Tigers stage big rally but fall in OT
FOND DU LAC – The Howards Grove Tigers gave 10th-ranked Winnebago Lutheran Academy all it could handle before falling in overtime, 52-47, in a Division 3 regional semifinal battle Thursday night at the WLA gym.
Howards, which had a nine-game winning streak snapped, made a stirring comeback in the fourth quarter to force overtime. The No. 2-seeded Vikings outscored the Tigers 9-4 in the overtime period, keyed by 5- for-6 foul shooting.
The Tigers trailed 50-47 with 10 seconds left and had a chance to tie the game but turned the ball over which led to a Viking layup.
Howards, a No. 3 seed, ended a strong boys basketball season with a 17-7 record.
Lutheran advanced to sectional play with a 69-66 win over top-seeded Oostburg (21-3) Saturday in the regional finals. The Vikings improved to 23-2 and Oostburg finished 21-3.
“It was disappointing to lose but I was happy with the way the kids played. They all played really well,” said Tiger head coach Chris Schroeder.
“Winnebago Lutheran is an outstanding team. They played great defense. They are very athletic, deep, and have size and quickness.”
The Tigers struggled on offense the first three quarters and found themselves down 32-24 heading into the final period. Howards went to a full-court press in the fourth quarter which fueled its rally.
“We pressed and we got some turnovers. We speeded them up and caused them to take quick shots,” Schroeder pointed out.
The Tigers ran a spread offense in the fourth period, directed by senior point guard Eric Dickmyer, which led to open shots. Howards had a 14-3 run in the final 4:08 of the quarter to knot the score at 43-43 and send the game into overtime. Eric Bruesewitz’s three-pointer with 44 seconds remaining tied the game for the Tigers.
Dickmyer and senior guard Bruesewitz sparked the Tigers’ attack in the fourth quarter with eight and six points, respectively. Dickmyer and Bruesewitz drilled two three-pointers each. Josh Horness also buried a trey in the period.
“Coming back was a testament to our character. Eric Dickmyer did a great job of penetrating and kicking it [ball] across,” Schroeder said.
Bruesewitz paced the Tigers in scoring with 12 points, blocked shots, two and steals with two. Zach Morgen also had two steals.
Dickmyer had a team-high four assists, followed by Bruesewitz with three. Morgen was the top rebounder with 10 and Horness pulled down nine.
“I was very pleased with our season. We ended the season strong,” Schroeder said.
| BOYS
| | |
| BASKETBALL
| | |
| HOWARDS | 47 | |
| GROVE | | |
| WINNEBAGO 52 | |
| LUTH. | | |
Score by Quarters
Howards Grove……...6 8 10 19 4 – 47
Winnebago Luth. …..8 8 16 11 9 – 52
Howards Grove scoring: Eric Dickmyer 10, Eric Brusewitz 12, Josh Horness 9, Aaron Wagner 6, Matt Wleklinski 4,
Zach Morgen 6.
Winnebago Lutheran scoring: Ryan Stolfus 3, Sean Augustyn 14, Keith Blum 6, Mike Schraufnagel 13, Cody Jackson
12, Chad Skaer 4.
Three-point goals: Dickmyer 2, Bruesewitz 4, Horness 2, Wagner 1, Jackson 1.
Field goals: Howards Grove 16-52, 31%; Lutheran 20-43, 47%. Free throws: Howards Grove 6-10, 60%; Lutheran 11-
18, 61%.
Rebounds: Howards Grove 35, Lutheran 26. Turnovers: Howards Grove ___________________________ 13, Lutheran 8.
