DIVISION 1
Two-time defending champion Germantown (25-2) goes for its third straight championship with a 77-60 win over Milwaukee King in the Division 1 semifinals.
With the score knotted at 10-10 at 4:32 in the first quarter, the Warhawks began imposing their will with a 9-0 run. The closest the Generals would get the rest of the way would be six points. That came early in the second quarter.
The Warhawks began extending a 35-23 halftime lead immediately at the start of the second half with a 10-2 spurt. Germantown led by as many as 27 points to cruise to the victory.
Evan Wesenberg made 11-of-13 shots from the floor to post a game-high 25 points to lead the Warriors. Lamonte’ Bearden and Jake Showalter chipped in with 17 and 13 points, respectively. Chris Howell was the leading scorer for the Generals with 17 points.
Germantown shot 59 percent for the game, including a blistering 63 percent in the second half. The Warriors also commanded the glass, out-rebounding the Generals 37-23.
Neenah (26-1) took advantage of Mukwonago’s offensive woes early in the game to grab a 17-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Matt Heldt scored 12 of his game-high 27 points in the quarter. He hit 10-of-13 shots and grabbed nine rebounds in the game.
The Indians narrowed the deficit to seven at 26-17 by the half, but they would get no closer. The Rockets erased all doubt of the outcome with a 12-0 run over a six minute span of the second half.
Mukwonago struggled putting the ball in the basket. The Indians shot just 27 percent from the floor in the game, including 1-of-13 three-point attempts. They were led in scoring by Aaron Nixon with 15 points.
Neenah will attempt to dethrone two-time defending champion Germantown in the Division 1 final Saturday at 8:15 p.m.
DIVISION 2
Rice Lake (23-2) turned back Greendale to advance to the championship final in Division 2 with a 70-58 win in the semifinals.
The Warriors built a double-digit lead in the second quarter and possessed a 34-24 halftime lead. However, Greendale stormed back with 12-2 run to start the second half and tie the game 36-36.
With a score tied at 53-53 in the fourth quarter, the Warriors regained control of the game by going on an 11-0 run to deliver a blow the Panthers could not recover from in the remaining three minutes.
Henry Ellenson made his presence felt with 22 points and 21 rebounds to pace the Warriors. He received support from Shawn Magee and Ben Widdes, who contributed 18 and 14 points, respectively. Each dished out seven assists as well.
The Panthers were led by Jordan Perez, who netted 26 points. Josh Michaels and Braxton Joehnk each scored 10 points.
Last year’s Division 2 runner-up Wisconsin Lutheran (25-2) will play for the title for the second straight season following a 64-44 victory over West De Pere in the semifinals Friday.
The Vikings jumped out to a 10-0 advantage and never relinquished the lead. The Phantoms responded to cut the lead to 26-23 with 1:24 to go in the first half.
The Vikings’ pressure accounted for 24 Phantom turnovers. Fifteen of those came in the fateful second half when the Vikings pulled away in the fourth quarter with a 16-5 run. Wisconsin Lutheran scored 24 points off 24 Phantom turnovers.
Anthony Carver scored 15 points to lead the Vikings. CJ Polk and Keith Franklin contributed 13 and 10 points, respectively. Cody Schwartz was the leader for West De Pere with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Rice Lake and Wisconsin Lutheran will battle for the Division 2 title in the championship game Saturday at 6:35 p.m.
DIVISION 3
Brown Deer (22-5) advances to the finals for the first time in school history with a 48-45 win over Roncalli in the Division 3 semifinal.
The game was tightly contested throughout. Brown Deer held the largest advantage by any team at five points early in the second quarter and then again at the start of the fourth period.
The Falcons shot a torrid 62 percent in the first half, but trailed 32-31 at the half thanks in part to the Jets’ reliance on three-pointers. They hit 7-of-19 shots from beyond the arc in the first half and 9-of-26 for the game.
The Jets took a one-point lead with 3:12 to play in the fourth quarter, but Lewrenzo Byers broke a five-minute Falcons’ scoring drought with 37 seconds remaining to give Brown Deer a 46-45 lead. Roncalli had a chance to tie the game with three seconds to play, but Zack Baun stepped out to block a three-point attempt to secure the Falcons’ victory.
The Falcons shot 57 percent for the game, and the Jets converted at a 38 percent clip. Roncalli attempted just two free throws in the game.
Devante Jackson led the Falcons with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Roncalli was led by Nick Stelzer with 14 points.
Last year’s Division 3 runner-up Lodi (26-1) returns to the title game after edging Elk Mound 50-47 in overtime.
Gable Smith scored each of the Lodi’s five points in the extra period. After Elk Mound score the first points in overtime, he converted on a lay-up and added the foul shot to give the Blue Devils the lead at 1:08 in overtime. His two free throws with 18 seconds left in overtime sealed the win.
The Mounders had chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but the potential game-winning shot caromed off the rim.
Jordan Shea led all scorers with 22 points for the Blue Devils, and Derek Paulson tossed in 11. Dexter Curry led Elk Mound with 21 points and hauled down 19 rebounds. He scored all of the Mounders ‘ points in the first quarter. Hunter Kohls chipped in with 11 points.
The Division 3 championship title game features Brown Deer and Lodi Saturday at 2:30 p.m.