SPASH, Pacelli Boys’ Hoops Teams Win in Finales
By Ken McKenzie
Both Pacelli and SPASH boys’ high school basketball teams logged easy wins in the final regular season games Thursday.
Pacelli rolled past Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 61-29, to move to 8-6 in the Central Wisconsin 8, while SPASH smashed Wausau East, 81-32, in preserving their undefeated Wisconsin Valley Conference season mark at 12-0.
Each team now prepares for March Madness as WIAA tournament play starts next week and continues to state tournament play on March 19-21 at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Pacelli opens Tuesday in taking their 11-11 season record and #6 WIAA bracket seeding to Spencer on Tuesday night to face #3 seed and host Rockets. Spencer was outright winner of the Cloverbelt-East Conference at 14-2 but was upset at home Monday night (64-55) by second place Columbus Catholic, who used a 20-10 fourth quarter scoring advantage to climb within one game of the top spot.
Tuesday’s winner will advance to play #2 seed, Auburndale.
Thursday’s finale saw Pacelli senior and Ohio University recruit James Gollon top the 1,000 point mark in his Cardinals career as he posted a 37-point, 11-rebound night in his final home appearance.
Gollon went 13 for 20 from the floor, including three of six beyond the arc and made 8 of 11 free throws. Six other Cards scored in support of the winning effort, led by Patrick Rath’s eight.
The Cardinals jumped out to 13-3 first quarter lead over the Chargers and built a 32-14 lead by the half. Pacelli then finished the job with 17-6 and 12-9 point margins in the final frames to take the lopsided 61-29 win.
SPASH had little trouble with Wausau East in executing their perfect record in the regular finale, jumping ahead 19-6 after eight minutes while building their clear advantage with a 26-12 burst in the second to lead at intermission, 45-18.
The Panthers then maintained momentum with 23-10 edge in the third and finished with 13-4 burst to complete their warm-up for next Friday’s WIAA opener. SPASH finishes the regular season at 21-1 and continues as the second ranked team in the state at Division 1, behind Germantown’s unblemished 22-0 mark as North Shore Conference champs at 14-0.
Leading the way was Sam Hauser with 22 points, with Trev Anderson adding 18 and Joey Hauser chipping in 15. Andrew Ruzek had six rebounds and Anderson added seven assists to his scoring effort.
The Panthers knocked down an even dozen three-point shots, including Sam Hauser’s four and Jamison Kryshak’s trio beyond the arc.
SPASH has the #1 seed and will await Tuesday’s Appleton North / Appleton East battle to see who comes to town next Friday as their opener opponent.
That Friday winner will advance to face winner of Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln – Oshkosh West game in a Saturday, March 6 match-up.