Whitefish Bay is celebrating a state championship.
The Blue Dukes defeated Slinger, 77-46 in the Division 2 WIAA Boys Basketball State Championship Final on Saturday night, March 21 at the Kohl Center, in Madison.
There were no secrets in this game. The North Shore Conference foes knew each other well. And for Whitefish Bay, there was a little extra incentive on top of winning a gold ball.
It was the question that undoubtedly was in the back of their minds at the beginning of the state tournament. Would the Whitefish Bay boys basketball team get another chance to play Slinger?
They already played each other twice during the regular season. The Owls won both evenly matched games. It included a 56-55 win on December 16 and a 58-56 victory on February 7.
As a competitor, you want another chance. It was too close. It was anybody's game.
"Sure, we knew," admitted Blue Dukes' head coach Ryan Fiet during a WIAA pregame interview. "We could play Slinger again."
The third meeting between these two teams this season happened because both teams got the job done in their respective semifinal matchups. The Owls defeated McFarland, 83-52 behind Jack Kohnen's 35 points and Bryson Fogle's 20. Slinger shot 61 percent from the floor while 56 of those points were converted in the paint. Whitefish Bay topped West Salem, 64-58. Colin Julien scored 21 points while Mace Miskel added 17 points for the Blue Dukes.
The rematch was on, with a state title on the line.
Owls' head coach Alex Lavine said he's proud of his team, during the WIAA Coaches Video Conference.
"We have a group of players that are committed, and have been stepping up in important situations. It means a lot to us and many people in the community."
It was their first state tournament final appearance in the history of the program. The stage was set Saturday night with the national anthem performed by the Slinger High School Pep Band. It was impressive.
Whitefish Bay (24-6) opened the game by converting jump shots and attacking the basket.
6-3 senior forward Matt Schoenefeldt's 3-pointer with 10:51 to go in the first period gave the Blue Dukes an 11-4 edge.
Fogle responded with a 3-pointer for the Owls, which provided a spark for their offense.
It came down to making baskets. Both teams created plenty of offensive opportunities, but the shots fell more often for Whitefish Bay in the first half. The Blue Dukes shot 67 percent, 12-of-18, from the field while the Owls went into halftime shooting 22 percent, or 5-of-22.
Whitefish Bay held a 28-16 lead. 18 of those points came in the paint for the Blue Dukes.
Sure, Slinger fans may have been concerned but the game was far from over. And there was one memory that kept coming up from the regular season with these two teams. Whitefish Bay held the lead in similar fashion, only to have the Owls come back and win.
Would it play out that way in Madison?
The first five minutes of the second half seemed to play out in similar fashion to the first half. Both teams playing hard, creating opportunities with the basketball. But the shots seemed to fall more often for the team in blue. Slinger scored eight points during that stretch, while the Blue Dukes dropped 12 points.
Whitefish Bay continued to attack the paint and just like that, they built a 51-34 lead with 8:56 left in the game. They had a lot of momentum at the time.
The Blue Dukes collected 24 points in the paint in the second half, along with 17 fast break points.
Shooting percentage, in this case, was a factor in the game. Slinger (25-5) finished with 28 percent from the field, 15-of-54, while Whitefish Bay was 28-of-45, or 62 percent.
"I'm proud of our players," said a disappointed Coach Lavine during the WIAA postgame interview. "Our players and our seniors have elevated the program."
Both sides showed a lot of class and handled the pressure of a state championship game.
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