Fennimore’s Reid Larson stands alone.
With a sizzling, game-high 26-point performance in Fennimore’s 90–41 SWAL victory over Riverdale on Saturday, Feb. 9 the talented senior shooting guard etched his name atop the Golden Eagles’ all-time scoring list, passing uncle Kevin Larson.
The elder Larson, who graduated in 1987, finished his career with 1,547 points on 640 made baskets and 267 made field goals, in the days before the 3-point line.
Reid Larson, who is a 3-time first-team All-SWAL performer went on to score 19 points in a 62–48 loss to Cuba City nine more in a 68–51 Senior Night victory over Boscobel and closed out the regular season with a stellar 28-point outburst in Fennimore’s 68–50 win at Southwestern last Thursday night.
He now has 1,605 career points entering Friday’s WIAA Division 4 regional semifinal playoff game against fifth-seeded Wisconsin Heights (16–6), which beat 12th-seeded Brookwood (6–16) in Tuesday’s opening round.
“I think Reid’s accomplishment is something he should be proud off,” said father and first-year Fennimore head coach troy Larson. “To be rewarded with the hard work he has put in from youth basketball up until now. These kinds of things don’t happen without team success around him and Reid is well aware of that. I don’t know if it started out as a goal of his, but as time went on it became an achievable goal. Things like this aren’t easy. There have been a lot of wonderful, wonderful basketball players in Fennimore history.”
“Years ago, this isn’t something I ever envisioned being a part on the bench,” added coach Larson. “But to be a part of it as a coach its really special. I am very proud of him as a parent and as his coach. Reid has stayed the course all four years. There has been nothing special done for Reid. He has taken the coaching he has received and played in the system that was in place. He kept working hard and in the end he was rewarded.”
Reid Larson and younger brother Adam Larson combined to score 52 points on just 27 shots in last Thursday’s dominating win over fifth-place Southwestern (11–10, 6–8 SWAL).
The Golden Eagles (18–4, 10–4), who finished tied with Cuba City for third in the SWAL, got off to a slow start, but quickly recovered from a 5–0 deficit.
Reid Larson made 12 of 17 shots, including 3 of 5 from beyond the 3-point arc en rout to his game-high 28 points. He also grabbed 10 rebounds, had four steals and three assists.
Adam Larson missed just one shot on the night, finishing 9 of 10 from the field, 3 of 3 from distance and 3 of 3 from the free throw line to finish with 24 points.
Junior point guard Kellen Kenney scored all eight of his points early on as Fennimore built outscored the host Wildcats 35–20 over the final 16 minutes of the first half. He also passed out a team-high nine assists and grabbed three rebounds.
“As a whole we shot the ball excellent,” said coach Larson. “It was one of our best shooting nights. Reid shot the ball well and Adam shot it phenomenal. I think he only missed one shot. And Kellen Keeney was just solid once again. He scored early, then when the defense toughened up on him he started distributing the ball. For him it isn’t always about scoring. He keeps everyone involved and really puts pressure on the defense. Kellen is definitely a key factor for our team.”
“Southwestern is a tough place to play,” added Larson. “It was a really good note to end the regular season on. It was definitely a game I didn’t think we could take control of the game and walk away from them. I think we needed this as a team to get rolling going into the playoffs. The team camaraderie was great after the game.
NEXT: The Golden Eagles earned the #4 seed in their half sectional and had a first-round bye when regional play begins Tuesday. Fennimore will host Wisconsin Heights Friday night at 7 p.m.
“Wow, our regional is unbelievable,” said Larson. “We are part of a regional that you would rather not be in. I really believe the one through eight seeds can all win this half sectional. We are in the mix to play Wisconsin Heights, which just knocked off Darlington a week ago and they are a five seed. That just shows how tough this bracket is.
“Even with them coming into our house, we will have to play well for 36 minutes. Heights plays very good defense and they shoot the ball extremely well. We are going to have our hands full. We are going to have to play as a team and compete for the entire game. There will be no easy games in the playoffs.”
Fennimore 68, Southwestern 50
(from Thursday, Feb. 20 @ Hazel Green)
Fennimore 35 33 — 68
Southwestern 25 25 — 50
Fennimore (18–4, 10–4) — Adam Larson 24, Reid Larson 28, Logan O’Brien 2, Kellen enney 8, Jacob Young 2, Warren Adam 4. Totals – 29-47 4-4 68.
Southwestern (11–11, 6–8) —Breckin Schneider 11, Cayden Splinter 3, Tytan Kephart 3, Justin Wilson 2, Grant Jochum 11, Shaun Cooper 7, Dylan Rieken 11, Vaughan Lacey 2. Totals – 20 4-8 50.
3-point goals — F: 6 (A. Larson 3, R. Larson 3), S: 6 (Jochum 3, Rieken 2, Kephart 1). Total fouls – F: 9, S: 8. Fouled out – none.
