By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
When the Marshfield Columbus Catholic boys basketball team was 11-0 and coming off nine straight double-digit wins, the Dons were on top of the world.
A 25-point home loss to Colby caught the Dons’ attention, letting them know they could lose to anybody on any given night. Columbus responded with four straight wins, but has since fallen on harder times.
No. 1 seed Columbus (17-5), losers of four of its last six games, will host No. 8 Abbotsford (1-21) in a WIAA Division 4 regional quarterfinal on Tuesday with hopes that it will begin playing at its best again.
One reason is the return of junior guard Jared Boyle, who came back from a hairline fracture to his right wrist on Saturday after missing four games.
“Some teams have played really well against us, and not having Jared Boyle for three or four games hurt us, not being as deep,” Columbus coach Joe Konieczny said. “It’s good that we have him back.”
Konieczny said he saw how important Boyle’s return was in the Cloverbelt crossover first-place game on Saturday, even in a 33-point blowout loss to 20-2 Fall Creek.
“First we were concerned he would be done (for the season), but it was just a hairline fracture in a spot where he can’t do any more damage,” Konieczny said. “He was cleared to play Thursday and played Saturday, and I think he was the only kid that didn’t play like he was scared against a really good Fall Creek team.”
The up-and-down flow of the season has given the Dons confidence, but also a sense of realism – they have 13 double-digit wins and two losses by 25 or more points.
Columbus is the only team above .500 this season in its regional, but Konieczny knows it will be tough no matter who the Dons have to play in the lose-and-go-home playoff season.
“We know that we’re good enough to play with anybody but not that good that anybody can’t play with us,” Konieczny said. “Abbotsford is a lot better than a 1-21 team – a lot of those games they were close in the second and third quarters. Owen-Withee (a potential second-round opponent) was beating us at halftime. It’s going to be tough to get out of our regional.”
WIAA Division 4 Spooner Sectional
Neillsville regional
Tuesday’s quarterfinals
No. 8 Abbotsford (1-21) at No. 1 Marshfield Columbus Catholic (17-5)
No. 5 Cornell (9-10) at No. 4 Owen-Withee (6-16)
No. 6 Athens (4-17) at No. 3 Northland Lutheran (8-14)
No. 7 Greenwood (4-18) at No. 2 Loyal (8-14)
Thursday’s semifinals
Higher seed hosts.
Saturday’s final
At Neillsville, 7 p.m.
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