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MCDONALD'S GAME OF THE WEEK (Boys Basketball): Boys Dream Tournament 2nd Round results
Boys Sweet 16

NOTE: The second round results of the SWNews4U.com SW Wisconsin Boys Dream Tournament were published in the Grant County Herald Independent, The Platteville Journal, Fennimore Times, Republican Journal, Tri-County Press and the Richland Observer May 20-21. Sweet 16 results will be published in the same area newspapers May 27-28.

West Regional

1) 1995 Cassville 86, 8) 2004 Dodgeville 63
CASSVILLE — Senior sensation Sam Okey pulverized the much shorter 2004 Dodgers, who don’t have a starter taller than 6’3”.

Okey, a McDonald’s All-American and future Wisconsin Badger, finished with 39 points (including five monster dunks), 17 rebounds and five blocks in just three quarters of action to lead the 1995 Comets (29–0) to a comfortable second round win at Cassville High School.

Forced into a perimeter game due to its lack of height, the 2004 Dodgers shot well early on and trailed just 16–12 after one quarter of play.

But Scott Uppena’s alley oop back door lob to Okey sent the home crowd into a frenzy and ignited a 20-3 Cassville run. The 1995 Comets outscored the Dodgers 28–12 in the second quarter and led  44–24 at the break.

Junior brothers Tim and Todd Ackerman hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the second half and Okey scored 10 third-quarter points to extend the lead to 67–44 before the Cassville starters took a seat for the rest of the game. 

Senior John Koopman finished with 14 points and six rebounds, while Tim Ackerman added 12 points and four steals. Todd Ackerman added nine points, while Uppena chipped in eight points and six assists. 

Senior Kevin McGraw scored nine of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter to lead coach Chuck Tank’s Dodgers (24–4). Junior point guard Josh Culver, the 2005 SWAL 1 Player of the Year and future D3 player at Edgewood College, added 12 points and six assists. Senior Karl Reynolds and junior David Tews scored 10 points apiece in the loss.


4) 1967 Platteville 72, 12) 1988 Lancaster 64 
PLATTEVILLE — The 1967 Hillmen used an 18–5 run late in the second quarter run to build a lead it never relinquished in an eight-point victory over the 12th-seeded 1988 Flying Arrows in a second round game.

Senior forward Jim Lawinger scored a game-high 22 points, grabbed six rebounds and had five steals to lead coach Royce Reeves’ Hillmen (23–2), who finished fourth in the 1967 single class state tournament after a semifinal loss to eventual champion Milwaukee Lincoln and future Iowa standout and NBA All-Star Fred Brown, and future Wisconsin star Clarence Sherrod.

Senior 6’5” center Dennis Nodolf, who went on to play D3 UW–Platteville with Lawinger and PHS teammate Steve Klaas, played Lancaster star 6’5” senior Scott Houtakker (who went on to play at D3 UW–Whitewater) to a draw. He scored 10 of his 16 points in the second quarter and Platteville took advantage of Houtakker sitting the final five minutes of the opening half with three fouls. The Hillmen turned a two-point deficit into a 44–33 halftime lead. Nodolf also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds in the win. 

Klaas took advantage of the modern day 3-point line that didn’t exist in 1967, and hit four triples en rout to 16 points. He also passed out six assists.

Seniors Wade Duncan and Jamie Reuter hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to pull the Arrows as close as six points with four minutes to play at 64–58, but Lawinger answered with a bucket in the paint, and Platteville made 6 of 8 from the free throw line in the final 2:27 to close out the win.

Houtakker finished with a team-high 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead coach Dale Parr’s Flying Arrows (23–2), who won 23 straight games to open the 1988 season before a Class B sectional semifinal loss to Wisconsin Dells. 

Duncan finished with 10 points. Reuter added nine on three 3-pointers. Senior point guard Kirk Peschel finished with 11 points, five rebounds and five assists, but never could get out in the open court as Platteville protected the ball and only committed six turnovers against the Arrows’ defensive pressure.

3) 1972 Bloomington 78, 11) 2006 Fennimore 67
BLOOMINGTON —  In a battle of contrasting styles, the 1972 Bluejays controlled the pace and pulled away for an 11-point second-round victory at BHS in a high scoring affair over coach Mark Fifrick’s defensive-minded 2012 Golden Eagles.

Junior Tom Martin scored a team-high 21 points, including 5 of 6 at the free throw line in the final two minutes, to lead 1972 Bloomington’s balanced attack.

Senior Greg Hermsen scored 19 points and grabbed 12 boards, and junior Jeff Vorwald added 18 points for coach Ron Benish’s Bluejays (26–1), who won the 1972 Class B state title.

Bloomington raced out to a 43–30 halftime led, but Fennimore senior Derek Hubbard caught fire in the third quarter to get Fennimore back in the game as the Bloomington defense focused much of its attention on trying to slow senior standout Kevin Everson (13 points, six assists).
Hubbard made four 3-pointers and scored 16 of his game-high 28 points in the period to pull his Eagles within three entering the final period 61–58.

But Bloomington was too much in the end. Martin scored on a 15-foot jumper on the first possession of the fourth quarter. Hermsen scored on an offensive putback the next trip down court and after a steal, Martin feed senior Ron Vorwald for a fastbreak layup to give the ‘Jays a 67–58 lead and Fennimore never recovered.

Senior Eric Swan had 10 points and six rebounds in the loss, and classmate Billy Lease chipped in seven points and four steals.

7) 2020 Cuba City 68, 15) 2005 River Valley 55 
CUBA CITY — After a stunning first-round upset of 2017 D5 state champion Barneveld, the 15th-seeded 2005 River Valley Blackhawks Cinderella run ran out of steam in the second round of the SWNews4U.com Boys Dream Tournament.

Senior point guard Brady Olson exploded for a game-high 28 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead the undefeated Cubans (27–0) to a comfortable 13-point victory.

With the River Valley defense geared up to stop Cuba City junior post players Brayden Dailey (6’6”) and Jack Misky (6’5”), Olson had a field day on the perimeter and in the open court to help the Cubans overcome a slow start.

Senior guard Luke Bayrenbruch scored eight of his team-high 16 points in the first period as the Blackhawks held a slim 16–15 lead.

But Olson hit three 3-pointers and scored 14 points in the second quarter, including a banked triple from the right wing, as the Cubans built a 41–28 halftime lead. Dailey was held relatively in check, finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds, but his breakaway two-hand slam midway through the third quarter brought the Cuban faithful to its feet and extended Cuba City lead to  17 at 52–35.

Senior Riley Richard scored 10 points and Misky finished with nine points and six rebounds for 2020 Cuba City, which advanced to the D4 sectional finals, before the WIAA tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senior Joey Gorman finished with 12 points and nine board for the Blackhawks (21–4). Fellow senior Ty Grubed added 11 points and Mark Manske finished with eight.

South Regional

1) 1981 Cuba City 82, 9) 1991 Cassville 76
CUBA CITY — A basket by senior Greg Timmerman gave the 1981 Cuba City team the lead for good with just over two minutes remaining and fellow senior Jeff Shaffer sank four clutch free throws in the final 23 second to seal the victory as Hall of Fame coach Jerry Petitgoue’s Cubans defeated Hall of Fame coach Dennis Uppena’s 1991 Cassville Comets 82–76 in the second round of the Dream Tournament.

Senior 6’5” center Mike Uppena, Dennis’ son and future head coach at Potosi High School, converted a three-point play with 3:12 remaining to give the Comets a 73–72 lead.

Timmerman answered back a short time later with a layup off a feed by teammate Bill Wagner to put the Cubans ahead 74–73. Coach Petitgoue’s crew put the game away at the free throw line down the stretch with Wagner and fellow senior John Tranel hit two free throws apiece to keep the Comets in front before Shaffer,  who went 27 of 28 from the line during Cuba City’s state title run in 1981, finished off the win with a 4-for-4 performance down the stretch.

Tranel recorded 24 points and six rebounds to lead the Cubans (26–1), while Wagner tallied 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and Timmerman chipped in with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Casey Beinborn added 11 points and Shaffer finished with eight points after going 6 of 6 from the stripe.

Uppena had a monster game for the Comets (22–6) scoring a game-high 32 points while pulling down 17 rebounds and blocking six shots. Senior Josh Vogt netted 14 points and junior Brian Koopman registered 12 points and eight boards for Cassville. Freshman Chad Infield scored eight points, and senior Nate Harris tallied six points and six rebounds in the game.


4) 2015 Mineral Point 62, 5) 2017 Shullsburg 55
MINERAL POINT — Mineral Point opened the second half on a 10–0 run to erase a 22–20 halftime deficit and the 2015 Pointers held on to defeat the 2017 Shullsburg Miners 64–55 in a battle of state runners-up.

The Miners took a two-point advantage into the locker room at the intermission on the stretch of senior guard Noah Wand’s three 3-point baskets and a strong defensive effort.

Senior forward Tarek Oellerich and senior guard Sy Staver each scored 12 of their points in the second half to help the Pointers (29–1) outscore the Miners 44–33 in the second half to rally for the win.

Oellerich finished with a game-high 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Staver poured in 15 points and dished out six assists with four steals for the Pointers. Senior Alex Schmitz followed with 13 points, while fellow seniors Joey Gorgen and Turner Poad scored six apiece for Coach Dan Burreson’s squad.

Senior center Joey Meyer, who went on to play at D2 Minnesota–Crookston, led Mark Lierman’s Miners with 13 points and six boards. Senior Hunter Matye registered 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks in the game, while Wand finished with 11 points and fellow seniors Lance Lierman and Jeremiah Bailey added seven and six points, respectively, for Shullsburg.


3) 1998 Cuba City 72, 6) 2003 Seneca 56
CUBA CITY — Four players scored in double figures led by senior guard Tim Cummins with a game-high 20 points as the 1998 Cuba City Cubans cruised over the 2003 Seneca Indians 72–56 in round two.

Senior point guard Matt Schultz, who was the first player to score in the first WIAA boys’ tournament game held at the Kohl Center, hit a pair of early 3-pointers to shoot the Cubans (26–2) out to an early 15–6 lead. Coach Jerry Petitgoue’s crew built up a 32–18 halftime lead, and put the game away by shooting 12 of 15 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.

Schultz buried three 3s on his way to 19 points and added eight rebounds and seven assists, while Eric Mueller recorded a double-double with 13 points (6 of 6 from free throw line) and 10 rebounds and fellow senior Chris McCabe netted four treys to finish with 12 points for the 1998 D3 state champs.

Senior Brian Trautsch scored 12 of his team-high points in the second half and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Indians (24–5), who in 2003 became the first Ridge & Valley Conference team to win a state boys’ basketball tournament game and the first boys’ team in Seneca history to earn a state trophy.

Senior guards Dustin Ray and Grant Varo netted 14 and 13 points, respectively, for Dave Boland’s squad. Senior forward Troy Boylen added six points and five rebounds.


2) 1990 Darlington 82, 7) 1989 Iowa–Grant 81 (OT)
DARLINGTON — Senior “Sweet” Lew Hesseling took a pass from senior guard Aaron Lancaster and banked a short jumper off the glass as the buzzer sounded to lift the 1990 Class C state champion Darlington Redbirds to a stunning 82–81 overtime victory over the 1989 Class C state qualifying Iowa–Grant Panthers.

These two SWAL 2 foes were very familiar with one another during their back-to-back runs as conference champions and WIAA state qualifiers. 

The senior-led Panthers swept the junior-heavy Redbirds 78–71 and 76–62 in their head-to-head meeting during the 1988–89 season; however, the senior-led ‘Birds came back the following season and routed the Panthers 70–45 and 91–60 to get a bit of revenge.

Their fantasy meeting in our Dream Tournament lived up to all the hype as an extra year of seasoning was just enough for Mike Hopkins’ Darlington squad to get by Hall of Fame coach Steve Randall’s Iowa-Grant team.

The Panthers came out on fire and built up a 20–8 advantage after one quarter of play, but the ‘Birds came flying back by opening the second quarter with 14 unanswered points to grab a 22–20 lead.

With points coming from a variety of players, I–G regained the lead midway through the period and then used a late 7–2 run to open up a 36–30 halftime lead.

Darlington came storming back in the second half behind Lancaster, who would finish with a game-high 30 points. The ‘Birds grabbed the lead back early in the fourth on a jumper by Lancaster, and looked to put the game away with 13 seconds remaining when senior Daryl Bell sank a pair of free throws to make it 71–68.

That left more than enough time for the Panthers, who tied the score at 71 all on a 3-pointer by senior Lance Randall with 3.7 seconds to play. Darlington’s desperation heave at the horn was well off the mark.

Baskets by Hesseling and senior Jeff Somerville to start the overtime period gave the Redbirds the lead, however a pair of baskets by Greg Slack and layup by fellow senior Mike Eggers put the Panthers back ahead by two.

After a 3-pointer by Lancaster put the ‘Birds in front 80–78, before I–G senior Dan Prochaska converted an old fashioned three-point play with 24 seconds to play to put the Panthers up 81–80.

The ‘Birds held for the final shot and, with Lancaster drawing a crowd on his drive down the lane, the savvy senior dished off to Hesseling, who banked in the game-winner at the buzzer for a thrilling Darlington victory. The Redbirds were 4–0 in overtime game during the 1989–90 season.

Lancaster pulled down 12 rebounds for a double-double and finished with six assists, while Hesseling also notched a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards. Bell tallied 12 points and four assists, followed by Somerville with eight points and seniors Denny Miller and Jon McCoy with six apiece.

Slack finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Panthers. Eggers added 20 points, while Randall chipped in with 11 points and four assists and Prochaska contributed 10 points and four assists to the cause. Jason Biddick had eight points and nine rebounds, and Shawn Dailey came off the bench with eight points for I–G.


North Regional

1) 1964 Dodgeville 86, 9) 1987 Fennimore 67
DODGEVILLE — The tight-knit group of seniors from the 1964 state champion Dodgeville squad nearly matched their season average of 88 points per game, as the 1987 Golden Eagles of Fennimore could do nothing to slow them down in a second-round blowout.

With the win, Dodgeville (28–0) advances to the Sweet 16, where they will next face a very talented 2012 Cuba City squad.

Despite an exceptional performance from Fennimore senior Kevin Larson (32 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals), the Golden Eagles trailed early, and couldn’t make up the difference in this one. 

Adding 10 points for the Eagles (24–5) was senior Tom Needham, while Chris Reed added eight, Jasen Scanlan seven and Mike Whitish five.

Having his way on the inside for the Dodgers was 6’5” Arizona State recruit Rick Brown, who finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds in a winning effort. The balanced attack of the Dodgers also saw Bob Rock chip in 15 points, future MLB 2nd round draft pick Carlos “Corky” Evans scored 11, Pat Flynn 10 and Bruce Harrison six.

The Dodgers started their second-round victory off by scoring 10 points in their first six possessions, Brown having six points in a concentrated effort by Dodgeville to get the ball inside. Once the Eagles collapsed on Brown, it left other Dodgers open to exploit Fennimore’s zone defense.

Trailing the Dodgers 48–35 at the half, Fennimore then used a 10–4 scoring run to open the third quarter, getting seven points from Larson, and making the score 52–45. That was as close as Fennimore would get.


4) 2012 Cuba City 71, 5) 1977 Prairie du Chien 60
CUBA CITY — The length of coach Jerry Petitgoue’s Cubans was too much for the Blackhawks, as the 2012 Cuba City squad advanced to the Sweet 16 in comfortable fashion, where they will next face the top-seeded 1964 Dodgers.

With Trent Denlinger (6’7”), Zach Adams (6’6”) and Cory Vaassen (6’4”) on the floor for Cuba City, the 1977 Prairie du Chien squad had trouble keeping the Cubans out of the lane and off the boards.

Limited to just one shot on most possessions, the Blackhawks, also ran into trouble against Cuba City’s aggressive 1–3–1 zone defense, which led to a number of transition points for the Cubans.

Holding a halftime lead of 46–30, Petitgoue’s squad then outscored their opponent 14–8 in the third quarter before the Hall-of-Fame coach cleared his bench early in the fourth quarter.

Vaassen led the Cubans (29–1) with a 20-point, nine-rebound performance, while Denlinger chipped in 12 points and 10 boards, and Adams nine points and four boards. 

Prairie du Chien (22–4) got 17 points from senior Scott Reilly, as well as 15 from junior Jan Waller, 10 from Brian Slaght, eight from Dave Weber and seven from Todd Stevens.


11) 1988 Mineral Point 83, 3) 1991 Shullsburg 78
SHULLSBURG — In the biggest upset of the second round, the 1988 Pointers (23–4) pull out a five-point victory over the 1991 D4 state champions from Shullsburg, as UW-Platteville recruit Pat Murphy leads Mineral Point into the Sweet 16.

Murphy, who is Mineral Point’s all-time leading scorer, netted a game-high 35 points, including 10 in the final 3:32, as he knocked down a perfect 8 of 8 free throw attempts down the stretch to secure the victory for the Pointers.

The Miners held a slim four-point halftime lead (42–38) and began the third quarter with a 3-pointer from Justin Edge, to build their largest lead of the game at 45–38.

Going into the fourth quarter, the two teams were knotted at 65–65, before Murphy took control of the game, scoring 15 of his team’s 18 points in the final session.

Following Murphy was teammate Jon Mitchell with 11 points and six boards, while Ron Griffiths added eight points and Mike Murphy five.

The Miners were led by senior Justin Edge, who finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while classmates Chad Boettcher added 14 points and Rick Woodworth 12.


2) 2009 Benton 77, 10) 1992 Highland 69
BENTON — It’s going to take special team to knock out the 2009 Zephyrs (27–2) from our Southwest Wisconsin Dream Tournament, and as the 1992 Cardinals found out in the second round, the balance and teamwork of coach Jim Blaine’s squad are tough to contend with.

The 1992 Cardinals (25–2) were certainly no pushovers, as they matched the Zephyrs point-for-point for most of three quarters, and trailed just 62–57 going into the fourth.

A bucket by senior Josh Tarrell pulled Highland to within 64–60 early in the final session, but Benton’s big-game experience showed down the stretch, where they knocked down big shots and went 6 of 8 from the free throw line down the stretch.

The balanced scoring of the talented Zephyrs saw Connor Hendricks, a UW–La Crosse recruit,  lead the way with 15 points, followed by 12 from Jordan Hendricks, 10 from Matt Savatski, a UW–Platteville recruit, nine each from David Nies, a Clarke University recruit, and Kane Hoffman, a UW–Platteville recruit, and seven from Michael Droessler.

Highland got 14 points from Josh Tarrell, who played football at UW–Oshkosh, and 12 each from Jamey Shemak and John Hebgen, while Ty Thielorn added eight.


East Regional

1) 2000 Cassville 52, 8) 1976 North Crawford 44
CASSVILLE — The twin towers of Tom Uppena (6’6”) and Andy Hulst (6’4”) were too much for the 1976 Class C state qualifiers from North Crawford (23–3), who were eliminated from the Southwest Wisconsin Dream Tournament in the second round.

The top-seeded 2000 D4 state championship Comets may have owned the lane, but also got some help on the outside from senior guards Jeff Glass, Clint Nemitz and Jared Junk.

Uppena led the charge with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Hulst chipped in 12 points and pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds. 

Glass knocked down a huge 3-pointer late in the third quarter though, when the Trojans went into a collapsing zone defense to give Cassville a 38–33 lead going into the fourth.

With North Crawford staying in their zone in the final quarter, Glass, Nemitz and Junk all made them pay, by knocking down key baskets to maintain a comfortable lead. Late in the game, the Trojans were forced to come out of their zone, leading to Cassville going back inside. Glass finished with nine points, while Nemitz added seven and Junk five.

North Crawford got 18 points from third-team All-State selection Jim Iverson, while Dick Iverson added 10 points and Jerry Campbell seven.

The top-seeded Comets will next face a very formidable 2017 D4 state runner-up Darlington squad, which just so happened to be coached by none other than Tom Uppena, which should make for an interesting Sweet 16 matchup.


4) 2017 Darlington 69, 5) 1986 Prairie du Chien 67
DARLINGTON — In a back-and-forth contest from start to finish, the 2017 D4 state runner-up Redbirds pulled out a two-point victory over future Blackhawks’ coach and 1986 Prairie du Chien standout Andy Banasik in a thrilling second-round tournament contest.

Coach Tom Uppena’s Redbirds (29–1) jumped out to an early lead off transition baskets, and were able to hold off the advances of a charging Prairie du Chien squad.

The Blackhawks (22–5) took a 58–57 lead midway through the fourth quarter on a bucket by Don Steger, but a huge 3-pointer by Darlington’s Will Schwartz gave the lead back to the Redbirds for good.

Down the stretch, Darlington capitalized on 7 of 8 free throw attempts to secure the win, while Banasik sunk a late 3-pointer for a 69–67 final.

Schwartz netted a team-high 16 points for the Redbirds, while Trevor Johnson added 12 and Ryan Glendenning 10. Hunter Johnson chipped in seven and Josh Soper six.

Banasik led Prairie du Chien with 21 points, while Steger added 14 and Steve Mergen had 12.


3) 1981 Iowa-Grant 83, 6) 1988 Southwestern 78
LIVINGSTON — In a classic coaching battle between two legendary Southwest Wisconsin coaches, Steve Randall’s 1981 Class C state championship Panthers prevail in a five-point win over Jim Nedelcoff’s 1988 Class C state runner-up Wildcats.

The 1981 Panthers (25–3) advanced to the tournament’s Sweet 16 after pulling away late in their second-round match up against a hot Southwestern squad, who went 14-6 during the regular season.

In a game that featured seven ties and six lead changes, the pivotal moment came midway through the fourth quarter when junior Mark Place put Iowa-Grant up 75–72 with a three-point play on an offensive put back.

The Panthers then got a steal on the other end by senior Mark Hagen, which eventually led to another basket for Iowa-Grant after taking more than 1:50 off the clock.

Holding a 77–72 lead with 2:48 to play in the game, the Panthers made 6 of 8 free throws down the stretch, while Southwestern was 2 of 5 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Place led Iowa–Grant with 18 points, while Mark Hagen added 15 and Dean Pope 11.

Southwestern was led by senior Glen Stangl’s 17 points, while Max Rawson finished with 14 and Bill Morgan 12.


2) 1991 Cuba City 55, 7) 1993 Dodgeville 51
CUBA CITY — Coach Jerry Petitgoue’s 1991 D3 state champions from Cuba City survived a scare from the 1993 D3 state qualifiers from Dodgeville in a thrilling second-round match up.

The Dodgers hit six first-half 3-pointers to build a 30–22 halftime lead over the stunned Cubans (26–3), who locked things down on defense and used a 14–2 scoring run late in the second half to rally for the win.

Dodgeville got as close as 49–48 on a bucket by senior Karl Clough (1993 SWAL 1 MVP), but Tom Laufenberg came up big for the Cubans with four of his 14 points coming in the final minute of action.

Though limited with foul trouble, Wisconsin Badger recruit Greg Timmerman led the Cubans with 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Jamie Leifker added 11 points and Josh Kuepers eight.

The Dodgers got 21 points from Clough, while junior center Rob Meudt chipped in 16, Aaron Olson 12 and Eric Bradley nine.

Coach Petitgoue’s 1991 Cubans advance to the Sweet 16, where they will match up against coach Steve Randall’s 1981 Class C state championship team, who lost twice to coach Petitgoue’s Class B state championship team that same year.