The WSN15 series will celebrate the 15th Anniversary of WisSports.net by looking back at the top players, teams, and moments of the past 15 years (2003-2017).
We begin our WSN15 boys' basketball series with the Top 15 Moments of the WSN Era.
In many ways, it marked the end of one reign and the beginning of another.
Sam Hauser of Stevens Point Area Senior High School all but terminated Germantown's three-year stranglehold on the WIAA Division 1 state championship on March 1, 2015 with a remarkable 8-minute flurry as impressive as any in state-tournament history.
The 6-foot-8 Hauser scored all 16 of the Panthers' points in the opening period and drilled four three-point shots, including three on successive possessions late in the first period, to give SPASH a 16-12 lead over unbeaten Germantown.
When Stevens Point's Trev Anderson opened the second period with yet another triple, the Panthers led 19-12 and were basically never threatened again as their lead was never less than seven points the rest of the contest.
In fact, the Panthers' lead grew to as many as 21 points in the second half as SPASH made a definitive statement about who was the best team in the state.
The Panthers' 67-51 triumph brought to a close Germantown's impressive dynasty. The Warhawks are 37-31 since that loss to Stevens Point after winning an incredible 109 of 112 games under coach Steve Showalter over a four-year period from 2011-2015, including a state-record 69 victories in a row.
Meantime, Stevens Point finished 27-1 in 2015 and would go on to win additional Division 1 state championships under coach Scott Anderson in 2016 and 2017.
The Panthers won 79 of 84 games during their three-year state-title run, and could extend their mastery of the Division 1 field to four straight titles next month, though it will be difficult with Joey Hauser sidelined for the season and already enrolled at Marquette.
Sam Hauser's first-period showing, though, is what many remember most about SPASH's three state championships as it sent a message to the rest of the state that schools located in northern Wisconsin were more than capable of winning a large-school state championship in boys basketball, even in 2015.
Sam Hauser, now a sophomore starter at Marquette University, finished the contest against Germantown with 25 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and five blocked shots.
Anderson, now a redshirt sophomore at the University of Wisconsin, scored all 25 of his points after the first period while also adding four rebounds and two assists.
Freshman Joey Hauser, Sam's younger brother and a member of all three state-title teams under Anderson, contributed six points, six rebounds and four assists.
WSN15 Top Moments Countdown:
#15 - Catholic Memorial's Bray fills out stat sheet
#14 - Madison Memorial outlasts De Pere in 3 OTs to win 2011 Division 1 title
#13 - Jesperson erupts in 4th period to help Merrill upend Waunakee
#12 - LaDew drills three-pointer in closing seconds to give CMH title
#11 - St. Catherine's dominant in winning 5 state titles in 6 years
#10 - Randolph wins fourth straight state title behind Tillema
#9 - WIAA votes to add fifth division to state tournament
#8 - Madison Memorial, Seymour rule sectional final games
#7 - Bennett unlikely hero as Dominican completes five peat
#6 - Showalter's dunk signals start of Germantown dynasty
#5 - Oshkosh West completes unbeaten season as son pays tribute to late father
#4 - Cedarburg's Diener nets more points in a single game than any player in WIAA State Tournament history
#3 - Hauser's first-period performance signals end of one reign and beginning of another
#2 - Coming Soon...
#1 - Coming Soon...
For the latest and most up to date boys' basketball news and recruiting information, follow Mark on Twitter @wisbbyearbook. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Mark at wbnews@yahoo.com.
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