By Paul Lecker
For OnFocus
MARSHFIELD – Let’s tune back to Dec. 18, 2018. After the Marshfield boys basketball team lost a home game to D.C. Everest, the Tigers were 3-4 overall, 1-2 in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, and the thought of a conference title seemed like a far-fetched dream.
Fast forward back to present day and everything changed.
Since that loss, Marshfield ripped off nine-straight WVC wins, including one in its regular-season finale on Thursday night, to capture a share of its third-ever conference championship.
Marshfield led for all but one minute of playing time and went on to defeat Stevens Point 59-52 to tie down a share of its first Wisconsin Valley Conference title since its shared the crown with Wausau West in 2010. The Tigers’ other WVC championship came in 1992, when they also shared with Wausau West.
Merrill pounded Wausau East 67-43 on Thursday to also finish 10-2 in WVC play and finish as co-champions with Marshfield.
“It’s really exciting,” Marshfield senior Preston Wagner said. “This has been done three times in 70 years, or whatever it was. We came out tonight and Coach knew it was going to happen. We had it written on the board, ‘Play for one another.’”
A number of Marshfield’s key players were members of the football team that played into the Division 2 state semifinals, and others played soccer or ran cross country, and Marshfield coach Scott Scheuer said that may have played a role in the Tigers’ slow start to the season.
“I was really patient,” Scheuer said. “We did a lot of shooting, not a lot of up and down (the court) and I just wanted to try recover those guys. The way I wanted to play, I had to have those guys (that played fall sports) close to 100 percent. I wasn’t really worried about the wins and the losses, I didn’t want to beat these guys up.
“These guys are so competitive. A lot of these guys played in a sectional final last year, some of them played in what was really a sectional final in football, one play or two away from going to state. They are super competitive, and it was just a matter of time before they dug in and said, ‘Let’s start winning.’”
Stevens Point (12-9, 8-4 WVC) led 2-0 and 4-3 before a Preston Wagner 3-pointer at the 14:22 mark of the first half put the Tigers up for good.
Brant Bohman made a basket off a steal and Wagner hit another 3 to make it 11-4 and Marshfield was in control the rest of the way.
Point twice closed to within three before Marshfield (15-6 overall) put together a 13-0 run to take a commanding 16-point lead.
Isaac Meverden had a 3-pointer and lay-in to start the run, and Joey Goettl added a free throw and a three-point play to help the Tigers take a 26-10 lead.
Marshfield led 31-22 at halftime, but the Panthers weren’t about to give in.
Point closed to within three after a three-point play by Nolan Blair and a free throw to make it 33-30 before the Tigers stabilized things and remained in the lead.
Goettl, who finished with a career-high 16 points, had a basket off an offensive rebound, another hoop, and two free throws that helped push Marshfield’s lead back to eight at 44-36.
Blair and Evan Vollendorf each had four points in a 2-minute stretch that helped the Panthers get it back to a five-point deficit at 55-50 with 1:06 to go, but Marshfield was able to distance themselves again and Olson and Goettl made lay-ups after getting behind the Stevens Point full-court pressure.
Blair finished with a game-high 24 points for Stevens Point. He was 10-for-19 shooting, but the rest of the Panthers only made nine shots as the Marshfield defense did enough.
“I really challenged my guys about the defensive end,” Scheuer said. “Everybody talks about how we shoot the ball, the 3-pointers, and our offense. Maybe they should, but I wanted us to really dig in defensively. Point has two really good scorers and a bunch of other guys that play really hard. For the most part, in both halves, we did a good job.”
Bohman also had 16 points for the Tigers, who are now off until its WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal on Friday, March 1, at home against Oshkosh West. Marshfield is looking to make it to sectionals for the second year in a row and fifth time in the past six seasons.
“It’s really the everyday things,” Wagner said of the Tigers’ preparation for the playoffs. “Practicing hard, working out hard, believing in ourselves and what our coaches have to say to us.”
Tigers 59, Panthers 52
Stevens Point 22 30 – 52
Marshfield 31 28 – 59
STEVENS POINT (52): Nolan Blair 10-19 3-3 24, Travis Johnson 3-4 5-6 11, Austin Beyer 0-0 0-0 0, Brendan Klish 0-0 0-0 0, Darren Zwicker 0-0 2-2 2, Elliot Eron 2-2 0-2 4, Evan Vollendorf 4-13 2-2 11, Adam Willoughby 0-1 0-0 0. FG: 19-39. FT: 12-15. 3-pointers: 2-11 (Blair 1-4, Vollendorf 1-6, Willoughby 0-1). Rebounds: 20 (Blair 5, Eron 5). Turnovers: 8. Fouls: 14. Fouled out: Eron. Record: 12-9, 8-4 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
MARSHFIELD (59): Isaac Meverden 3-9 0-2 7, Brant Bohman 6-9 2-2 16, Tommy Olson 2-5 0-0 4, Cody Korth 0-0 0-0 0, Anthony Posteluk 1-4 0-0 3, Preston Wagner 4-6 2-3 13, Joey Goettl 5-7 6-8 16, Addison Hill 0-1 0-0 0. FG: 21-41. FT: 10-15. 3-pointers: 7-19 (Wagner 3-4, Bohman 2-4, Posteluk 1-3, Meverden 1-5, Olson 0-3). Rebounds: 19 (Meverden 5). Turnovers: 9. Fouls: 14. Fouled out: none. Record: 15-6, 10-2 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
Author: News Desk
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