The Shawano Community High School boys basketball team gave Seymour another tough game, but couldn’t replicate its Dec. 17 win over the team ranked No. 2 in the state.
The Hawks lost 51-46 Friday after leading most of the first half and battling back from a 10-point deficit in the second half.
“Seymour is such a talented ball club,” Shawano coach Chris Kellett said. “They would be ranked No. 1 if we didn’t beat them earlier this season.”
Shawano (9-6, 7-2 Bay) was led by Zeke Gueths, a 6-foot-6 center, who scored 11 of his 15 points in the first half. Dillon Frechette added nine points, nailing three 3-pointers.
The Hawks jumped out to a 5-0 lead to the delight of the Shawano fans in the packed gym and at one point led 14-7.
In the second quarter, Seymour (14-1, 10-1 Bay) managed to take a small lead, spurred by a pair of 3-point shots from Brayden Wilinski, but Gueths found an open look under the basket to give the Hawks the 22-20 halftime lead.
Wilinski, a 6-foot-4 sophomore forward, and Dakota Oskey, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, would combine to score 13 of Seymour’s 17 points in the third quarter as the Thunder pulled ahead 37-31.
“Wilinski, he killed us tonight,” Kellett said. “It’s tough to leave some of those guys when they have a Sandy (Cohen) and a Dakota. (Wilinski) made us pay tonight.”
Wilinski led the Thunder with 18 points. Cohen, who is a Marquette University recruit, finished with 13 points. Oskey scored 10.
“We’ve convinced our guys to just play, instead of trying to make plays,” said Seymour coach Jon Murphy, whose team has been at or near the top of the Division 2 rankings all season. “Don’t force anything. Other guys can hurt you. Brayden had a big night. We’ve just become better because we’re more patient instead of Sandy and Dakota forcing everything.”
Shawano’s defense, led by Garret Schlise, held Cohen, a 6-foot-5 senior guard, to just seven points through the first three quarters.
“Garret is a heck of a defender,” Kellett said. “He’s a soccer player who never gets tired. He chased Sandy around all night and Sandy never really looked comfortable.”
Oskey was limited to three first-half points before getting going in the third quarter.
After trailing by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter, Shawano battled back to within 47-43 with under a minute to play, buy a Cohen dunk off a turnover put Seymour too far ahead. Cohen would go to the free-throw line after getting the ball back on the next possession and sank both free throws to seal the win.
Even with the loss, Kellett said his team can take solace knowing it can play with a team as strong as Seymour.
“It’s absolutely huge for us,” Kellett said. “There’s not a single person who expected us to be where we’re at. We have a heck of a ball club and we just have to continue to improve.”
Seymour (51)
Oskey 3 2-3 10, Cohen 3 6-12 13, Jefson 2 0-0 4, Powless 2 1-2 6, Wilinski 6 1-2 18
Shawano (46)
Frechette 3 0-0 9, Kneuppel 2 2-4 6, Raddant 1 0-0 3, Sousek 1 3-6 5, Schlise 1 0-0 2, Lacy 2 0-0 6, Gueths 6 2-6 15
Seymour 11 9 17 14 — 51
Shawano 14 8 9 15 — 46
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