DIVISION 1
Verona 52, Mukwonago 46
Verona won its first State title in program history by defeating Mukwonago in the Division 1 final 52-46 Saturday evening at the Resch Center in Green Bay.
The Indians led 20-19 in a relatively low scoring half that featured Mukwonago holding the ball for a prolonged stretch during the period. The Indians trailed 19-15 late in the half, but they scored the final five points in the final two minutes to take the lead.
The momentum carried into the second half. The Indians increased their lead to their largest of the game at 29-21, but the Wildcats responded with an 11-2 run to take a brief lead at the 8:56 mark.
Verona took the lead for good with three-pointers on back-to-back possessions. Cheyenne Trilling hit a three-pointer, and one of four three-pointers in the game by Alex Luehring found the mark to give the Wildcats a 40-39 lead with 5:30 to play.
The Wildcats protected the lead and preserved the win by converting on its final six free throw attempts. They made 15-of-17 free throws in the game.
Alex Luehring led Verona with 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. Grace Mueller contributed double figures in scoring with 12 points to go with seven rebounds. Bre Cera accounted for more than half of the Mukwonago scoring output with 25 points. She also paced the Indians on the glass with nine rebounds.
Verona’s first championship comes on its third overall appearance at State, and Mukwonago places runner-up in its eighth tourney appearance.
DIVISION 2
New Berlin Eisenhower 46, Stoughton 42
New Berlin Eisenhower (23-5) captured the Division 2 State championship with a 46-42 win over Stoughton in the final Saturday evening at the Resch Center in Green Bay.
Stoughton led 17-14 following a closely contested and low-scoring first half.
In the second half, the Vikings built its largest lead of the game at 36-27 with 7:31 remaining; however, that’s when the tide turned for the Lions.
Julia Hintz hit a three-pointer and Abby Thyne followed up with another on the Lions’ next possession to ignite a Lions’ rally that produced a 12-0 run over a two-minute span to turn a nine-point deficit into a three-point lead.
The Vikings had opportunities to tie or take the lead in the final minute, but were unable to score on three successive possessions, and the Lions converted five free throws in the finals 30 seconds to secure the lead and the victory.
Hintz led three Lions in double figures with 12 points. Emalie Hahn chipped in with 11 points, Chelsea Brackmann added 10 with a game-high 14 rebounds. The Vikings were led by Marissa Robson with 12 points and eight rebounds. Hannah Hobson also scored in double figures with 11 points.
The Lions won their second State championship in five appearances in the State Tournament. They also won the Division 2 title in 2010 and finished runner-up in 2012 and 2013. Stoughton (25-3) finishes runner-up in its second tourney experience.
DIVISION 3
Hayward 43, Milwaukee School of Languages 31
Hayward won its first championship with a 43-31 triumph over Milwaukee School of Languages in the Division 3 final Saturday afternoon at the Resch Center in Green Bay.
Both teams struggled putting up points in the first half. The Hurricanes made just 28 percent of its shots in the period and MSL converted on just 26 percent, resulting in a 13-11 halftime advantage for Hayward.
MSL began the second half with a 13-4 scoring spree that gave the Hawks a 24-17 lead at the 10:52 mark of the period. The turning point in the game came in the next five minutes as the Hurricanes outscored the Hawks 13-0 to retake the lead at 30-24 with 5:35 left in the game.
The Hurricanes offense got untracked in the second half, shooting at a 46 percent clip. MSL was unable to find the range, hitting at a 22 percent clip in the half and 24 percent for the game.
The Hurricanes’ size proved to be a factor in the game, outrebounding the Hawks by a 39-26 margin.
Madelyn Neff led all scorers with 24 points, including a 15-of -16 effort from the charity stripe. She also grabbed 10 rebounds. Katie Stark also made a significant contribution with 13 points and 13 rebounds. MSL was led in scoring by Zheniah Jackson with 14 points.
MSL (21-5) finishes runner-up in its first appearance in the State Tournament, The Hurricanes first title come in its third appearance.
DIVISION 4
Mineral Point 68, Kenosha St. Joseph 52
Mineral Point (26-2) capitalized on a strong second half to win the Division 4 State championship with a 68-52 victory of Kenosha St. Joseph Saturday afternoon at the Resch Center in Green Bay.
The game featured six lead changes in the first half before Mineral Point took a 28-22 halftime lead. A 10-3 run by the Lancers to begin the second half erased the deficit and gave them a 31-30 lead.
The Lancers led by four at 46-42 with 8:43 remaining in the game. That’s when momentum shifted to the side of the Pointers. They went on a 16-2 run over the next six minutes to build a 58-48 lead and finished the game outscoring the Lancers 26-6 in the last eight minutes. Mineral Point converted its final 11 free throws to build an 18-point lead and preserve the victory.
Jessica Schultz led three Pointers in double figures with 21 points to go with her team-high nine rebounds. Sydney Staver contributed 20 points and Clara Chambers added 18 points to fuel the offense.
Sidney Cooks led all players with 30 points and 13 rebounds for the Lancers. She scored 51 points in the tournament to go with 25 rebounds to lead all scorers and rebounders in Division 4.
The Pointers win the State title in their first-ever State Tournament appearance, and Kenosha St. Joseph (25-3) finishes runner-up in its first experience at the State Tournament.
DIVISION 5
Assumption 62, Barneveld 45
In the rematch featuring the same two teams that have played in the Division 5 title game the past three years, Assumption (25-4) defeated two-time defending champion Barneveld 62-45 to win the crown.
The Royals led from the opening tip-off. They built their largest lead of the first half midway through the period at 19-11 and went into the locker room at the half leading 27-22.
Assumption added to its halftime advantage by scoring the first seven points of the second half, and the Golden Eagles could get no closer than nine points the rest of the way. The Royals led by as many as 20 points in the second half.
Gena Grundhoffer led the Royals with 20 points to go with six rebounds. She set the Division 5 record for points in a tournament with 55. She also set the record for free throws made with 25 and attempted with 27. She also converted 13 consecutive free throws over two games to set a new tournament mark.
Olivia Skibba tossed in 18 points with six boards, and Macie Zurfluh contributed 10 points and six rebounds for the Royals.
Hannah Whitish tossed in a game-high 24 points lead the Golden Eagles in scoring, and Mia Whitish contributed 10 points.
The Royals win their second State championship in their fifth appearance in the State tournament, and Barneveld (28-1) finishes runner-up in its 11th appearance.