With a trip to the WIAA Division 1 State Tournament on
the line, the Stevens Point Area Senior High School (SPASH) boys basketball team
turned in a dominant performance to rout top-ranked and previously unbeaten
Oshkosh North (25-1) in the Sectional Finals Saturday, March 11.

Playing in front of a packed house at Marshfield High
School, the sixth-ranked Panthers (22-4) used a 17-3 run early in the first
half to build a 39-25 lead going into halftime, and then withstood an early run
from North to start the second half.

Junior guard Drew Blair and junior forward Joey Hauser
combined to score 25 of the Panthers’ first 27 points in the second half to
give the team a 66-44 lead with 8:27 remaining, as they rolled to a 76-61
victory to advance to the State Tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison Friday
and Saturday, March 17 and 18.

“A lot of people didn’t believe in us,” said senior
forward Keon’te Williams. “And our coach said, ‘it’s all about us, just go out
there and play your game.’”

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