By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
On Sunday night, the Burlington boys basketball team received a consolation prize for a winless week – a home playoff game.
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association released its playoff brackets, and the Demons’ Division 2 regional is chalked with Southern Lakes Conference opponents.
Luckily for the Demons, they will open the postseason at home with a No. 4 seed. They will host No. 5 seed Waterford Feb. 25, the second time they face the Wolverines in six days.
Burlington currently sits at 9-12 overall, and its six-team regional includes Waterford, top-seeded Union Grove, Wilmot, Westosha Central and Greendale. The Demons dropped to 7-6 in the Southern Lakes Conference with a loss Wednesday night. They are in fourth place and sit one game behind Waterford.
“We are excited to play in the postseason,” said Burlington coach Steve Berezowitz. “This year is interesting because regionals are set up as a mini-SLC tournament.”
If the Demons can knock off Waterford, which beat them in Burlington earlier this season, Burlington must travel to No. 1 seed Union Grove.
The Grove and Wilmot played Tuesday night for first place in the Southern Lakes Conference. Wilmot won, 63-49, and has the inside track for the SLC title.
The Panthers essentially drove a stake through Burlington’s fading SLC title hopes Feb. 14 with a 60-48 victory.
Host Wilmot jumped out to a 28-16 halftime lead. But the Demons wouldn’t go away, and a 16-14 third quarter had them right back in the game.
But the Panthers closed the game with an 18-16 fourth quarter and maintained a hold on second place in the conference.
“We didn’t shoot the ball well which made the night a struggle from the beginning,” Berezowitz said. “We played hard, we just could not get a few stops and a few shots to make a run at them.”
Wilmot (16-4) won its seventh straight game, and its last loss was at Burlington Jan. 17.
Brandon Schattner led the Panthers with 16 points, fol-lowed by Nate Hensel and Trey Turner with 13 and Mike Lindeman with six.
Schattner made a return to the lineup after he missed a game earlier in the week with a badly sprained ankle.
The Demons were led by senior Ben Geiger, who finished with 14 points but was held without a 3-pointer. Burlington didn’t make a 3-pointer in the game.
Nathaniel Sibley added 10 points, but second-leading scorer Frank Hozeska (11 ppg) was held to five points.
Burlington returns home to face Delavan-Darien Wednesday before traveling to Waterford Thursday.
The Demons will be without starting guard Luke Dahl, who is out with an ankle injury.
The Demons and Wolverines battle in the playoffs Tuesday, Feb. 25, at Burlington High School. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Racine Case 84, Burlington 48
The Demons got to play at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee Feb. 12, but the Eagles were simply too big, strong and athletic.
Burlington hung tough for most of the first quarter, but Case’s 24-15 second quarter made it a 20-point advantage by halftime.
Case poured it on in the second half and led by as many as 40 points.
“Racine Case is an experienced, unselfish, confident basketball team,” Berezowitz said. “You add that with great size, athleticism, and skill, and you have yourself quite a unit.”
The nice thing is that every Demon played, and nine different players scored.
Hozeska and Geiger led the way with 11 points each. Nate Klug scored eight, and James Tully added six.
Backups Aaron Mutter, Brad Burling, Ty Wiemer and Eric Johnson all scored at least one point.
Despite the loss, the Demons stuck around for the nightcap and watched the Milwaukee Bucks play the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Demons made the most of their trip to Milwaukee.
“I love being able to give the kids a chance to play at different places,” Berezowitz said. “We have had the chance to play at Carthage, the Al McGuire Center and the Bradley Center. We did hit B-Dubs (Buffalo Wild Wings) for some dinner and trivia.”
Case is ranked ninth in the Division 1 state poll.
Delavan-Darien 72, Burlington 67
A game that the host Demons were in control of through three quarters slipped away in the final period Wednesday night.
Playing on Parents Night, the energized Demons, who were without starting point guard Luke Dahl due to an injury, stormed out to a 35-27 halftime lead.
The Comets fought their way back in the third quarter, but Tully closed the third with a buzzer beater to help the Demons maintain a 54-52 lead.
However, the fourth quarter belonged to the young Comets.
Delavan outscored Burlington, 20-13, in the final eight minutes. The dynamic duo of Jesse Collins (25 points) and William Brown (20 points) was too much for the Demons. Collins was unconscious, connecting on seven of 10 3-pointers. Brown also added four triples.
The Comets hit 13 for the game.
Geiger led the Demons with 22 points. Tully added 14, and Klug had 10.
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