Wildcats pass the North Stars’ test

WIAA DIVISION 4 SECTIONAL SEMIFINAL

Edgar defeats Hurley in the sectional semi

The Edgar Wildcats found themselves in uncharted waters on Thursday. Edgar had finally broken through the regional round of play-offs to play in a sectional semifinal, the programs first in 24 years.

They were also struggling to find ways to stop a Hurley North start squad midway through the first half. That they were even down was a surprise to the ‘Cats, after they torched the nets in the first ten minutes.

Austin Dahlke got the party started on Thursday with a three-ball that was followed by a steal and lay-up from Drew Guden that made it 5-0.

More triples from Dahlke followed, along with a trey from Kyle Brewster as the Wildcats put on a first half shooting clinic against Hurley.

That offense was matched by a suffocating defense as Edgar held Hurley without a field for nearly eight minutes as they built up a 14-2 lead.

But that early hot shooting eventually cooled, and Hurley got right back in the game, using some tough, old-school physical basketball to earn second chance points to snap off a 9-0 run that got the game to a single possession with Hurley trailing 14-11 with 8:30 left in the first.

That Hurley came back wasn’t much of a surprise to Edgar.

“This is just playoff basketball. You know going in that every game is going to be close,” senior guard Drew Guden said. “You look at Marathon, we had a close game there, so it wasn’t a surprise this game was close.”

The North Stars came into the game with a sterling 23-2 record. One of those two losses had come courtesy of Edgar, who had knocked off Hurley at home 59-51 twelve days prior to Thursday night’s sectional semifinal.

But in that game Kyle Brewster had not played, and now that he was back in the line-up, he was more than happy to make his presence known.

“It feels good to be back and playing, especially against a team we already beat,” Brewster said. He also saw few things from his position on the bench that took advantage of on Thursday.

“I picked up that we need to box out since they are a big, physical team. We had to box out and play great D to get the victory.”

Brewster hit two triples in the first half, but Dominic Croci did one bet- Sectional

ter, and his third triple of the first half gave Hurley their first lead of the game at 20-18 after Edgar went on a four minute scoring drought and the North Stars went on an 18-4 run.

Guden was able to draw a foul in the waning seconds of the first half, and he converted on a pair of free throws that made it 20-20 going into the locker room.

“We were kinda cold, but we were sticking with them,” Guden said about that first half. “We knew once we caught fire we were going to take over the game.”

For that to happen, Edgar would need to change up their game plan. They’re outside shooting had gone as cold as the weather, so the Wildcats chose to get as close to the rim as possible.

“It was something that coach preached,” Brewster said. “We were just settling for [threes] and normally if we start settling, we start missing and we go cold. Once we got those inside shots we were able to kick it out for a wide open threes, and those are the kind of high percentage shots you want.”

That strategy of going inside and finishing in the paint or at the charity stripe began to pay dividends almost immediately in the second half. Edgar.

Not that Edgar completely abandoned their outside game. Guden splashed an early triple that made it 23-20, and Dalke, a recent committ to the University of Colorado for football, showed off the athleticism that made him so coveted by D-1 football programs across the nation.

Dahlke got a putback to fall that made it 25-20, and then he went in for two more. The ‘Cats tried to feed Brayden Baumgartner down low, but Hurley’s Tony Cummings did a good job of limiting Edgar’s big man to just two points. Another three from Hurley made it 27-25, and the North Stars proved they were not going away anytime soon.

With just under seven minutes to play it was a 35-32 ball-game. That’s when Edgar’s seniors came up with some huge buckets. Brewster got away from a Hurley defender and made them pay as he dropped in a shot from Down Town.

That shot gave Edgar some breathing room, and sucked some life out of Hurley.

“It gave us all the momentum. Yeah, they were hitting some tough shots, but we ended up making some big shots,” Brewser said. “That affects our defense too. It gave us more energy and gets us up in their face. It’s hard for them to get a shot if we’re really up in their grill.”

Edgar’s seniors led the charge the rest of the way. Konnor Wolf and Drew Guden penetrated the lane for a pair of buckets, and then Brewster sprinted away from Hurley after forcing a turnover that ended with a finger-roll to make it a 43-36 ball game.

“That’s huge to get turnovers because our defense likes to fly around like maniacs,” Brewster said. “We get a steal, we’re looking out, and we’re going, so you better watch out!”

Guden continued to drill threes, ending with four on the night. He was as cool as ice from the charity stripe, finishing a perfect eight of eight on free throws as he scored a game high 24 points. Brewster added 13 and Dahlke tallied 11 points as Edgar out-scored Hurley 34-16 in the second half, including a 16-2 run to close out the game.

The win sent Edgar into the sectional championship for the first time since 1997, and spoke to the mindset of this year’s squad said senior role player Nathan Drabek.

“A win like this says we have a lot of teamwork, we have very good senior leadership, and that our success starts from the core. It starts from the guys on the bench that practice every day. We make sure that they’re ready to go for game time. Having such a strong team bond means we can succeed every night.”

With their victory the Wildcats’ march to the state tournament continued on. Each step brings this year’s team into new territory, but every Wildcat spoke about the excitement of the challenges before them, and the pride they feel advancing to this stage, especially after such bitter disappointment after losing in the regional championships the last three years.

“It feels great to be here. We’ve came up short the last three years, but this is our year,” Guden said. “We knew we had to make it happen. We got seniors across the board and we knew this was our last shot.”

Edgar knew their next opponent would be even harder, facing a Clear Lake team that had won its conference, was ranked and undefeated and had topped a Fall Creek squad in a road upset.

But with every game they have played, their attitude never wavers.

“We start each game with the same mind-set. There’s no change,” Brewster said. “We come in acting like we’re going to win, but also expecting a challenge.”

“A win like this says we have a lot of teamwork, we have very good senior leadership, and that our success starts from the core.”Nathan DrabekEdgar senior