Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

Tournament coverage brought to you by

A year ago, Wisconsin Lutheran hoped to impart its will on Pulaski in the Division 2 title game of the WIAA State Tournament played at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Instead, it was Pulaski that imparted its will on Wisconsin Lutheran resulting in a 48-40 victory for the Red Raiders over the Vikings.

Twelve months later, Wisconsin Lutheran got another try at exerting its aggressive style of play on an opponent in a championship setting as the Vikings battled Rice Lake for the Division 2 crown on Saturday in the Kohl Center.

This time, Wisconsin Lutheran did exactly as it planned, using its intensity, quickness and superior depth to notch a 61-46 victory to secure the school's second state title in the past six years.

"We were able to influence the game and exorcize some demons from last year," Wisconsin Lutheran coach Ryan Walz said. "I was pleased with the energy our kids put into the game. Every loose ball, every rebound ... we went for it. I thought we just made a ton of plays in the game."

Wisconsin Lutheran forced 13 turnovers and scored nine points off those Rice Lake miscues, but even more important than the turnovers was the pace of the game.

The vastly superior quickness and speed the Vikings possessed came into play throughout the contest as Rice Lake rushed shots and simply worn down as the game progressed.

The Warriors also were forced to start their offense and cuts further away from the basket as the pressure exerted by the Viking guards pushed Rice Lake well beyond the three-point arc for much of the contest.

"We played a very good Wisconsin Lutheran team," Rice Lake coach Kevin Orr said. "One of my concerns coming in was being able to handle their press. I thought (point guard) Ben Widdes did a nice job and played with a lot of composure.

"But they are so quick from player one through player eight. We don't see that pressure night in and night out. We had a hard time getting into our offense. They kind of sped us up a little bit and made it tough for us to get into our offense."

Rice Lake, which finished a memorable season with a 23-3 record and the Big Rivers Conference championship, made 40 percent of its shots, but was outscored by 13 points from the free-throw line.

Junior Henry Ellenson (6-10) finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Warriors, but he was guarded well throughout the game by a variety of Wisconsin Lutheran defenders, led by senior Milton Cummings.

"They played well on Henry," Orr said. "We got him a couple of good looks, but probably not enough."

Cummings, a mobile 6-5 forward, got plenty of help from his teammates in shadowing the versatile and highly regarded Ellenson. Junior Anthony Carver (6-3) and even senior guard Keith Franklin (6-0) also took turns checking Ellenson.

"Milton got some help from some of his teammates, but he turned in a tremendous effort today guarding Ellenson," Walz said. ."He defended (Cody) Schwartz of West De Pere on Friday and Ellenson today. Those are tough assignments."

Wisconsin Lutheran (26-2) got 18 points and eight rebounds from Carver, who made plenty of mid-range jump shots and was able to move Ellenson outside of the lane a bit because of his perimeter shooting skill.

Franklin added nine points while senior CJ Polk (6-0) contributed eight points and six rebounds. Senior Dez Cockroft (6-1) added six points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals for a very balanced and exceptionally deep Wisconsin Lutheran squad.

"We knew we'd have a good team with so many guys coming back," said Walz, who guided the Vikings to a 28-18 halftime lead and then watched as his players extended the margin to 36-18 just over three minutes into the second half.

"My concerns were that we might be complacent so I was harder on these guys than on other teams I've had."

Ellenson spoke after the game about the great memories he and his teammates made over the weekend in Madison at the WIAA State Tournament.

And the exceptionally talented junior forward also mentioned the motivation he and his teammates will have to return to the Capitol City next year in an effort to take the program one more step and win a Division 2 state title.

Ellenson, who led Rice Lake in scoring (27.7 ppg), rebounding (12.8 rpg) and blocked shots (69), and Widdes (6-0), who averaged 9.3 ppg and handed out 128 assists, are returning starters and cornerstones for next year's Rice Lake squad.

"It's been a lot of fun these last two days," Ellenson said. "It's something I'd like to really take in. This is really going to put a drive in me to come back next season and win a state championship."