Vikings Win Regional Championship
In a game worthy of a later round, the Vikings survived an excellent Whitefish Bay team to win the regional title, 67-62 in overtime, over the Blue Dukes.
Wisco shot 70% in the first half and opened up a 14-point lead when Kon Knueppel hit a three-pointer one minute into the second half. But Bay, ranked #6 in the state in Division 2, fought back. The Blue Dukes connected on 13 of 26 threes to pull ahead 55-54 with just over a minute remaining in regulation. Jonah Rindfleisch found Isaiah Hopf for a layup to put the Vikings back up by one with 1:05 to play. Bay made one of two free throws with 34 seconds left to knot the score at 56, and Wisco was not able to score before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
After a defensive stop to open the extra period, Rindfleisch found Prentice Young in the corner, and the sophomore drained his third three of the night to give the Vikings a lead they would never relinquish. Jamiir Allen made both ends of a one-and-one to push the advantage to 61-56. The Blue Dukes drained a three to cut the lead to 61-59 with 1:28 remaining. Kon Knueppel was fouled and made two free throws with 1:11 to play. After a defensive stop, he was fouled again and once again sank two from the charity stripe. On the ensuing possession, he stole the ball out top and laid the ball in on the other end to give Wisco a 67-59 lead with 21 seconds left. Bay hit one last three-pointer but could not get closer, and the Vikings claimed their 20th victory of the season and their first regional title since 2014.
Kon Knueppel led the Vikings with 18 points and six rebounds. Hopf scored 15 on 7-9 shooting and added three steals. Prentice Young scored 13 points and handed out three assists. And Jamiir Allen's seven points included two crucial free throws; he also had a team-high five assists and four steals. Wisco shot 53% from the floor and edged Bay 28-25 on the glass. More stats are available here.
The Vikings' sectional opponent will be determined on February 21.
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Wisco shot 70% in the first half and opened up a 14-point lead when Kon Knueppel hit a three-pointer one minute into the second half. But Bay, ranked #6 in the state in Division 2, fought back. The Blue Dukes connected on 13 of 26 threes to pull ahead 55-54 with just over a minute remaining in regulation. Jonah Rindfleisch found Isaiah Hopf for a layup to put the Vikings back up by one with 1:05 to play. Bay made one of two free throws with 34 seconds left to knot the score at 56, and Wisco was not able to score before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
After a defensive stop to open the extra period, Rindfleisch found Prentice Young in the corner, and the sophomore drained his third three of the night to give the Vikings a lead they would never relinquish. Jamiir Allen made both ends of a one-and-one to push the advantage to 61-56. The Blue Dukes drained a three to cut the lead to 61-59 with 1:28 remaining. Kon Knueppel was fouled and made two free throws with 1:11 to play. After a defensive stop, he was fouled again and once again sank two from the charity stripe. On the ensuing possession, he stole the ball out top and laid the ball in on the other end to give Wisco a 67-59 lead with 21 seconds left. Bay hit one last three-pointer but could not get closer, and the Vikings claimed their 20th victory of the season and their first regional title since 2014.
Kon Knueppel led the Vikings with 18 points and six rebounds. Hopf scored 15 on 7-9 shooting and added three steals. Prentice Young scored 13 points and handed out three assists. And Jamiir Allen's seven points included two crucial free throws; he also had a team-high five assists and four steals. Wisco shot 53% from the floor and edged Bay 28-25 on the glass. More stats are available here.
The Vikings' sectional opponent will be determined on February 21.
