By Greg Aune
For MarshfieldAreaSports.com
WESTON – The Marshfield boys basketball team is one win away from at least a share of its first Wisconsin Valley Conference title since 1992 after defeating D.C. Everest 30-25 in a defensive struggle Tuesday night at Greenheck Fieldhouse.
The Tigers improved to 9-2 in the Valley to keep pace with Wausau West, which defeated Rhinelander 50-42 on Tuesday. Marshfield shot just 34 percent from the floor, but played suffocating defense to stay in the game until their offense found just enough rhythm to put the Evergreens away.
“You have to take your hat off to both teams tonight,” said Marshfield coach Craig Michaelis. “Each team played tough defense and a low score was the result.”
Everest led throughout the majority of the first three quarters despite shooting a paltry 31 percent from the field. The Evergreens got 11 points from Luke Heller, but their poor shooting never allowed them to build much of a lead.
Marshfield managed to keep the game within striking distance until the fourth quarter when the Tigers ratcheted up the defensive pressure to finally take the lead. Marshfield trailed by one at the start of the quarter, but got a quick bucket and a steal by Cale Zuiker that led to a breakaway layup and a three-point lead, which the Tigers would never relinquish.
“It was one of those nights where each team struggled shooting and played great defense,” said Ben Johnson, who led the Tigers with 10 points. “They beat us at our place earlier in the year, so we were determined to get this win and move closer to that conference title.”
Marshfield clung to a one-point lead with less than a minute remaining when Sully Luepke made a hustle play that may have saved the game for the Tigers. The Evergreens batted a pass on the perimeter and looked as though they were going to have an advantage going the other way, but Luepke dove on the loose ball and the Tigers were able to find Zuiker wide open under the basket for an easy layup.
After a couple Marshfield fouls to take time off the clock, Everest inbounded the ball with 15 seconds left, down by three. The Evergreens were never able to get a shot off, however, as Heller turned the ball over looking for an open teammate on the perimeter. Forced to foul, Everest put Zuiker on the line where he iced the game by hitting a pair of free throws.
“The Everest-Marshfield rivalry speaks for itself, so I didn’t have to tell the guys what was at stake,” Michaelis said. “Each game takes on its own identity and tonight was intense. Every game from here on out is going to feel like a championship game and we need to embrace these pressure situations.”
Zuiker scored eight points for the Tigers to go along with two big blocks and a steal in the fourth quarter. Ryan Danczak and Antoine Brown-Hainz each added five points for Marshfield, which wraps up its conference schedule with a home game against Wausau East on Friday.
A win over the Lumberjacks on Friday assures the Tigers at least a share of the conference championship. Marshfield can win the Valley outright with a win and a Stevens Point Area Senior High victory over Wausau West on Feb. 25.
Tigers 30, Evergreens 25
Marshfield 8 8 6 8 – 30
D.C. Everest 9 8 6 2 – 25
MARSHFIELD (30): Sully Luepke 1-3 0-1 2, Elliott Ashbeck 0-1 0-0 0, Ryan Danczak 2-9 0-0 5, Cale Zuiker 2-5 4-4 8, Ben Johnson 4-9 2-4 10, Jake Scheppler 0-0 0-0 0, Dustin Thurman 0-1 0-0 0, Jon Bauer 0-0 0-0 0, Antoine Brown-Hainz 2-4, 1-2 5. FG: 11-32. FT: 7-11. 3-pointers 1-7 (Danczak 1-4, Luepke 0-2, Zuiker 0-1). Turnovers: 7. Total fouls: 11. Fouled out: none. Record: 14-5, 9-2 Wisconsin Valley.
D.C. EVEREST (25): Luke Heller 4-7 3-3 11, Mike Mathson 3-11 0-0 7, Josh Hoekstra 0-4 2-2 2, Ryley Carstensen 0-2 0-0 0, Josh Werner 2-3 0-0 5, Matt Hruska 0-1 0-0 0, Ben Aleckson 0-0 0-0 0, Brent Esser 0-0 0-0 0. FG: 9-29. FT: 5-5. 3-pointers: 2-8 (Heller 0-1, Mathson 1-3, Carstensen 0-1, Werner 1-2, Hruska 0-1). Turnovers 9. Total fouls 13. Fouled out: none. Record: 8-12, 6-4 Wisconsin Valley.
