SOUTH WAYNE — In back-to-back games, Black Hawk continued making history. In an 87-25 blowout win over Monticello Jan. 21, the Warriors gave head coach Mike Flanagan the 300th victory of his career. Two days later in a 62-47 win over Division 1 opponent Waunakee, Black Hawk’s win streak reached 67, tying Barneveld’s mark from 1998-2000 and one shy of New London (2011-13) for fourth all-time in state history.

“The numbers are nice, but really every one of those wins are because of the special kids that I’ve had the privilege of coaching,” Flanagan said. “I’ve been blessed. I don’t know what I did to deserve falling into this, but I’m going to enjoy it for as long as I can.”

Flanagan has averaged more than 20 wins a season to this point, which has included six trips to the state tournament and eight conference championship. Black Hawk has had just one season with an overall record under .500 (7-17 in 2014-15), and only three other times have lost 10 games in a season. Since the beginning of the 2016-17 season, Flanagan’s squads have a combined 114-2 record, with its last loss coming in the 2018 state championship. 

“It just means that I’ve had a lot of good players,” Flanagan said. “It means that I’ve been here long enough and had good enough players to win some ball games.

Flanagan’s program has been known for its tenacious defense, both in the front- and back-court. His squads have also been expected to perfect the game’s basic fundamentals and to not slow down or quit. Two of his players have already gone on to play at NCAA Division I programs, with a third (Bailey Butler) on the way.

“He is definitely my role model, and I know he’s the role model of all the girls, too,” said Paige Butler, now an assistant coach. “It’s so cool to be a part of such a big thing.”

Paige Butler was a sophomore on Flanagan’s first team, helped lead the program to it’s first state appearance, then returned to help coach — along with her mom, Angie — as the team won its first state championship with younger sisters Hannah and Bailey Butler starring.

“The thing is he’s so humble. He never takes a win for granted,” Paige said, adding that Flanagan personifies the cliché of taking the season one game at a time. 

The fact that the youth in the community have bought into the program at such a young age — and stay invested through high school — is what’s helped make Black Hawk one of the premier programs in the state of Wisconsin.

“It’s literally incredible. I’ve never seen a different program like that, and I think, again, it just goes back to being super humble and just ready to win,” Paige said.

Black Hawk, 87, Monticello 25

Facing Monticello (11-3, 6-3), the top-ranked Warriors (13-0, 8-0) started relatively slow, opening the game scoreless for 2 minutes, 6 seconds and trailed Monticello had taken a 2-0. Flanagan called a timeout to get his players on the same page.

“I just thought our movement was really bad and we just didn’t really look like we were ready to play,” Flanagan said. “And then out of that timeout, credit to our kids because they responded and they took that criticism well. They didn’t pout about it or feel bad for themselves when I got on them.”

While the Ponies are a team trending upward, the Warriors made sure the idea of an upset wouldn’t stick around for long. Black Hawk went on a 18-0 run over just under four minutes to take full control of the game. By halftime, the Warriors led 55-17. 

In the second half, Monticello outscored Black Hawk 8-7 through the first 3:30, but that was it for the Ponies scoring. Literally. The Warriors starters kept Monticello scoreless for the next five minutes, and then the Black Hawk reserves did the same over the remainder of the second half. 

“We talked when we went to the substitutions with 10 minutes left about how against Juda we turned it over four or five times in the last four or five minutes and that we’re not going to do that again,” Flanagan said. “I just thought they did a great job of coming out and playing with some intensity.”

Bailey Butler scored 28 of her game-high 33 in the first half, and added 10 assists and 8 steals. She was also 5-for-9 from beyond the 3-point line. Makayla Mau had 17 in the game, and Tara Wellnitz (11) and Kaylee Marty (10) also reached double-figures for Black Hawk. The Warriors were 8 of 18 from deep as a team. Mackie Errthum led Monticello with 8 points, and Alexa Siegenthaler added 7.

Black Hawk 62, Waunakee 47

In a Warriors v. Warriors nonconference battle, it was the host — and much smaller enrollment — Black Hawk that came out on top. Waunakee (2-3) has an enrollment more than 13-times larger than that of Black Hawk (1,337 to 99).

Waunakee presented a different roster makeup than many of Black Hawk’s usual opponents — namely size and speed. Black Hawk continuously worked to get the ball into the paint and near the hoop in order to score. 

Butler, the state’s leading 3-point shooter, struggled from deep, hitting just 1 of 6 shots from beyond the arc. Marty, Mau and Macie Stauffacher made up for it from the outside, helping keep Waunakee honest. Black Hawk was just 4-for-12 from the free throw line in the first half as well, and went into the break holding a steady but hard-fought 30-17 advantage.

“That was by far the best defensive team we’ve ever played against,” Bailey Butler said. “We kept the ball under control and just played our game.”

In the first six minutes of the second half, Black Hawk widened the lead to 18 thanks to four combined 3s from Stauffacher, Marty and Mau. Waunakee was able to cut its deficit down to 11 with 6:00 left, but that’s as close as the Badger North team would get the rest of the way.

“They definitely met our tempo and our size, so we just knew we had to bring it even more,” Mau said.

Butler, a bit banged up afterwards, led Black Hawk with 22 points. She also had 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.

“Impact is hurting it,” Butler said about her knee. She stretches it out every night to keep the pain mitigated. She won’t take time off, though, because “I know the team needs me,” she said.

Mau had 14 points and 9 rebounds in the contest. Marty finished with 10 points, while Stauffacher hit three 3s for 9 points. Raylin Peterson and Wellnitz each had seven boards. Kailee Meeker led Waunakee with 20 points, and Ashley Sawicki added 14.

“That’s as good of a defensive team as we have seen all year. We talked about how we were going to have to work hard to take care of the ball and to find ways to get the ball inside,” Flanagan said. 

What’s next

Black Hawk has two home games remaining in the regular season, back-to-back Jan. 25-26 against Barneveld (4-5, 3-4) and Juda (0-10, 0-9). The Warriors then finish with road games at Barneveld Jan. 29, at Pecatonica (2-8, 1-7) Feb. 1 and at Darlington (9-9) Feb. 2.

Black Hawk will likely be the No. 1 seed and earn an opening-round bye in its WIAA Division 5 regional, which includes Pecatonica, Argyle (6-8, 4-4), Belmont (8-7, 2-3), Benton (1-9, 0-5) and Shullsburg (14-6, 7-0). 

Butler, a UW-Green Bay commit, leads the state in scoring at 29.9 points per game. She trails former teammate Natalie Leuzinger (Wisconsin) by 77 points for the school’s all-time scoring record. Butler is a semifinalist for top senior guard in the state award, as well as the prestigious Miss Basketball.