It’s a familiar situation for the Bonduel boys basketball team.
That’s not the case for the Tigerton Tigers, however.
Both teams are one win away from a trip to state after winning their sectional semifinal game March 12. Bonduel topped previously unbeaten Kewaunee 73-62 in Division 4 in Kaukauna, while Tigerton kept its undefeated season alive with a 54-41 win over Wabeno/Laona in a matchup of Division 5 teams in Antigo.
Both teams advanced to a sectional final to be played at 1 p.m. March 14. Bonduel (24-3) will face Marathon (25-2) at D.C. Everest High School in Weston, while Tigerton (28-0) will play Reedsville (25-3) at Oconto Falls High School.
Bonduel made its first trip to state last year and finished second in Division 4 after falling to Aquinas in the championship game, while Tigerton is looking for its first trip to state in program history.
Bonduel 73, Kewaunee 62
The Bears spent most of the first half trailing the Storm, but a 13-2 run to start the second half gave Bonduel a lead it never lost.
Bonduel trailed by as many as six points in the first half before Griffin Uelmen’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer for the Bears sent the teams into the locker room tied at 30-30.
“That was huge, because we were struggling,” coach Duke Copp said. “We weren’t playing that well in the first half, and we knew it. To tie it up was awesome.”
The Bears took the lead for good by scoring the first seven points of the second half. Kewaunee’s Connor Kilgore ended the run with a basket to cut the lead to five points, but the Storm never got any closer the rest of the way.
Ryan Westrich later scored 12 straight points for the Bears and ended up leading all players with 27 points.
Four 3-pointers helped the Storm cut the Bears’ lead to 68-62 with less than a minute remaining. A turnover gave Kewaunee an opportunity to get even closer, but a carrying violation on Kilgore with 35 seconds to go gave the ball back to the Bears.
Bonduel then sealed the win with two free throws from Westrich and Uelmen and one from Carter Moesch.
Moesch and Uelmen finished with 19 and 11 points, respectively, while Quinn Wesenberg and Jack Zernicke added eight each.
Diesel Bosdeck led four Kewaunee players in double figures with 15 points, while Kilgore, Mason Kovacs and Dane Harrell added 12, 11 and 10, respectively.
“It came down to gritty, tough basketball plays,” Copp said. “What a great team they are. There’s a lot of talent on that floor. They play so hard and play tough defense, but I thought we did at times, too.”
The second-seeded Bears will now take on a top-seeded Marathon team that defeated Hurley 61-40 in another sectional semifinal March 12.
“They’re really good and a lot like Kewaunee,” Copp said. “We played a really tough schedule all year, and that’s prepared us for games like this. We’ve been in a lot of big games. Toward the end, we played like we’ve been there before.”
Tigerton 54, Wabeno/Laona 41
James Brady has been a force on the basketball court all season long, and his 26 points and 18 rebounds helped the Tigers keep their season alive with a win over the Rebels.
The Tigers took a 29-21 lead into the locker room at halftime and outscored the Rebels 25-20 over the final 18 minutes.
“Our strength is inside, obviously,” coach Dan Hoffa said. “(Brady) did what he had to do, and our guards did just enough to get us over that hump. Anytime there was a run, we were able to hold our composure and continue to stay the course and get a bucket. That’s always been our motto: get a bucket, get a stop.”
Brady was the only Tigerton player to score in double figures, as Brody Miller and Sam Anheuser added eight points each.
“Once we were able to pull away and give ourselves a little bit of breathing room, you could tell (Wabeno/Laona) panicked a little bit,” Hoffa said. “Give them credit. They put that pressure on us, and it’s something honestly I don’t think we really expected. Nobody’s really pressured us all year long. We had our turnovers, but we were able to overcome it and get some easy buckets down the stretch.”
Besides Brady, the Tigers’ defensive effort also led to the win, Hoffa said.
“That defense is so tough,” he said. “(Wabeno/Laona) is guard-oriented and they live and die by that 3. Kudos to these guys. They played awesome.”
Next up for the Tigers is a Reedsville team that has won its first four state tournament games by an average of 36 points.
Hoffa likes his team’s chances against the Panthers.
“I love my team,” he said. “We have a lot of grit, and like I told them, we can play with anybody. We have to stay true to who we are.”
Bonduel’s Ryan Westrich fights for position to grab a rebound with Kewaunee’s Dane Harrell on March 12 during the second half of a WIAA Division 4 sectional semifinal at Kaukauna High School. Westrich scored a game-high 27 points to help lead the Bears to a 73-62 win over the previously undefeated Storm. (Greg Seubert)
Carter Moesch scored 19 points for Bonduel to help lead the Bears to a sectional semifinal win over Kewaunee. (Greg Seubert)
Bonduel’s Jack Zernicke puts up a shot in front of Kewaunee’s Dane Harrell. (Greg Seubert)
