(WIAA) – The 110th State Boys Basketball Tournament crowned champions in five Divisions Saturday at the Kohl Center.
Top-seeded Reedsville (28-3) won its second State championship and its first in 80 years with a 56-48 victory over third-seeded Southwestern (24-7) in the Division 5 title game.
The game was closely contested the entire way. The largest lead by either team was the eight-point margin of the final score. Southwestern led early and built its largest lead of the game at 23-17 with 5:41 remaining in the first half. The Panthers erased the deficit with a 7-0 run and led at halftime 35-33. Reedsville never trailed in the second half.
Arden Strenn and Ben Prochnow were the catalysts for the Panthers, scoring 20 and 19 points, respectively. Strenn also contributed with a game-high 14 rebounds, and Prochnow dished out a game-high eight assists for Reedsville, which held a 13-0 advantage in points on fast-break transitions.
The Wildcats were led in scoring by three players in double figures. Aiden Keleher, Remi Lawrence and Cayden DeMuth each tossed in 13 points. Carsen Splinter led Southwestern on the boards with eight caroms, and Keleher handed out three assists.
The Panthers’ second title comes in their second State appearance, and Southwestern finishes runner
Division 1
Top-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran (30-0) capped an undefeated with a 57-37 victory over third-seeded Madison Memorial (27-3) in the championship game.
It’s the third straight title for the Vikings, winning back-to-back titles in Division 1 and capturing the Division 2 crown in 2024. With a closely contested first half leading to a 22-22 halftime tie, Wisconsin Lutheran outscored the Spartans 21-2 during a 10-minute stretch in the second half to take control of the game.
The Vikings shot .622 from the floor in the game and outscored the Spartans 34-14 in shots taken in the lane. Xavier Zens led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Kager Knueppel also added double figures in scoring with 16 to go with a team-high seven rebounds. Kinston Knueppel dished out a game-high five assists.
The Spartans were led by Anthony Miller, who scored 12 points on four three-point field goals. His 10 three-pointers in the tournament set the Division 1 record for the most in a State Tournament since the implementation of the two-game format. Andrew Braun also scored in double figures with 10 points.
Wisconsin Lutheran wins its fifth championship in the Vikings’ sixth State Tournament appearance. Madison Memorial finishes runner-up in its 11th State experience.
Division 2
Third-seeded Whitefish Bay (24-6) cruised to the Division 2 championship with a convincing 77-46 victory over Slinger (25-5) in the title game.
Whitefish Bay led for all but 34 seconds in the game. A 7-0 run midway through the first half extended the Blue Dukes lead to double digits at 18-7, and the Owls were unable to cut their deficit below double digits the remainder of the game.
The Blue Dukes held a commanding advantage scoring in the paint at 42-20, and in fast break transitions at 17-4. The Whitefish Bay defense held Slinger to 28 percent shooting from the field, while the Blue Dukes connected at a blistering .622 clip.
Jack Broderson led all scorers in the game with 23 points for the Blue Dukes. He also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Three others scored in double digits for Whitefish Bay. Colin Julien collected 14 points, Marcus Webb netted 13 and Matthew Schoenefeldt chipped in with 11. Webb also distributed at team high five assists.
Bryson Fogle led the Owls offensively with 20 points. Jack Kohnen also scored in double figures with 13 points. Kohnen led the team on the boards with nine rebounds to go with his team-leading five assists.
Whitefish Bay wins its fourth State championship in its seventh tournament experience, and Slinger finishes runner-up in its second State appearance.
Division 3
Third-seeded Racine St. Catherine’s (25-4) earned the title with a 61-41 over top-seeded Seymour (28-2) in the final.
After the Thunder scored the first four points of the game, the Angels fought back to open a double-digit lead at 19-9 with 3:22 remaining in a low-scoring first half. They maintained the lead the rest of the game, including a double-digit advantage the final 13 minutes of the game.
The Angels had a significant 26-5 advantage in points off turnovers. In addition, they shot a sizzling 57 percent from the floor in the game, including 7-of-13 from beyond the arc.
Lamont Hamilton led the Angels with a game-high 26 points and five assists to go with a team-high seven rebounds and three steals. AC Contreras Ward also scored in double figures with 12 points.
Seymour was led by Kyler Marks with a team-high 13 points and game-high 11 rebounds to go with three steals. Isaac Feske chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds. Xavier Salzman distributed a team-high three assists.
Racine St. Catherine’s wins the school’s seventh State championship in its eighth tournament appearance. Seymour finishes runner-up in its 14th State experience.
Division 4
Milwaukee Juneau (28-1), the #2 seed in the bracket, won the school’s first championship in any sport with a 62-54 triumph over fourth-seeded Cambridge (20-10) in the Division 4 final.
The first half featured 11 lead changes. Dooney Johnson scored 14 straight points for the Pioneers during a six-minute stretch of the first half to pace Milwaukee Juneau, which trailed 32-30 at halftime. Behind 37-32 early in the second half, the Pioneers mounted a 9-2 run to take a lead they would not relinquish the remainder of the game.
Milwaukee Juneau shot 51 percent from the field in the game and forced 19 turnovers. The Pioneers were led by Johnson with a game-high 23 points and seven rebounds. Jaden Hardiman connected on 6-of-9 field goals to add 17 points. Takis Tyler distributed a team-high four assists and made a game-high five steals.
The Blue Jays were paced by Jett Horton with 14 points, and Evan Hartbort added double figures with 11 points. Cal Nottestad led the team on the boards with seven rebounds, and Ian Nelles distributed a team-high four assists.
Milwaukee Juneau’s first title comes in its first State Tournament appearance. Cambridge finishes runner-up in its first-ever experience at State.
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