SOUTH WAYNE — There was perhaps no team in the WIAA Division 5 playoff field with more expectations this season than the defending state champions.

“I think even more so than last year, the kids and our coaching staff felt the pressure having gotten it done last year and coming into this season ranked number one, being in that position,” Black Hawk head coach Mike Flanagan said.

Flanagan has led the Warriors to six appearances at state over the past 11 seasons. Black Hawk overcame the hump of playing on the state’s biggest stage last season by going undefeated from start to finish and winning the program’s first state title on the hardwood. The vast majority of that core returned this year.

This year’s senior class at Black Hawk have just two losses in their careers and will finish with at least 100 more victories than defeats (currently 103-2 in four seasons). Hannah Butler, Maddy Huschitt and Natalie Leuzinger went unbeaten in the regular season of their freshman year, but then Leuzinger suffered a hip injury and the Warriors fell to Fall River. 

“Everything happens for a reason. I mean, we really wanted to go to state freshman year, but you know, injuries do happen,” Leuzinger said. “I think we’ve grown from freshman year just considering that, you know, we never experienced a loss in the regular season. Once we lost, you know, we were done and we never really got to redeem ourselves until next year. But I think we’ve really grown as leaders, because you know, our freshman year was like a lesson to us and you know, we’ve just built off from that.”

The next year, with Hannah’s sister Bailey joining the squad as a freshman, the team was healthy most of the year and reached the state tournament, only to lose to Bangor in the state championship thanks to one of the worst shooting days in state history.

“Our nerves were jacked up,” Bailey said of that fateful day, March 10, 2018. Black Hawk shot just 19% from the field and 9% from 3-point range that day, more than 23% below average in both categories — and still lost by just 10.

The loss to Bangor was not just the only loss of the 2017-18 season for Black Hawk, it was the last one the program has seen since — a grand total of 734 days and 54 games.

“And then once people started talking about this winning streak and every time there’s a newspaper article or a radio spot that’s kind of a focal point, it just starts to almost starts to wear on the kids and us,” Flanagan said.

The Warriors roster

Black Hawk is a team that is known for more many strengths on the court. One of which is its 3-point prowess. Leuzinger finished the season shooting 41.1% on 95 attempts. Hannah Butler, on 79 tries from deep, made 31 (39.2%). Bailey Butler (38.2% on 152 tries) and Huschitt (38.0% on 108 attempts) also showed off their shooting process. 

Off the bench, Kaylee Marty hit just 23.9% of her 46 3-point attempts, but has hit some big shots in clutch moments this season. Kristin Knapp (8 of 24, 33.3%) and Macie Stauffacher (14 of 40, 35%) have also knocked down some big shots to keep teams honest. 

“She impacts the game as soon as she steps on the floor in some way, whether it’s getting deflections or steals in the Fall River game; even though her 3-point percentage hasn’t been the greatest all year, she goes-to for three. She got a great motor, great speed,” Flanagan said of Marty.

Hannah Butler leads the Warriors in overall scoring at 18.7 ppg, while Leuzinger (16.5 ppg) and Bailey Butler (15.3 ppg) are also scoring in double figures each night. Leuzinger is the school’s all-time leading scorer, and Hannah Butler just surpassed Jen Wellnitz as the No. 2 all-time in program scoring. Bailey, just a junior, is only about 250 points behind her older sister in career scoring with 1,337 points, at a clip of 16.1 ppg. 

“We have two kids on the same team who are one and two (in program scoring), it’s no wonder we’ve been successful. But that just speaks to their consistency — how well they’ve adapted and evolved,” Flanagan said. 

While the Warriors can score the ball with efficiency in the half-court offense, it is the heavy-pressured defense of the 55-run and jump press and the 2-3 zone “buzz” that gets teams rattled and leads to turnovers. Those turnovers lead to an easy transition game that separates Black Hawk from its opponents. The Warriors average more than 22 steals a game as a team and typically force teams into more than 30 turnovers a night. The added possessions can quickly turn into points and routine allow Black Hawk to get out to an insurmountable double-digit lead.

“If you create 30 turnovers, you’re expecting to win by a lot. Oakfield, we were able to get them sped up and really get that confidence early. And when we get that early lead, we’re pretty tough to stop,” Flanagan said. “(Oakfield) I’m sure had tape, and I’m sure they watched it and talked about how they were going to try to attack it, but until you have experienced it firsthand, I don’t think teams really know what it’s all about.”

Black Hawk is outscoring opponents 76-33 this season and more than doubles-up opponents on the glass.

Vying for gold in Green Bay

Bangor is back at the state tournament after missing out in 2019, but the Warriors would have to wait until the state championship in order to fulfill any type of revenge fantasy. Black Hawk (26-0) faces Wausau Newman Catholic (22-4) in the semifinal game, while Bangor (25-1) faces No. 2-ranked Clear Lake (26-0).

“I’m super excited for all the teams that made it. I mean, they’re getting the same kind of feeling through their veins as we are. We’re excited and we’ll see what happens,” Huschitt said. “I’m just going to try to put everything in perspective. I mean, we’ve been here and we’ve won, but it’s about going up there and getting it done again. And I think I just need to take a step back and just realize how lucky we all are to play in a state championship.”

Newman’s four losses included Minnesota private school Winona Cotter (20-3), Marathon (18-8), Division 1 Wausau West (11-12) and Prentice (17-8). Marathon lost in a Division 4 sectional final to Crandon (21-4) and in Newman’s regional final the Cardinals avenged the early season loss to Prentice with a 58-43 victory.

The Cardinals also have two major wins this season over Auburndale (17-7) as well as knocking off Edgar (18-8) three times. 

Newman, ranked seventh in the state, is outscoring opponents 53-38 and is also a senior-laden, with 90% of its points this season coming from six seniors. In fact, the top-five scorers on the squad will all play their final game in a Carolina blue uniform.

Julia Seidel, a senior committed to UW-La Crosse, leads Newman in scoring at 15.4 points per game, while Jadelyn Ganski is at 12.7 ppg and Lauren Shields stands at 8.5 ppg. Ganske is averaging a team-best 8.5 rebounds per game and is shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc on nearly 150 tries. Seidel has put up 146 3-point attempts and has made 34.9%. Six Cardinals have launched at least 47 shots from downtown this season, though only Seidel and Ganski are shooting above 30%.

Bangor’s only loss came in its second game of the season against Melrose-Mindoro, a D3 state qualifier. Since that Dec. 2 loss, third-ranked Bangor has run off 24 straight victories of its own. 

Karsen Kershner leads the team at 13.1 ppg and 9.2 rebounds per game. Haley Jones is at 9.5 ppg and 7.0 rpg, while Taylor Jacobson, Megan Miedema and Nora Tucker all average more than 7.3 ppg. Bangor outscores opponents 57-40.

Clear Lake won the Lakeland Central Conference and has been ranked behind Black Hawk all season in both the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association and AP Polls. The Warriors outscore opponents by an average of 62-36.

Like Black Hawk, the Clear Lake Warriors have the majority of their scoring from just a handful of players, including sisters. Senior Madison Zimmer leads the team in scoring at 14.1 ppg and is the team’s lone major 3-point threat. Senior sisters Maddie Rosen (12.9 ppg) and Maggie Rosen (9.2 ppg) are also top-four in scoring, with sophomore sister Julianna Rosen (10.3 ppg) averaging double figures. Another sophomore Rosen, Lizzie, averages 3.5 ppg.

After State

While Leuzinger, Huschitt and Bailey Butler know what they are planning on doing after high school, Hannah Butler hasn’t made her decision yet.

“I’ve been playing with them since like middle school even before that. So, it means a lot,” Hannah said of getting at least one, if not two more games with her teammates.

Leuzinger will be a Badger next season as a walk-on, and said that it helps her a bit to know that regardless of how this season closes, she will still have plenty of chances left to show off her talent, skills and years of hard work on the court.

“I’ve always wanted to play basketball in college and knowing that I get an extra four years is a little relieving, but I mean, just the friends that I’ve built here at Black Hawk and our chemistry that we build as a team, you know, I’m definitely going to miss that,” Leuzinger said.

Huschitt is headed less than an hour west to the University of Dubuque to play hoops. In less than two years’ time, Bailey Butler will join the UW-Green Bay women’s basketball team. She’s already played four games in the Resch Center as a Warrior and has spent time with the Phoenix during the offseason during official visits to campus. She said she relishes the chance to plan as much as possible on her future home court.

“I’ll be able to shoot so much better cause I’m familiar with that gym. It’ll be fun,” Bailey said.

The Warriors will also graduate Knapp, who stepped into a starting role this year, as well as small forward Hannah Milliken, who comes off the bench.

You’ve got a senior in Hannah Milliken who comes in and works so hard. People have commented to me about just how gritty she is when she does get on the floor. She just plays hard,” Flanagan said.