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Matt Thomas of Onalaska scored 25 points in the Hilltoppers’ WIAA Division 2 state semifinal contest against Pulaski Friday afternoon.

But the sharpshooting Iowa State recruit took just three shots from beyond the three-point arc in a game that lasted 36 minutes due to a four-minute overtime.

He made 9 of 18 shots from the floor, but he managed to take just seven shots after intermission.

Therein lies the biggest reason for Pulaski’s 46-42 victory over the slightly favored Hilltoppers.

“They flew on him hard,” Onalaska coach Craig Kowal said. “It forced Matt to show his versatility and get to the basket. He did have 18 field-goal attempts, but you would have liked him to get a few more, especially more three-point shots.”

One of the best long-distance shooters to come out of Wisconsin in the past decade, the 6-foot-4 Thomas came into the contest averaging 28.3 points per game.

But Pulaski’s ability to play at a deliberate pace and effectively mix man-to-man and zone defenses created a limited-possession game, something that definitely aided the Red Raiders.

“This is exactly the kind of game I thought it would be,” said Kowal, who guided Onalaska to the Division 2 title a year ago. “They made a few more plays and were able to win a close game.”

Stiede, Wichmann lead Pulaski to the Division 2 title game

Seniors Jordan Stiede (5-10) and Cody Wichmann (6-4) have been playing basketball together since grade school.

The talented left-handed duo spent the past three seasons playing alongside each other for the varsity squad at Pulaski and their strong showing Friday propelled the Red Raiders into the Division 2 title game against Wisconsin Lutheran.

Stiede hit four three-point baskets and gave Pulaski the lead for good with a triple early in overtime en route to scoring 13 points.

Wichmann, a Milwaukee recruit, overcame a slow start to score 17 points and grab five rebounds for the Red Raiders, who improved to 23-4 with their victory.

“Any time you have a guy like Stiede, a point guard with three years of varsity experience, that is big,” Pulaski coach Dave Shaw said. “He stepped up big in the fourth period, hitting that three-point shot to stop their 10-point run.

“It was a great game to watch. The Kohl Center was treated to an overtime semifinal game and we came through at the end. We found a way to pull it out.”

Depth, quickness lead Wisconsin Lutheran past Stoughton

Speed kills.

That was definitely the case for the Wisconsin Lutheran basketball team during its convincing 54-38 victory over Stoughton Friday afternoon at the Kohl Center.

Running nine players in and out of the lineup and using an aggressive pressing defense, Wisconsin Lutheran coach Ryan Walz was able to wear down a Stoughton squad making its first WIAA State Tournament appearance since 1939.

"We knew we were going to play an athletic team in Wisconsin Lutheran, but not only are they athletic, but they are fundamentally sound on both ends of the court," Stoughton coach Matt Hockett said. "They are the quickest team off the dribble that we faced this year."

The victorious Vikings scored 21 points off of turnovers and had five fast-break baskets in improving to 24-3 on the campaign.

“The pace of the game was what we hoped it would be,” Walz said. “We wanted them to play faster than what they are used to playing.”

Wisconsin Lutheran got 12 points from promising sophomore Anthony Carver (6-3), 11 from senior guard Deiondre Cunningham (6-0) and 10 from senior point guard Larry Moore (5-6) and led by as many as 23 points.

Saturday’s Division 2 title game will be a definite contrast in styles with Wisconsin Lutheran wanting to push the pace and Pulaski hoping to make it a limited possession contest.

“I’m looking forward to going up against a Dave Shaw-coached team again,” Walz said. “The last time we played in 2009 we won a sectional final 36-34 when he was at Whitefish Bay. It was one of the greatest games I’ve ever been a part of.

“I think our kids are prepared for Pulaski’s style of play after playing a couple of grinders this season. Still, we’d like to speed things up if possible.”

Quick Hitters … Stiede and Wichmann were teammates on a seventh-grade team from Pulaski that lost in a state-wide tournament to Onalaska. Stiede said he gave Wichmann a copy of the tape from that contest this week. “They got us in seventh grade, but we got them in the end,” Wichmann said … Kowal understandably got choked up in talking about what Thomas has meant to the Onalaska basketball program over the past four seasons. “It’s one thing to coach a talented player, but to have the character and intangibles to go with it? I’m just thankful for the opportunity to coach Matt.” … Stoughton sophomore Nick McGlynn (6-8) finished with 9 rebounds and eight points while playing a team-high 29 minutes.

Note:  Attendance for the Division 2 semi-final session was 16,300. That is the highest single-session total in state history.