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MERRILL – Luke Zuiker scored 19 points, had seven assists and five rebounds, and the Marshfield boys basketball team won for the fourth time in its last five games as it beat Merrill 60-36 in the Wisconsin Valley Conference finale for both teams Friday night at Merrill High School.
Zuiker passed the 1,000-point mark for his career as he now had 1,010 points, which is third all-time on the Marshfield scoring list.
The Tigers improve to 15-6 overall and finish the WVC season with a 9-3 record and a second-place finish. Merrill ends its regular season with a 10-12 record and a 3-9 mark in the Valley.
The Tigers piled it on Merrill early, outscoring the Bluejays 16-4 in the first quarter and pulling out to a 39-13 lead by halftime.
Alex Strege added 10 points for Marshfield, which shot 59 percent (24 of 41) from the field and made 9 of 17 shots from 3-point range.
Marshfield, which is 9-2 since Jan. 1, wraps up its regular season with a nonconference game at Eau Claire North on Saturday. The game is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. and will be broadcast on WDLB-AM 1450 and wdlbwosq.com.
Marshfield opens WIAA Division 1 postseason action with a regional semifinal next Friday at home against Superior.
Tigers 60, Bluejays 34
Marshfield 16 23 9 12 – 60
Merrill 4 9 13 8 – 34
MARSHFIELD (60): Jeff Allison 2-3 0-0 5, Zach Shortess 0-1 0-1 0, Jace Krasselt 1-1 0-0 2, Luke Zuiker 7-13 2-2 19, Tanner Boson 2-4 0-0 6, Austin Gilbert 0-0 0-1 0, Matt Oestreich 4-6 0-2 9, Will Spindler 2-3 1-1 5, Kegan Fassler 0-1 0-0 0, Jordan Schlinsog 1-1 0-0 2, Alex Strege 4-7 0-0 10, Deven Wrege 1-1 0-0 2. FG: 24-41. FT: 3-7. 3-pointers: 9-17 (Zuiker 3-4, Strege 2-5, Boson 2-4, Oestreich 1-3, Allison 1-1). Rebounds: 24 (Zuiker 5). Assists: 16 (Zuiker 7, Oestreich 6). Record: 15-6, 9-3 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
MERRILL (34): Chad Mootz 14, Jake Anderson 4, Alex Zettler 6, Jacob Saby 2, Matt Rekowski 5, Brandon Bartz 5. Record: 10-12, 3-9 Wisconsin Valley Conference.