Barneveld 72, Columbus Catholic 52
Shullsburg 63, McDonell Central 48
Barneveld (25-2) will play for the State title for the first time in school history following its 72-52 victory over Columbus Catholic in the Division 5 semifinal of the State Boys Basketball Tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison Friday afternoon.
The Golden Eagles and Dons changed leads five times and were tied four times in the first half. Barneveld possessed a 30-26 advantage at halftime. In the second half, Barneveld led 42-41 at 12:02 when the Golden Eagles went on a 20-2 run take control of the game. The Dons answered with seven unanswered points, but could not narrow their deficit any closer than 12 points the rest of the way.
Barneveld dominated on the inside, outscoring the Dons 38-12 in points scored inside the lane. The Golden Eagles also controlled the glass, outrebounding Columbus Catholic 44-22.
Matthew Myers led all scorers with 17 points for the Golden Eagles. Mike Zouski contributed 14 points, and Malcolm Reed added 12. The Dons were led by Tyler Fuerlinger with 16 points and six rebounds. Nick Malovrh and Hunter Schultz each contributed with 13 points apiece.
Barneveld advances to the title game for the first time in its two State appearance, and Columbus Catholic is eliminated from title contention in its second State experience.
Shullsburg (26-2) ousted defending champion McDonell Central 63-48 in the Division 5 semifinals of the State Boys Basketball Tournament at the Kohl Center Friday morning.
McDonell Central led throughout all but 31 seconds of the first half and led 30-24 at intermission. However, the Miners erased an eight-point deficit early in the second half with a 19-4 run, putting the Miners up 45-38 at the nine-minute mark of the second half. They increased their lead to double digits at 51-41 with 6:11 remaining. The closest the Macks could get the rest of the way was eight points.
The turnaround in the second half was evident in the shooting statistics. The Macks went cold from the field, hitting on only 29 percent of their shots in the second half. They made just 2-of-17 three-point tries in the game. The Miners scorched the nets at a 63 percent clip in the second period and 52 percent for the game.
Hunter Matye led all scorers with 19 points for the Miners. He also led the team with seven rebounds and seven assists. Noah Wand scored 13 points, and Lance Lierman and Joseph Meyer chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Grayson Knowlton was the only scorer in double figures for the Macks with 13 points. He also had a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Miners will play for the title in their second State appearance. The only other experience at State resulted in a Division 4 championship in 1991. McDonell Central (24-4) ends its season at State in its third appearance.