WAUNAKEE - The Black Hawk boys basketball team went toe to toe with No. 1 seed Randolph in the Division 5 sectional Thursday but came up just short, falling to the Rockets after a wild fourth quarter, 56-53.
With the loss, Black Hawk finishes the season with a record of 23-2, an improvement on their 11-12 record from the previous season. They also won the Six Rivers East Conference and strung together a 19-game winning streak that started in mid-December and ended Thursday night.
Black Hawk's second-year coach Corey Manlick said he gives his upperclassmen a lot of credit for the success this season.
"I've give these seniors a lot of credit," he said. "They had a lot of strong kids underneath them. There's probably 400 other schools that would like to have that record."
A junior, Seth Butler, was the catalyst early on Thursday night against the Rockets. Butler scored nine of his team's first 17 points. Randolph won the first quarter 15-13.
"Seth really played with a chip on his shoulder," Manlick said. "I thought he did a good job getting to the rack early on."
The second quarter was more of a defensive battle compared to the first, and Randolph extended its lead to 25-20 going into halftime.
Butler came out in the second half and continued to lead the charge like he did in the first, scoring Black Hawk's first five points.
The Warriors evened the game up with three minutes left in the third quarter, forcing a timeout by Randolph coach Bob Haffele. Randolph eventually regained the lead and ended the third quarter up three.
The lead didn't last long.
Sophomore Heath Butler tied it up early in the fourth quarter, and his brother Seth scored shortly thereafter to give Black Hawk the lead.
The Rockets battled back and took the lead with a big 3-pointer with about three minutes left in the game. But the Warriors answered right back with their next possession, as Cuyler Meier answered with a three of his own to go up 47-46.
Between the Butler boys, Meier and Tyler Peterson, who hit multiple 3s in the game, the Warriors had multiple players step up and shoulder the load.
"That's been a staple of us all year," Manlick said. "We have some good shooters. Kids made plays."
Randolph took the lead late and the Warriors fought to stay close, but the Rockets held on.
What does competing so close with a historic program like Randolph mean to Manlick and his team?
"We know what it takes to get there," Manlick said. "Playing Randolph so competitively, I think that will motivate some younger kids."
After the game, Manlick said he thanked his senior leaders for their contributions this season.
"I thanked the seniors for their hard work ... and buying into the team concept," he said. "I wish I could have one more game with those seniors ... but know we have some juniors and some sophomores (coming back)."
And those players will have the experience of winning three games in the postseason.
"I can't remember the last time we had three wins in the playoffs," Manlick said, of the Black Hawk program. "The question is how do we respond ... how do we avoid feeling this awful taste of defeat."
With the loss, Black Hawk finishes the season with a record of 23-2, an improvement on their 11-12 record from the previous season. They also won the Six Rivers East Conference and strung together a 19-game winning streak that started in mid-December and ended Thursday night.
Black Hawk's second-year coach Corey Manlick said he gives his upperclassmen a lot of credit for the success this season.
"I've give these seniors a lot of credit," he said. "They had a lot of strong kids underneath them. There's probably 400 other schools that would like to have that record."
A junior, Seth Butler, was the catalyst early on Thursday night against the Rockets. Butler scored nine of his team's first 17 points. Randolph won the first quarter 15-13.
"Seth really played with a chip on his shoulder," Manlick said. "I thought he did a good job getting to the rack early on."
The second quarter was more of a defensive battle compared to the first, and Randolph extended its lead to 25-20 going into halftime.
Butler came out in the second half and continued to lead the charge like he did in the first, scoring Black Hawk's first five points.
The Warriors evened the game up with three minutes left in the third quarter, forcing a timeout by Randolph coach Bob Haffele. Randolph eventually regained the lead and ended the third quarter up three.
The lead didn't last long.
Sophomore Heath Butler tied it up early in the fourth quarter, and his brother Seth scored shortly thereafter to give Black Hawk the lead.
The Rockets battled back and took the lead with a big 3-pointer with about three minutes left in the game. But the Warriors answered right back with their next possession, as Cuyler Meier answered with a three of his own to go up 47-46.
Between the Butler boys, Meier and Tyler Peterson, who hit multiple 3s in the game, the Warriors had multiple players step up and shoulder the load.
"That's been a staple of us all year," Manlick said. "We have some good shooters. Kids made plays."
Randolph took the lead late and the Warriors fought to stay close, but the Rockets held on.
What does competing so close with a historic program like Randolph mean to Manlick and his team?
"We know what it takes to get there," Manlick said. "Playing Randolph so competitively, I think that will motivate some younger kids."
After the game, Manlick said he thanked his senior leaders for their contributions this season.
"I thanked the seniors for their hard work ... and buying into the team concept," he said. "I wish I could have one more game with those seniors ... but know we have some juniors and some sophomores (coming back)."
And those players will have the experience of winning three games in the postseason.
"I can't remember the last time we had three wins in the playoffs," Manlick said, of the Black Hawk program. "The question is how do we respond ... how do we avoid feeling this awful taste of defeat."
