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Pewaukee made 15 of its 28 attempts from outside the arc Saturday night and blitzed La Crosse Central with an impressive second-half barrage to record a 67-48 victory in the WIAA Division 2 state title game at the Kohl Center in Madison.

In winning its second straight state championship, Pewaukee cemented its standing as one of the most impressive teams in Wisconsin this winter.

The Pirates broke away from a 30-25 halftime lead with eight three-point baskets in the second half, including four by sensational sophomore wing guard Nick Janowski.

Pewaukee (27-3) shot 72 percent from the field in the second half and 60 percent for the game compared to 39 percent for La Crosse Central, which had its 25-game winning streak snapped. 

"The way they shot the ball from three, I  tell you what, if there's a better team in Wisconsin ... Pewaukee is just very good," La Crosse Central coach Todd Fergot said. "Pewaukee goes on those runs. We did everything we could to stop the three-point barrage. But you have to give them credit. The way they shot the ball tonight, there aren't many high school teams that could have beaten them."

While Pewaukee was tossing in three-point shots from all over the court, the Pirates also performed at a high level on defense.

La Crosse Central did not score its first field goal in the second half until junior Nic Williams connect on a shot in the lane with 12:36 remaining. By that time, Pewaukee had a 10-point lead that steadily grew the rest of the way.

"We started talking about (winning consecutive titles) as soon as last year ended," Pewaukee coach David Burkemper said. "We had some pressure on us this year, but today's game was about our three pillars."

Those pillars, Burkemper explained, include ...

1) Playing Hard

2) Being a great teammate

3) Trusting in each other and the coaches

Pewaukee's talented group of Pirates lived up to those pillars throughout the contest with La Crosse Central.

Pewaukee finished the game with 12 assists, communicated well on defense, and lifted each other up after a mistake.

It also seemed each time La Crosse Central would string together a small run, Pewaukee would answer with yet another deflating three-point shot. 

"I feel like on a lot of those threes, we did what we were supposed to do," La Crosse Central senior Devon Fielding said. "We closed out hard, but we all know Pewaukee is a great team."

Nick Janowski (6-4) and his older brother, senior Ashton Janowski (6-2), finished with 19 points each to lead Pewaukee. Junior Milan Momcilovic (6-8) added 17 points and reserve Kollen Osterman (6-0) contributed five. 

Senior Josh Terrian (6-4) had just two points, but he contributed seven rebounds, five assists and strong defense for the Pirates.

For La Crosse Central, which won a school-record 28 games, Fielding had a strong game with 17 points. Williams added 13 points and senior Noah Compan added eight. 

However, the Riverhawks were outscored 30-10 from three-point range and gave up 18 points off of their seven turnovers.

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