BRODHEAD — Owen Leifker made sure his Cardinals fought to live another day. The Brodhead junior scored a game-high 28 points as the Cardinals beat Cambridge 68-54 in the opening round of the WIAA Division 3 boys basketball playoffs Feb. 16.
In all, the Cardinals had four players in double figures. Cade Walker and Connor Green each finished with 10, while Brady Malkow muscled through a wrist injury for 11 points.
As a squad, the Cardinals made 19 of 31 free throw attempts, including a stellar 15-for-19 (78%) mark in the second half. Brodhead led 32-20 at halftime. Brodhead hit seven 3s as a team, while Cambridge finished with eight 3s — and just six 2s. The Bluejays were 18-for-20 from the free throw line.
Cambridge (8-12) had three players in double figures. Jack Nikolay scored 10 of his 17 points from the charity stripe. Max Heth finished with four 3-pointers and 16 points, and Jace Horton ended the night with three 3s and 11 points.
Up next for the Cardinals (14-9) was a Feb. 19 scheduled game at St. John’s Northwestern Academies (18-6), one of the top-ranked teams in the state. The winner will face either Marshall (16-7) or Lakeside Lutheran (18-4) in the regional final Feb. 20.
Argyle’s season comes to an end
BELMONT — The Orioles were close to upsetting the fourth-seeded Braves in their WIAA Division 5 quarterfinal Feb. 16.
Argyle (3-13) trailed 26-22 at halftime, but jumped out to a 30-27 lead after an 8-1 run to start the second half. The teams traded the lead five times before Belmont 3-pointers by Tyler Simmons and Ty Palzkill put Belmont (3-17) ahead 44-39 with 5:30 to play.
The Braves extended the lead to 50-41, but Connor Carius had a pair of And-1 3-point plays that highlighted a 7-0 Orioles run to bring it to 50-48 with 51.6 seconds to play. Simmons then hit a pair of free throws with 22 seconds left, but an Argyle 3 with 11.7 seconds left bought the score to within a point. Pazkill made two more free throws for the Braves with 10.5 seconds remaining, and the Orioles turned the ball over with a travel with just 4.5 ticks left on the clock, sealing the game.
Connor Carius led the Orioles with 23 points, while Willie Hlefvogt and Clay Ritschard each had 9, and Kaden Hartwig 8.
Waylon Palzkill led the Braves with 18 points, Nate Millin had 15 and Tyler Simmons 12. Waylon Palzkill and Millin combined for 24 of Belmont’s 26 points in the first half.
Albany survives Juda in Division 5
ALBANY — The Comets, seeded third in their regional, saw their game-long lead slip away entirely in the closing minutes, only to recover and beat conference rival Juda 37-35 in a WIAA Division 5 regional quarterfinal Feb. 16.
Clay Hulbert was nearly a one-man show for Albany, scoring 25 points on 10 buckets, including three 3s and a pair of free throws. He hit the go-ahead basket with 43.7 seconds remaining. On the side, Aaron Makos finished with 17 to lead Juda.
Albany (8-14) had pulled away late in the first half, and went into the locker room with a 25-11 advantage. The Panthers (1-11) did not go away, and 3s by Ward Steinmann and Avery Scheaffer helped key the short-lived comeback. Juda’s only lead of the contest came in the closing minutes at 35-34.
The Comets were set to play at second-seeded Barneveld (3-7) in the regional semifinal, with the winner facing either Monticello (14-3) or Williams Bay Faith Christian (4-9) Feb. 20.
