By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
NEILLSVILLE – For the fourth time in the last five years the Marshfield Columbus Catholic boys basketball team will be playing in the sectionals after posting a 54-45 win over Athens in a WIAA Division 4 regional final Saturday night at Neillsville High School.
The Dons (20-5) will take on Marawood Conference North champion Prentice (21-4) in the second semifinal game at the Spooner sectional at approximately 8 p.m. Friday. Clayton (23-1) and Drummond (15-8) will play the first game starting at 6 p.m. The sectional final is set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Spooner High School.
Jared Boyle hit 14 of 16 free throws, including 10 of 12 in the fourth quarter, and finished with 19 points to lead Columbus.
“We didn’t shoot the ball very well tonight,” Columbus coach Joe Konieczny said. “They’re physical and good defensively. When we did try to dribble to much in their zone we turned it over. In the fourth quarter we made sure to make seven or eight passes and really wasted some clock, and made some free throws. Jared Boyle really saved us tonight at the free-throw line. Tonight was a classic example of why we need him.”
The Dons attempted only one shot from the field in the fourth quarter and made 13 of 19 overall from the line to preserve the victory.
“We’ve gotten to this game (the regional final) five years in a row, which isn’t something most teams get to do,” Boyle said. “It’s pretty special. We’d like to get all the way to state and pull through, but we’re going to have to have a good week of practice to get through on Friday.”
Columbus led the entire game, jumping out to a 9-5 lead on the strength of three 3-pointers by Tyler Mancl, who finished with 11 points.
After an Athens basket by Josh Janke, the Dons ripped off nine straight points to take an 18-7 lead.
The Dons led comfortably until Athens’ Brock Guralski and Janke scored to start the second half and Columbus went without a hoop for three minutes as its lead was cut to 28-24.
Columbus put together an 8-2 run, fueled by four straight free throws by Boyle, to regain control and led 41-32 heading into the fourth quarter.
Athens (6-18) stayed with striking distance, but made just 5 of 16 shots in the fourth quarter and watched as Boyle calmly sank free throw after free throw to keep the Bluejays at bay.
“Shooting a ball takes a lot of time and a lot of practice, and mentally being tough,” Boyle said. “In practice you have to get yourself prepared to make those free throws and I think our coach does a good job of putting us in that situation.”
The trip back to sectionals is sweet for the Dons, who lost in a regional final last year to Rosholt after making it to sectionals three straight years before that.
“It’s exciting for our players,” Konieczny said. “Last year, there’s still a lot of pain in that we blew a nine-point lead (in the regional final to Rosholt) and that was something that they probably thought about on the bus ride here. I’m happy that our seniors get a chance to go out with doing something big.”
Dons 54, Bluejays 45
Columbus 18 10 13 13 – 54
Athens 10 10 12 13 – 45
COLUMBUS (54): Mike Iwanski 1 0-2 2, Dodge Langreck 3 0-0 7, Travis Pischel 3 3-4 11, David Green 2 0-1 4, Tyler Mancl 4 0-0 11, Jared Boyle 2 14-16 19, Paul Selz 0 0-0 0, Brandon Nikolai 0 0-0 0. FG: 15. FT: 17-23. 3-pointers: 7 (Mancl 3, Pischel 2, Langreck 1, Boyle 1). Total fouls: 10. Fouled out: none. Record: 20-5.
ATHENS (45): Michael Hovde 0 0-0 0, Mike Ellenbecker 0 0-0 0, Joel Mroczenski 0 0-0 0, Dillon Riehle 0 0-0 0, Cameron Diedrich 3 0-0 7, Andy Ellenbecker 4 1-2 12, Josh Janke 6 0-0 12, Brock Guralski 6 2-2 14. FG: 19. FT: 3-4. 3-pointers: 4 (A. Ellenbecker 3, Diedrich 1). Total fouls: 22. Fouled out: Hovde. Record: 6-18.
