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Neenah's grizzled Rockets thrived during a brutal Fox Valley Association schedule that included wins in 17 of 18 contests.

So when the playoffs rolled around, coach Lee Rabas' squad was pretty much prepared for anything opponents would throw at them. 

Saturday night, Neenah not only won its first WIAA Division 1 state title since the 1977-78 season, but the Rockets also carried the flag for the 10-team FVA.

Playing against one of the premier squads of the Greater Metro Conference, Neenah led for the final 32 minutes and 48 seconds of the contest in posting a convincing 64-52 triumph at the Kohl Center in Madison. 

"Hats off to all our the teams in the Fox Valley Association," Neenah coach Lee Rabas said. "It's a great league and it prepared us for our tournament run." 

Neenah, which finished the season with a school-record 29 victories against just one loss, used balance, toughness and poise to beat the Lancers.

Four Neenah players scored in double figures, the Rockets held Brookfield Central one of its lowest scoring outputs of the campaign, and Rabas' squad answered every potential momentum change with a patient offense that work for high percentage shots.

"It obviously was a very difficult game for us," Brookfield Central coach Dan Wandrey said. "Neenah deserves a lot of credit. They are very balanced and very smart.

"Their impressiveness is that nobody is all that impressive. Their is virtually no gap between players one through eight. They read each other well and play off of each other really, really well."

Merrimack College recruit Chevalier Emery Jr. (6-0) and uncommitted senior JJ Paider (6-7) led the way for Neenah.

Emery scored 19 points and dished out five assists, but he also got into the paint with his quickness and collapsed the defense to create scoring chances for his teammates. 

Paider finished with 14 points and 18 rebounds in dominating play around the basket. 

Paider might have been the breakout performer of the entire state tournament as he had 17 points and 14 rebounds in the Rockets' state semifinal victory over Racine Case. His 32 rebounds in two games set a WIAA Division 1 tournament record. 

"We knew JJ had it in him," Rabas said. "As you get more court time, your confidence grows. He had a game against Fond du Lac where he had 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. And he had 22 points and 23 rebounds against Kimberly. We knew he was capable."

UW-Oshkosh recruit Carter Thomas (6-5) and promising left-handed sophomore Brady Corso (6-0) also turned in strong performances for the Rockets with Thomas finishing with 15 points and Corso adding 10. 

Brookfield Central once relied heavily on University of St. Thomas recruit Andrew Rohde (6-7). 

Rohde finished with 34 points on 13-of-27 shooting from the field. Rohde finished the season with a state-best 854 points and his career with 1,469 points.

Brookfield Central, which finished 24-6, shot 44 percent from the field, but gave up 14 points off turnovers and allowed 28 points in the paint. 

Unfortunately for the Lancers, no other player scored more than seven points for the Lancers. 

"It means the world," Emery said of capturing the state crown. "This is a kids' dream. It's surreal. It means the whole world to me to go out on top."

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