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MarshfieldAreaSports.com
STEVENS POINT – Backs against the wall, the Marshfield boys basketball team once again found a way to win.
Marshfield closed the game on a 10-0 run to erase a late seven-point deficit and defeated Stevens Point 49-46 to wrap up the outright Wisconsin Valley Conference championship on Friday night at Stevens Point Area Senior High.
It is the first outright title for Marshfield in boys basketball after sharing WVC crowns in 1992, 2010 and 2019.
Stevens Point led 46-39 before a basket by Brooks Hinson with 3:36 to go started the run for the Tigers.
Chase Hinson hit another 3-pointer with 2:22 left to cut the deficit to four.
Neither team scored for nearly two minutes before a three-point play from Gavin Fravert gave Marshfield the lead at 47-46 with 24.1 seconds left.
After Stevens Point’s fourth-straight turnover, Brooks Hinson was fouled and made two free throws with 5.9 seconds left to extend the Tigers’ lead to 49-46.
Stevens Point missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer to set off the Tigers’ celebration.
“We made winning plays down the stretch,” Marshfield coach Chris Fischer said. “We got down seven late, two or three minutes to go, and we didn’t back down, we didn’t buckle. We rose to the challenge. Conference champs sounds pretty sweet.”
Brooks Hinson finished with 14 points, Chase Hinson added 12, and Fravert had 11 for the Tigers, who are now 17-4 overall and 11-0 in the Wisconsin Valley Conference after winning for the 17th time in their last 18 games following an 0-3 start to the season.
“Grit and grind, we really had to get after them,” Fravert said. “We were down seven late in the second half and we knew we had to battle back, and we did.”
Nate Streveler led Stevens Point with 17 points and James Jacobs scored 14 in the loss. The Panthers are now 13-9 and finish their Valley season with a 9-3 record.
Marshfield finishes its regular season and Wisconsin Valley Conference schedule on Thursday at home against Wisconsin Rapids. SPASH will play home nonconference games against Northland Pines on Monday and Prescott next Friday to end its regular season.
Click here to view the Wisconsin Valley Conference boys basketball standings
Tigers 49, Panthers 46
Marshfield 31 18 – 49
Stevens Point 29 17 – 46
MARSHFIELD (49): Chase Hinson 4 1-2 12, Gavin Fravert 5 1-1 11, Carson Kvernen 2 0-0 6, Luke LeMoine 1 0-0 2, Brooks Hinson 5 2-2 14, Owen Hanson 1 0-0 2, Carston Freis 1 0-1 2. FG: 19. FT: 4-6. 3-pointers: 7 (C. Hinson 3, Kvernen 2, B. Hinson 2). Record: 17-4, 11-0 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
STEVENS POINT (46): James Jacobs 6 0-0 14, Damian Cejka 1 0-0 2, Grant Chandonais 1 0-0 2, Parker Vanderloop 1 0-0 3, Nate Streveler 7 0-0 17, Danny Zdroik 3 0-0 8. FG: 19. FT: 0-0. 3-pointers: 7 (Streveler 3, Jacobs 2, Zdroik 2, Vanderloop 1). Record: 13-9, 9-3 Wisconsin Valley Conference.