catholic Central was too much for the Monticello boys team to handle, as the third-seeded Ponies' season came to an end Friday night in a 67-60 loss.
The Hilltoppers knocked down 14 threes, shooting 61 percent from behind the arc.
"Early in the game, they had their 6-6 guy (Tegan Miles) inside attracting a little attention," said Monticello coach Mark Olson. "Honestly, as the game went on, we adjusted our defense out, chased them around the perimeter, but they just stepped back and kept knocking them down."
Catholic Central led 16-9 after the first quarter, before Monticello went on a run that left them leading 29-20 with 2:21 left in the second quarter. Catholic Central went on a 9-0 run of their own, but Monticello's Lucas Marty made a long three with one second left in the half to give the Ponies a 32-29 halftime lead.
"We were able to turn them over a little," Olson said about the second quarter. "We went to a halfcourt trap; got some tips on some balls, got some easy baskets. We created a few more opportunities for ourselves. It's hard to say we really slowed them down, though, because they still made four threes."
Catholic Central came out strong in the second half, as the Hilltoppers outscored the Ponies 18-12 in the third to take a 47-44 lead into the final period. Monticello pulled within a point, at 53-52, with 4:41 remaining, but that was as close as the Ponies would get the rest of the way.
Catholic Central had four players score in double figures, and were led by Spencer Wilker with 17 points. Monticello also had four players in double figures. Ben May and Bryce Klitzke each scored 16, while Jesse Halvorsen and Marty each scored 11. Aaron Hefty rounded out the scoring for the Ponies with six points.
"We shared the ball real well. We scored really well offensively. We made seven threes," Olson said. "When they shoot 14 for 23 ... that's an incredible percentage. I've never seen a team shoot that well. Honestly, I don't think they have before, either. It was an extraordinary performance."
The loss leaves Monticello with a final record of 18-6. Although their season came to an end earlier than they had hoped, Olson said he was proud of his team's effort throughout the season.
"It's too bad it had to end tonight in the way it did, having a team come in and light you up," he said. "I've been proud of my guys. We had a nice bit of success this season. They worked hard to get better all year long."
Black Hawk took charge from the start, leading 14-6 after the first quarter and 31-12 at halftime.
"I thought the kids came out with great intensity," said Black Hawk coach Corey Manlick. "We had a great determination to stick to the scouting report and stick to the game plan, basically. We recognized their scorers. One thing we didn't do well, but that they didn't take advantage of was, they (Cambria-Friesland) didn't make their second chance opportunities. We moved the ball well offensively. Seth (Butler) made a huge three in the first, along with Coltin (Piefer) and Merik (Meythaler)."
The third quarter was a bit more difficult for the Warriors, especially on the offensive end, as they mustered just four points, while surrendering eight.
"Defensively, they came out in man and we didn't adjust real well," Manlick said. "There was a lot of contact not called, but we have to play through. We got caught up in the heat of the moment a few times. We allowed them to create some turnovers. Fortunately, they didn't score, either. Our defense held true even when things weren't going well offensively."
Owen Schaalma was the leading scorer for the Hilltoppers with 15 points. Heath Butler scored 17 points to lead Black Hawk. He was joined in double figures by Coltin Piefer (11 points) and Seth Butler (10 points).
"It's a great team effort," said Manlick. "Both Butlers stood out throughout the game. Coltin hit some big shots throughout the game. Guys made some clutch free throws. All of the kids played really well, it was a solid performance as a team."
Black Hawk (22-1) will now host the regional championship on Monday at 7 p.m. against either Potosi or Green Lake/Princeton. The game was originally scheduled for tonight, but the game between Potosi and Green Lake/Princeton was postponed from Friday night to today.
"We're gonna go scout tomorrow, find out who we play," Manlick said. "The kids are definitely prepared and ready to go. We have a chance to do something pretty special: Its been since 2006 since we brought a regional championship back to South Wayne and the Black Hawk School District."
Milwaukee Academy of Science 53,
Juda 41
MILWAUKEE - The Juda boys basketball team went toe-to-toe with top-seeded Milwaukee Academy of Science for much of their regional semifinal game Friday night, but the Panthers came up short in the end, falling to the Novas, 53-41.
Juda led 10-9 after a quarter of play, and trailed just 19-17 at halftime. The Novas were able to expand their lead a bit in the third to take a 35-25 lead into the fourth. MAS outscored Juda 18-16 in the final period.
"It was an area of the game that we didn't take care of it on offense," Juda coach Mike Armitage said of the third quarter. "They were rewarding themselves for their defensive pressure. They capitalized on it. They got to the hoop and attacked. We didn't come out flat or stale. When we did make mistakes they rewarded themselves."
Ladell Hickman was the leading scorer for MAS with 21 points.
"Ultimately, the guy who hurt us was Hickman," said Armitage. "He's so darn quick. We tried to play off, but then he had 5 threes."
Cody Suiter led Juda with 15 points. The next leading scorers for the Panthers were Cole Bauman and Cory Segner, both of whom scored 7.
"We didn't shoot particularly well. Suiter still had 15. They knew he would be a scorer," Armitage said.
Juda's season came to an end with the loss. The Panthers finished the season with an 8-16 record.
"This was a very trying season in many ways. We didn't have the same roster we started with, to say the least," Armitage said. "This was a difficult season, one that I'll never forget as a coach, and I don't think the kids will as players. They tackled a ton of adversity and, in many ways, they persevered through."
Catholic Cent. 67, Monticello 60
MONTICELLO - A three-point barrage from Catholic Central was too much for the Monticello boys team to handle, as the third-seeded Ponies' season came to an end Friday night in a 67-60 loss.
The Hilltoppers knocked down 14 threes, shooting 61 percent from behind the arc.
"Early in the game, they had their 6-6 guy (Tegan Miles) inside attracting a little attention," said Monticello coach Mark Olson. "Honestly, as the game went on, we adjusted our defense out, chased them around the perimeter, but they just stepped back and kept knocking them down."
Catholic Central led 16-9 after the first quarter, before Monticello went on a run that left them leading 29-20 with 2:21 left in the second quarter. Catholic Central went on a 9-0 run of their own, but Monticello's Lucas Marty made a long three with one second left in the half to give the Ponies a 32-29 halftime lead.
"We were able to turn them over a little," Olson said about the second quarter. "We went to a halfcourt trap; got some tips on some balls, got some easy baskets. We created a few more opportunities for ourselves. It's hard to say we really slowed them down, though, because they still made four threes."
Catholic Central came out strong in the second half, as the Hilltoppers outscored the Ponies 18-12 in the third to take a 47-44 lead into the final period. Monticello pulled within a point, at 53-52, with 4:41 remaining, but that was as close as the Ponies would get the rest of the way.
Catholic Central had four players score in double figures, and were led by Spencer Wilker with 17 points. Monticello also had four players in double figures. Ben May and Bryce Klitzke each scored 16, while Jesse Halvorsen and Marty each scored 11. Aaron Hefty rounded out the scoring for the Ponies with six points.
"We shared the ball real well. We scored really well offensively. We made seven threes," Olson said. "When they shoot 14 for 23 ... that's an incredible percentage. I've never seen a team shoot that well. Honestly, I don't think they have before, either. It was an extraordinary performance."
The loss leaves Monticello with a final record of 18-6. Although their season came to an end earlier than they had hoped, Olson said he was proud of his team's effort throughout the season.
"It's too bad it had to end tonight in the way it did, having a team come in and light you up," he said. "I've been proud of my guys. We had a nice bit of success this season. They worked hard to get better all year long."
