Baskets don’t fall for ‘Cats

Edgar loses to Lourdes in D-4 state semifinal

The Edgar boys basketball team’s outside shooting woes plagued the squad during its WIAA Division 4 state championship semifinal game on Friday afternoon at the La Crosse Center, resulting in a 65-41 loss to Oshkosh Lourdes.

It seemed like there was a lid on Edgar’s basket, because the Wildcats only made five of their 25 three-point attempts for 20 percent shooting. Edgar converted 17 of 53 total shots in the game for 32 percent shooting from the floor.

It was difficult for Edgar head coach Dave Huss to pinpoint why his team had trouble shooting from outside against Lourdes, but he provided a few possibilities in the postgame press conference.

“It’s tough to say exactly why our team didn’t shoot well but it was probably a combination of nerves, playing in a new venue and Lourdes’ defense,” he said.

Edgar, while making its first trip to state in 24 years, was matched up against a potent Lourdes team which averaged 80 points per game entering the state semifinal matchup. The Knights scored 100 points against three opponents in the regular season, and they were two points short of reaching 100 points against another team.

The Wildcats countered with five senior starters in Kyle Brewster, Drew Guden, Konnor Wolf, Austin Dahlke and Brayden Baumgartner, who developed a strong bond playing with each other since they were young.

Lourdes senior guard/forward Joshua Bauer drained his first of five made three pointers in the state semifinal against Edgar, to give the Knights an early 11-2 lead. Brewster scored 11 first half points to help Edgar only be down, 25-19, to Lourdes at halftime. Wolf didn’t score in the first period while Guden, Dahlke and Baumgartner only scored two points each. Junior Ayden Weisenberger had Edgar’s other two points off the bench in the first period. The Wildcats didn’t attempt any free throws in the first period.

Edgar rallied to get within three points of Lourdes, at 27-24, three minutes into the second period on Brewster’s fast break basket and Guden’s three pointer. The Wildcats, however, would get no closer to the Knights during the remainder of the second period. Bauer sank three straight treys to give the Knights a comfortable 13-point lead, 39-25, with just over 11 minutes left in the game.

Bauer’s four straight points gave the Knights a 14-point lead, but Dahlke reeled off eight consecutive points to bring the Wildcats within 11 points with just over eight minutes remaining. Lourdes senior guard Preston Ruedinger got hot and scored 11 straight points to give the Knights a commanding 27-point lead with just over four minutes left in the game.

Huss substituted Edgar’s five senior starters with four minutes and six seconds remaining, so the Wildcat fans in attendance could cheer loudly in recognition of their great high school basketball accomplishments. Edgar won the Marawood South Conference championship this season, before the Wildcats broke through to win the regional and sectional titles to advance to state. The Wildcats lost in regional title games during the previous three seasons. Brewster said in the postgame press conference he’s proud of the many accomplishments his team obtained during this memorable season.

“Not being able to make it out of regionals during the past three years motivated us each and every day to to get to where we wanted to be at state today, and no matter what the outcome was, our senior class still wanted to accomplish some great things,” Brewster said.

Huss spoke about the importance of having a strong group of senior players on his team this season.

“Our seniors put in a lot of time and have shown an extreme amount of dedication and commitment to the boys basketball program here at Edgar, and for that I’m forever grateful and indebted to these guys,” he said. “I hope Kyle and our other seniors have set an impression on a young kid watching in the stands from Edgar, so it’s up to the next generation of kids to continue to build on the legacy that these guys have set forth for the program. I’m extremely blessed and fortunate to have coached guys like Kyle and the other players on our team this season.”

Huss gave his first five players off the bench consisting of seniors Cole Schilling and Nathan Drake, and juniors Ashton Schuett, Everet Brehm and Weisenberger two minutes of playing time near the end of the game. Schilling sang the National Anthem before the state semifinal game began and he attempted a shot during the game.

Then Huss substituted his remaining four bench players into the game including senior Brandon Schoenrock, juniors Peyton Dahlke and Owen Baumann and sophomore Justin Davis. Schoenrock and Davis each attempted a shot, while Davis and Baumann each grabbed a defensive rebound.

Brewster ended up leading Edgar with 17 points and three assists, while Dahlke added 10 points. Guden scored five points and he paced the Wildcats with two steals. Baumgartner and Wolf chipped in two points apiece, and Baumgartner led Edgar with two solo blocks.

Huss said the team was fortunate to play its entire season which culminated at the state tournament, considering the team’s games could’ve been canceled at any time during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Basketball players, coaches and referees were required to wear masks in games. Players and coaches on the team were only given a certain number of tickets to allow their family and friends to attend games.

“We didn’t know back in October or November what this season was going to look like or if we were going to have a season at all, and to be able to play 26 games and get to state is truly remarkable,” he said. “I remember telling the kids at our first practice we have this belief that any day our season might be shut down for a couple of weeks, so any time you get to practice and play with your teammates is pretty valuable and sacred. I thought the kids just cherished each day they could practice and compete in games with their friends who’ve they’ve played with for years, so I’m certainly proud of how we handled everything during COVID-19.”

Edgar concluded its season with a 23-3 record. Lourdes ended up beating The Prairie School, 43-41, on a last second shot to win the Division 4 state championship. Lourdes’ Trailways East Conference opponent, Hutisford, easily won the Division 5 state title the previous night.

Brewster thanked the Edgar community for its strong support this season.

“A lot of people in Edgar were excited to come down and watch us play in the state tournament because we hadn’t been here in a long time,” Brewster said. “We didn’t do as well as we wanted to at state but we also kept our heads high and knew not too many people get to the state tournament. We are still pretty excited and happy, but now it’s over.”

GIVING IT HIS BEST SHOT- Wildcats senior guard Drew Guden eyes up a shot against the Knights on Friday afternoon in La Crosse. This was the first year the WIAA held the boys state tournament games in La Crosse and Oshkosh, due to the University of Wisconsin-Madison not allowing high school teams to use its facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Division 2, 4 and 5 state tournament games were played at the La Crosse Center and the Division 1 and 3 state tournament contests were held at Menominee Nation Arena in Oshkosh.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER

GOING WILD FOR THEIR TEAMDevoted Edgar Wildcat boys basketball student fans Brett Baumgartner, left, and Leyton Schuett loudly cheer for their brothers, senior Brayden Baumgartner and junior Ashton Schuett, in their WIAA Division 4 state tournament semifinal against Oshkosh Lourdes. The WIAA required fans this season to wear masks and socially distance themselves in pods in the bleachers during games. No pep bands were allowed to play at the state tournament this season.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER