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With Duane Wilson and Diamond Stone on the same page, Dominican’s traditionally tough basketball program is virtually unstoppable at the WIAA Division 4 level.

Despite a gallant effort from Auburndale’s Austin Hawkins, who finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds, Dominican posted a 57-44 victory over the Apaches Saturday in the Division 4 state final at the Kohl Center.

Wilson, the electric 6-foot-2 senior point guard and Marquette recruit, finished with 26 points, seven assists and five steals while Stone, the 6-9 sophomore sensation, added 22 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Wilson looked for Stone early and often and the results were a thing of beauty for Dominican, which won its second straight Division 4 title and fourth overall since joining the WIAA 13 years ago.

Wilson had two assists that led to dunks for Stone in the first period and then the talented twosome got the Kohl Center crowd rocking in the second quarter.

After Hawkins tied the score at 17 with a jumper, Wilson drilled a three-point shot and then drove the lane and soared over a couple of defenders for an eye-popping one-handed dunk.

A few players later, Wilson delivered a behind-the-back pass to a trailing Stone, who went up for a two-handed flush that gave the Knights a 29-17 advantage and had everybody in attendance buzzing.

“I knew (Auburndale) wasn’t as big, but I also knew they were very physical,” Wilson said. “I told Diamond I was going to throw it up high today, and he was open every single time.”

Wilson completes his outstanding high school career with two state titles and well over 1,000 points. He heads to Marquette in the fall as a possible replacement for graduating point guard Junior Cadougan.

“He’s had a special career,” Dominican coach Derek Berger said of Wilson. “Last year, he became more of leader and, as a senior, he’s been an out-and-out stud. I think he’s the best player in the state.

“He can pull-up for the jumper, hit deep threes and attack the rim. He’s got the complete package.”

After Hawkins made a jumper to open the fourth period and pull Auburndale within 43-38, Wilson wound up scoring the final 14 points for Dominican and the Apaches could get no closer than six points the rest of the way.

Hawkins' stellar play earns plenty of praise

Before a reporter could even bring up the topic, Berger was quick to pass along praise to Auburndale’s Hawkins, who made floaters in the lane, three-point shots, bank shots off of post moves and free throws en route to his sterling 31-point performance.

“Austin played a marvelous game tonight,” Berger said. “He had 31 and 13 … you can’t get much better than that.”

Hawkins, who earned Player of the Year honors in the Southern Division of the Marawood Conference and led Auburndale to a 26-2 record, said he used parts of his game he doesn’t normally display in an effort to score over Stone and 6-6 Dominican forward Jack Jelacic.

“People don’t really see the jump shots or three-point shooting part of my game,” Hawkins said. “Today, I had to use them. Against a team like Dominican, you have to be more crafty and work harder for position.”

Hawkins is leaning toward attending Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, a NCAA Division III school, though both Edgewood and Lakeland also remain in the running for the talented 6-4 wing player.

“I took a visit to Concordia in November and fell in love with the place,” Hawkins said. “I am waiting for the financial aid package to see how things work out, but I am also still considering Edgewood and Lakeland.”

Quick Hitters … Auburndale coach Chad Weinfurter was pleased with the energy and heart his kids displayed throughout the 32 minutes of the Apaches contest against favored Dominican. “I thought our kids competed extremely well,” he said. “Dominican has two very special players and there roles players do a good job as well. We just don’t see that athleticism or high-level players during the year. When you make a mistake against a team like Dominican, it ends up in a dunk.” ... Dominican concludes the season with a 24-4 record under Berger, a former Dominican player who replaced Paul Wollersheim as the Knights' head coach last summer.