Julie Kay’s Kitchen wins five games to take Classic title
MEDFORD BASKETBALL CLASSIC
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Viewed as a “mystery team” coming into it, Julie Kay’s Kitchen –– with four Lakeland Union High School graduates on its roster –– emerged as champions of the third annual Medford Basketball Classic held Saturday at Medford Area Middle School.
Julie Kay’s Kitchen went 3-0 in pool play to advance to the semifinals, where it won a tight game with Success Realty 45-41 to set up the championship game with the Weather Shield squad viewed as the pre-tournament favorite. But with a stout defensive effort and a balanced offensive attack led by eight points from Stephen Boersen, a graduate of Tri-Unity Christian High School in Michigan, Julie Kay’s Kitchen overcame 11 points from Eau Claire Regis alum Connor Miller and won the title game 40-31.
Weather Shield won its semifinal game 56-46 over BW Express behind 15 points from Miller, who played collegiately at Samford and Minnesota-Duluth, and 13 from Wausau West alum Ronnie Ferguson. Boersen had 10 points in Julie Kay’s Kitchen’s win over Success Realty.
Success Realty went 3-0 to win Pool A, Weather Shield won Pool B and Julie Kay’s Kitchen won Pool C. BW Express, which played in Pool B, won the tiebreaker among second-place teams in each pool to get to the semifinals.
One of those 2-1 teams was Medfordbased Combined Carpentry, which beat Johnson Creek Cattle 55-42 and Johnny’s Vapes 54-40 before losing 46-38 to Success Realty.
Tournament organizer Matt Wenzel named All-tournament teams on the tournament’s Facebook page. The first team included Kamari Baskin of Rib Lake, Jack Bezlyk of Johnny’s Vapes, Ryan LaCerte of BW Express, Miller and Ethan Posteluk of Davis Auto. Miller was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
The second team consisted of Boersen, Osy Ekwueme of Combined Carpentry, Cody Hanke of Success Realty and Jeffrey and Jon Wergin of Julie Kay’s Kitchen.
The third team included Cade Faber of Combined Carpentry, Anthony Posteluk of Davis Auto, Jake Scheppler of Oil Exchange Quik Lube and Auto Repair, Dalton Strebig of Rib Lake and Branson Witucki of BW Express.
Honorable mention went to Ryan Benoy of Success Realty; Cody Blomberg and Cody Bowe of Nicolet Bank; Ferguson; Carter Hanke of Success Realty; Toby Hegner of Oil Exchange Quik Lube and Auto Repair; Bob Heldt of BW Express; Peyton Kuhn of Combined Carpentry; Shaner McBuck Forrest of Julie Kay’s Kitchen; Dustin Oesau of Weather Shield; Drew Rohde of Johnson Creek Cattle Company; Jake Schneider of Weather Shield and Jake Skroch of Johnny’s Vapes.
Medford Basketball Classic results
Championship Julie Kay’s Kitchen 40, Weather Shield 31
Leading scorers: Stephen Boersen, JKK, 8; Connor Miller, WS, 11.
Semifinals
Julie Kay’s Kitchen 45, Success Realty 41 Leading scorers: Stephen Boersen, JKK, 10; Ryan Benoy, SR, 10.
Weather Shield 56, BW Express 46
Leading scorers: Connor Miller, WS, 15; Ronnie Ferguson, WS, 13; Jake Schneider, WS, 10; Branson Witucki, BW, 12; Ryan LaCerte, BW, 11.
Pool A Combined Carpentry 55, Johnson Creek Cattle Co. 42
Leading scorers: Peyton Kuhn, CC, 18; Osy Ekwueme, CC, 13; Cade Faber, CC, 12; Liam Weller, JCC, 9.
Success Realty 65, Johnny’s Vapes 48
Leading scorers: Cody Hanke, SR, 18; Carter Hanke, SR, 10; Jake Skroch, JV, 23; Jack Bezlyk, JV, 14.
Combined Carpentry 54, Johnny’s Vapes 40
Leading scorers: Osy Ekwueme, CC, 23; Cade Faber, CC, 14; Jack Bezlyk, JV, 18; Jake Skroch, JV, 11.
Success Realty 52, Johnson Creek Cattle Co. 48
Leading scorers: Carter Hanke, SR, 9; Drew Rohde, JCC, 21; Liam Weller, JCC, 12.
Johnson Creek Cattle Co. 53, Johnny’s Vapes 49
Leading scorers: Drew Rohde, JCC, 13; Cal Kraegenbrink, JCC, 11; Jack Bezlyk, JV, 28.
Success Realty 46, Combined Carpentry 38
Leading scorers: Cody Hanke, SR, 14; Ryan Benoy, SR, 11; Carter Hanke, SR, 10; Justin Sullivan, CC, 10.
Pool B Weather Shield 50, Dixon Greiner Realty 37
Leading scorers: Connor Miller, WS, 15; Jake Schneider, WS, 10; Tony Schultz, DGR, 11.
BW Express 43, Oil Exchange QL & AR 39
Leading scorers: Bob Heldt, BW, 11; Ryan LaCerte, BW, 10; Toby Hegner, OEQL, 15; Jake Scheppler, OEQL, 12.
Weather Shield 57, BW Express 54
Leading scorers: Connor Miller, WS, 28; Jake Schneider, WS, 10; Ryan LaCerte, BW, 16 ; Branson Witucki, BW, 11.
Oil Exchange QL & AR 52, Dixon Greiner Realty 46
Leading scorers: Toby Hegner, OEQL, 15; Jake Scheppler, OEQL, 11; Preston Wagner, OEQL, 10; Rob Seidel, DGR, 10.
BW Express 77, Dixon Greiner Realty 48
Leading scorers: Ryan LaCerte, BW, 25; Jordan Vredeveld, BW, 14; Branson Witucki, BW, 13; Bob Heldt, BW, 11; Ray Daniels, DGR, 16.
Weather Shield 51, Oil Exchange QL & AR 31
Leading scorers: Dustin Oesau, WS, 20; Ronnie Ferguson, WS, 15; Connor Miller, WS, 14; Jake Scheppler, OEQL, 15.
Pool C Rib Lake 61, Nicolet Bank 54
Leading scorers: Kamari Baskin, RL, 16; Dalton Strebig, RL, 16; Cody Blomberg, NB, 14; Cody Bowe, NB, 14; Mason Rudolph, NB, 10.
Julie Kay’s Kitchen 72, Davis Auto 36
Leading scorers: Jon Wergin, JKK, 18; Shaner McBuck Forrest, JKK, 16; Jeffrey Wergin, JKK, 14; Ethan Posteluk, DA, 14; Anthony Posteluk, DA, 11.
Davis Auto 70, Nicolet Bank 65
Leading scorers: Ethan Posteluk, DA, 27; Kyle Davis, DA, 14; Anthony Posteluk, DA, 13; Cody Blomberg, NB, 21; Mason Rudolph, NB, 11.
Julie Kay’s Kitchen 53, Rib Lake 50
Leading scorers: Stephen Boersen, JKK, 14; Jeffrey Wergin, JKK, 11; Kamari Baskin, RL, 15; Dalton Davis Auto 59, Rib Lake 54
Leading scorers: Anthony Posteluk, DA, 18; Joey Northup, DA, 16; Nathan Kunze, DA, 10; Kamari Baskin, RL, 26.
Strebig, RL, 14.
Julie Kay’s Kitchen 64, Nicolet Bank 44
Leading scorers: Jon Wergin, JKK, 16; Stephen Boersen, JKK, 14; Cody Bowe, NB, 16; Cody Blomberg, NB, 10.
The 2021 Medford Basketball Classic champions, Julie Kay’s Kitchen, include (l. to r.) Trevor Isham, Shaner McBuck Forrest, Nate Erickson, Jeffrey Wergin, Jon Wergin, Stephen Boresen, Jeffrey Minnerly and Tristan Stevens.
The 2021 Medford Basketball Classic runner-up, Weather Shield, includes (l. to r.) Jake Schneider, Connor Miller, Dustin Oesau, Ronnie Ferguson, Kevin Schield, Mitchell Schield and Braeden McKee.MATT WENZEL PHOTOS
