SOUTH WAYNE — Black Hawk captured its third consecutive WIAA Division 5 regional championship with an impressive 71-24 win over Randolph Feb. 29. Like so many games over the past four years, the Warriors used its smothering defense to keep opponents at bay — all while knocking down momentum-swinging shots.

“I think we are playing our best basketball right now,” Black Hawk senior guard Natalie Leuzinger said. “As we get deeper (into the playoffs), we’re playing better teams, which, personally, I feel we bring out more aggressiveness against the better teams. We really want to show what Black Hawk basketball is all about.”

The win was the 52nd-straight for Black Hawk (24-0), and the 101st in 103 tries dating back to the start of the 2016-17 season. Seniors Hannah Butler, Maddy Huschitt and Leuzinger have played key roles all four years.

“We’ve worked so hard for this,” Leuzinger said. “It really is a dream come true; ending my career with a regional championship here on my home court.”

Randolph (20-5) came into the game with strong praise out of the Trailways Conference. However many wins the Rockets had accumulated likely didn’t prepare them for Black Hawk’s speed, tenacity and shooting prowess. Over the game’s first seven minutes, Randolph turned the ball over six times on nine possessions. Meanwhile, Black Hawk was eight of 10 from the field and jumped out to a 15-0 lead. 

“Starting well makes a big difference,” Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said. “From the way we pressured them, to the way we knocked down shots early to the way we took care of the basketball — just so much confidence built by having a good start.”

The advantage kept growing for the Warriors, too. After the next 5 1/2 minutes of action, the Rockets found themselves trailing 31-3.

“We were disappointed by the number of times we put them on the line in the first half. If you look at it from a field goal standpoint, they didn’t have a lot of good looks,” Flanagan said.

Randolph closed the half on a 9-8 run over the final 7:23 of the half, but the damage was done thanks to 20 turnovers.

“We really wanted to hold them to 12 points or less. (Coach Flanagan) was really proud of our defense and said to keep up with it,” Leuzinger said.

As the second half started, Black Hawk kept rolling. The Warriors outscored Randolph 24-2 over the first eight minutes of the second half to go ahead 62-14. 

“Once someone is on, we’re all going on,” Hannah Butler said. “We had confidence coming in and have been practicing. We work hard together and play together."

While the reserves were already seeing action for Black Hawk, once the running clock started many of the starters were out — but that didn’t stop them from staying involved. Junior Bailey Butler, a 3-year starter and a UW-Green Bay commit, spent some time on the bench working with first-year teammate Makayla Mau on the bench about play calls.

“That kid never shuts up — her mouth is going all the time,” Flanagan jokingly said about Bailey Butler. “Sometimes I have to ask her when she’s out of the game — because she’s not out much — if she needs me to get out of her way so she can coach the team, because that’s who she is. What a great trait to have as a point guard. We talk about having a coach on the floor, and that sometimes gets cliché, but that’s not an exaggeration or hyperbole, she’s a coach on the floor — period. And the other girls listen to her.”

Hannah Butler led all scorers with 18 points, seven rebounds and six steals, while Bailey Butler had 16 points, 10 assists and four steals. Leuzinger had 17 points, four steals and six boards. Black Hawk was 10 of 13 (76.9%) from the free throw line, 7 of 23 (30.4%) from beyond the arc and 27 for 58 (46.5%) from the field. Randolph was just 9 of 38 (23.6%) from the field, including a wretched 1 for 15 (6.6%) mark from deep, all while making just 5 of 13 (38.4%) free throws.

Up next for Black Hawk is a familiar playoff opponent — fourth-ranked Fall River (24-1). During the freshman campaign for Leuzinger & Co., Fall River got the best of the Warriors in overtime of the regional final, with Leuzinger missing the contest with a severe hip injury. Black Hawk got revenge last season, knocking off Fall River in the state semifinal by 32 at the Resch Center in Green Bay. 

The rubber match between the two teams is at 7 p.m. March 5 at Evansville High School.

“It’s going to be a big game. They have a couple posts, and we don’t really have a lot of size, but we play big. It will be a good game,” Leuzinger said.

In the regional semifinal Feb. 28, Black Hawk defeated Barneveld 73-27. Bailey Butler had 21 points, five rebounds and seven steals, while Hannah Butler had 20 points, seven steals and six rebounds. Black Hawk led 42-14 at halftime.