DIVISION 3
Waupun 55, Prairie du Chen 43
Waupun (26-1) advanced to the Division 3 championship final with a 55-43 victory over Prairie du Chien in the semifinals Thursday afternoon at the Kohl Center in Madison.
The Warriors shot 50 percent from the field in the first half to build a 30-20 halftime advantage. Waupun opened up its largest lead of the game at 36-22 with 13:10 remaining in the game, but the Hawks went on a 9-0 run to narrow their deficit to five at 36-31 with just under 10 minutes remaining.
That would be the closest the Hawks would get the rest of the way. The Warriors protected their lead to clinch the win by converting 10-of-10 from the free throw line in the final 2:52 seconds.
Waupun had the advantage inside, outscoring Prairie du Chien 32-14 in the paint and outrebounding the Hawks 41-32. Marcus Domask led all scorers with 21 points for the Warriors. Jordan McGinnis and Colton Homan each added 11 points, and Holman also contributed with a game-high 15 rebounds. The Hawks were led by Connor George with 10 points.
The Warriors will play in the championship final for the first time Saturday afternoon, and Prairie du Chien (24-3) completes its season with its eighth State appearance.
Xavier 82, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 75
Xavier (24-3) returns to the Division 3 championship game for the second straight season following an 82-75 win over previously unbeaten Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau in the semifinals Thursday afternoon at the Kohl Center in Madison.
The Hawks never trailed in the game. The victory can be credited in large part to foul shooting, converting a Division 3 record 33 free throws on 41 attempts, which also tied the division mark.
The Hawks went into the locker room with a 31-26 lead and came out in the second half to build a double-digit advantage and led by as many as 16 at the 10-minute mark. G-E-T battled back to cut the Xavier lead to six at 63-57, but the Hawks secured the victory from the free throw line. They scored their final 20 points from the line in the final five minutes of the game.
Sam Ferris led the Hawks in scoring with 24 points. Sam Burkart added 15 points with a team-high seven rebounds. Zach Simons and Hunter Plamann each chipped in with 14 points. The Red Hawks were paced offensively by Nick Wagner, who poured in a game-high 35 points. Lucas Scherr was the only other player in double figures for the Red Hawks with 11 to go with a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Hawks will play in the Division 3 final Saturday afternoon, and Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau (25-1) finishes its season with its sixth State appearance.
DIVISION 4
Cameron 44, Amherst 41
Cameron’s (26-0) quest for a perfect season continues following a 44-41 triumph over Amherst in the Division 4 semifinals Thursday evening at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Trailing 6-5 at the 13-minute mark of the first half, the Comets went on a 12-0 run to open a double-digit lead at 17-6 and went into halftime with a 22-11 advantage.
The Falcons clawed back throughout the second half to get within a point at five different times in the final six minutes of the game but could never get back to even. The Comets sealed the victory with six seconds remaining on a break-away dunk by Peyton Dibble on a designed inbounds play.
Dibble led the Comets with a game-high 22 points and six rebounds. Tyler Biadasz led the Falcons with 20 points, and Cam Gaulke chipped in with 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Amherst (25-2) finishes the season with its third State appearance, and Cameron advances to the final in its first State appearance.
Dominican 54, Aquinas 46
Dominican (26-1) is one step closer to becoming the first program to win five straight State championships after its 54-46 win over Aquinas in the Division 4 semifinals Thursday evening at the Kohl Center.
The Knights led from the start, scoring the game’s first 11 points and heading into the locker room at the half with a 25-12 advantage. Dominican expanded its lead to as many as 19 points with four minuttes to play in the second half. The Blugolds cut their deficit to seven with a minute to play, but the comeback attempt ran out of time.
The Knights shot 52 percent from the floor, thanks in large part to their dominance on the inside. They outscored the Blugolds 36-12 in the paint and held a commanding 39-19 rebounding edge.
Gacoby Jones, Jr. led the Knights in scoring with 18 points. Kostas Antetokounmpo added 14 points, and Michael Ferrici tossed in 12 with a game-high 12 rebounds. Chris Ancius led all scorers with 21 points for the Blugolds to go with his team-high six rebounds. Alex Schulte also scored in double figures with 11 points.
Dominican plays for its seventh title overall Saturday afternoon, and Aquinas (15-12) ends the season with its seventh appearance in the State Tournament.