This story is sponsored by Total Electric
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – Hot 3-point shooting early in the second half was just what the Marshfield Columbus Catholic boys basketball team needed to separate itself from Rosholt.
Tom Nystrom hit four long-range bombs and Jadon Nienast added another in a 20-10 run to start the second half and the Dons pulled away for a 68-55 win in a WIAA Division 5 boys basketball regional quarterfinal on Tuesday night at Columbus Catholic High School.
Columbus Catholic (11-12), the seventh seed, moves on to a D-5 regional semifinal at No. 2 seed Wild Rose (17-6) on Friday at 7 p.m. Rosholt ends the season with a 7-16 record.
Cole Noreen hit four 3-pointers in the first half to help the Dons keep pace with Rosholt, which shot an efficient 59 percent from the field and the score was tied 28-28 at halftime.
The Dons came out firing in the second, with Nystrom leading the way.
The senior guard made a pair of 3-pointers, Noreen added another, and Nystrom yet another to give Columbus a 40-38 lead with 13:36 to go. Nystrom’s third 3-pointer started an 11-0 run that finished with two more 3-pointers by Nystrom and Nienast, extending the Dons’ lead to 48-38.
“They (Rosholt) were athletic and I thought in the second half we did a better job of forcing guys left, and maybe playing to their weaknesses,” Columbus Catholic coach Joe Konieczny said. “In the first half we played them straight up and their athleticism took over. They had a good game plan and we were tied at halftime.
“I’m really happy some of our young kids stepped up, and Tom Nystrom stepped up, and we were able to kind of experience the one-and-done (of the playoffs) and survive it for the first time.”
Tony Lemke scored off an offensive rebound to bring Rosholt to within eight at 57-49 with 3:23 left, but the Dons were able to close out the win from there.
Nienast converted a three-point play to spark a 7-0 run to close out the Hornets.
“Both of those guys (Noreen and Nystrom) shot the ball well,” Konieczny said. “There was the one stretch where it seemed like a 3 was hit every time down, both ways. After that little session, Jadon Nienast was really impressive down the stretch, hit a big 3, got to the basket and was really tough to guard.”
Dons 68, Hornets 55
Rosholt 28 27 – 55
Columbus Catholic 28 40 – 68
ROSHOLT (55): Alex Basinski 1-1 0-0 3, Isaac Cychosz 3-9 0-0 7, Sam Trzebiatowski 3-7 0-0 6, Nathan Kropidlowski 5-6 0-0 12, Keegan Janick 1-4 0-0 2, Sam Cooley 0-0 0-0 0, Carl Baker 6-14 0-2 13, Tony Lemke 3-6 0-1 7, Nathan Lemanczyk 2-2 1-2 5. FG: 24-49. FT: 1-5. 3-pointers: 6-16 (Kropidlowski 2-2, Basinski 1-1, Baker 1-2, Lemke 1-2, Cychosz 1-5, Janick 0-1, Trzebiatowski 0-3). Rebounds: 25 (Baker 6). Turnovers: 12. Fouls: 12. Fouled out: none. Record: 7-16.
COLUMBUS CATHOLIC (68): Gage Stratman 0-0 0-0 0, Cole Noreen 6-12 1-2 18, Zach Olson 0-0 0-0 0, Will Schlafke 0-0 0-0 0, Tom Nystrom 8-14 0-0 23, Jadon Nienast 5-8 1-1 12, Sam Wilczek 2-7 0-0 5, Eden Jacobson 4-10 0-0 8, Wyatt Drexler 0-1 0-0 0, Grant Olson 1-2 0-0 2, Sammy Neville 0-1 0-0 0, Brock Bennington 0-0 0-0 0, Carlos Hackel 0-0 0-0 0. FG: 26-55. FT: 2-3. 3-pointers: 14-30 (Nystrom 7-11, Noreen 5-11, Nienast 1-2, Wilczek 1-4, Drexler 0-1, Neville 0-1). Rebounds: 25 (Jacobson 8). Turnovers: 10. Fouls: 11. Fouled out: none. Record: 11-12.