By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
The Marshfield boys basketball team might feel slighted having shared the Wisconsin Valley Conference title but only receiving a No. 7 seed in its Division 1 sectional, but the only way to do anything about it is prove that it is a better team on the court.
The Tigers (17-5) get that chance Tuesday night when they host Chippewa Falls (10-12) in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal at the Marshfield High School Fieldhouse.
Talking to some of the Marshfield players during the course of the season, they had two distinct goals – winning the program’s first WVC title since 1992, which they did, and making a run to the sectional, which Marshfield hosts on March 12 and 13.
The Tigers hit the playoffs hot, winning five straight games by an average of 11.6 points. In the five wins, Marshfield allowed 31 points or less three times.
Defense again will be the key for Marshfield, like it is for many teams, but finding its offensive stroke may be just as important. After scoring 50 points or more only six times in their first 19 games, the Tigers scored 54, 54 and 59 in their last three games.
Junior Cale Zuiker, the Tigers’ leading scorer, hit seven 3-pointers on his way to 29 points in a win over Lakeland to close out the regular season last Tuesday. When Zuiker plays well on the offensive end, it usually leads to good things for Marshfield.
For the Tigers to reach the sectional at home, they will have to earn it. The bad thing about earning a middle seed in the 14-team regional means a tough road game in the regional final. Should Marshfield win Tuesday, it will have to travel to No. 2 seed Superior (19-3) on Saturday for a regional final. Not only is it a 220-mile trip north, but the Tigers would face one of the top teams in the state when they get there – it’s also a team that handed Marshfield a 56-29 whipping in the Big Rivers/WVC Challenge at Chippewa Falls on Dec. 30.
The Tigers may be playing with a chip on their shoulder come Tuesday and the only way to prove they should have been rewarded with a higher seed is to win a few games and host the sectional tournament by being on the court and not in the stands.
Paul Lecker can be reached by e-mail at paul@marshfieldareasports.com.
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