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

By Dick Knapinski

For Wishoops.net

 

Off and running

 

Madison Memorial had lived by pressure and transition in their two wins at state, but it was Arrowhead that applied the force Saturday night to beat the Spartans 72-51 for the Division 1 championship.



"They did to us what we had done to Appleton East and Neenah," Memorial coach Steve Collins said.



The Warhawks pushed the pace by breaking Memorial s pressure and going on a 26-2 run to finish the third period, turning a 36-33 deficit into a 49-38 lead.



"I m confident in my ability to handle the ball and I knew what they were going to throw at us," Arrowhead point guard Andy Fox said. "Once we got the ball past halfcourt, it was just finding the big guy (center Ben Mills) in the middle."

 

Running past

 

Arrowhead s run was perhaps most frustrating to Memorial standout Vander Blue, as the Spartans couldn t get back in control and were never closer than 11 points in the final four minutes of the game.



"We had to score and we had to stop them from scoring," said Blue, who finished his prep career with eight points and eight rebounds Saturday. "We couldn t execute our stuff and shots weren t falling."

 

Changing direction

 

In the first half, Arrowhead committed 13 turnovers as it fell behind 31-23. Warhawks center Ben Mills also struggled, taking only three shots and scoring seven points before the half.



"I told Ben I needed him to take at least four shots in the third quarter and four more in the fourth," Arrowhead coach Craig Haase said. "We were going east and west too much in the first half. When teams pressure you, you have to go north and south and attack the basket."



Mills had 18 points and 10 rebounds Saturday, his third straight double-double in the state tourney. He finished with 60 points and 30 rebounds.



"I just decided to finish tonight and it came through and we won state," Mills said.

 

Lacking some love

 

With Madison Memorial s success in recent years, Collins and his team don t expect an arena full of Spartans supporters.



"(Arrowhead) had a couple of runs and them feeling good and getting the crowd in the Kohl Center behind them," he said. "We re not the most loved program in the world. We ve been here seven straight years and people I think get a little envious of people who win."



Blue is counting his blessings with a state title and two runner-up finishes in three years, even if the Spartans aren t the fans favorite.



"It would have been a bigger blessing to have won tonight, but I can t be too selfish," he said. "Since I ve been a sophomore and de-committed from Wisconsin, it s been the world against me down here in Madison and in many parts of Wisconsin. But I love my teammates and I love Coach Collins and his staff. I just wish I wasn t done yet."

 

Speed trap

 

Waukesha Catholic Memorial coach Dean Bellanti knew that the Crusaders wouldn t match up well with Northwestern in a half-court game during the Division 2 title game, so he told his team to hit the accelerator.



"Early in the first quarter we weren t doing a very good job of that because we were dribbling instead of passing," Bellanti said after the Crusaders beat Northwestern 60-48. "We wanted to move the ball with a couple of quick passes up court and then get it back into T.J. (Bray s) hands."



The Tigers weren t bothered by the tempo as much as the rushed shots that they took while involved in the speed up game, which changed a three-point Northwestern lead into a 27-20 Catholic Memorial advantage at the half.



"We weren t moving the ball that quickly and we were taking tougher shots than we normally do," Northwestern coach Dan Cowley said. "We don t play slow-down basketball most of the time, so it s not that different for us. It wasn t the pace, it was more the shot selection."

 

Best day ever

 

Bray not only collected a state championship, he also was named Wisconsin s Mr. Basketball by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association.



"It s one of the best days of my life, winning a state title and winning Mr. Basketball," said Bray after he had 20 points, 12 rebounds, six steals and five assists in the championship game.

For the tournament, Bray finished with 45 points and 24 rebounds.



"What can you say? It s icing on the cake," Bellanti said. "He s a basketball player in every facet of the game."

 

The whole arsenal

 

Northwestern s Donnie Hissa finished the regular season with just 12 three-pointers in 22 games, but added four in two tournament games. The 6-8 center showed decent touch, hitting 33 percent from behind the arc at state.



"(The Crusaders) were pretty tough inside; they re strong kids," he said. "I felt that I could get out around some double screens and get open looks. I was feeling confident."

 

Stray digit

 

Austin Pucylowski came running off the court in the third quarter, displaying his dislocated right pinkie to the Crusaders bench and the audience in the Kohl Center.



"I think the thing that surprised me was how impressed he was," Bellanti said. "He was even showing everybody behind our bench, too. You see, you have to understand Pooch … he s a character."



Pucylowski returned to the game, finishing with seven points and three rebounds, but had to allow a teammate shot his free throws in the closing minutes and finished with his hand in a bag of ice.



Meanwhile, the injury will become part of the Crusaders state title lore.



"We fully expect that picture will be famed in Pooch s house tonight," Bray added.

 

AP All-Tourney Team

All-Tournament team as selected by the news media:  T.J. Bray*, Waukesha Catholic Memorial (MVP); Vander Blue*, Madison Memorial; Kyle Kelm*, Randolph; Donnie Hissa*, Maple Northwestern; Ben Mills*, Hartland Arrowhead; Steve McWhorter, Racine St. Catherine s; Steve Tecker, Maple Northwestern; Jordan Fouse, Racine St. Catherine s; Tre Brunette, Madison Memorial; Derek Schell, Waukesha Catholic Memorial; Adam Ganske, Eau Claire Regis.



Final shots

 

Arrowhead tied a Division 1 record with 10 three-pointers on Saturday, tying Madison West in 1992 and Germantown in 2008 for the most threes in a game. The Warhawks 23 three-pointers in three games also set a state record for all divisions. … Northwestern has had only 1,000-point scorers in school history, with Steve Tecker and Hissa comprising two-thirds of that total. … Arrowhead has been riding center Ben Mills all year, including after Saturday s game. Point guard Andy Fox got a piggyback ride in and out of the media room on Mills back. … Fox is also happy to have a state tournament medal, since he s already lost his sectional championship medal. "I have no idea where it is," he said. … Total tournament attendance for the 10 sessions over three days as 82,616.