WIAA Division 5 regional semifinal: (1) Hilbert 64, (8) Catholic Central 55
By Mike Ramczyk
As an 8 seed facing No. 1 and state-ranked Hilbert on its home court for a WIAA Division 5 regional semifinal March 3, the Catholic Central boys basketball team faced an uphill climb.
Couple that with your floor general fouling out with five minutes to play, and it’s a recipe for disaster.
The Toppers engaged in a back-and-forth battle and even tied the game in the second half, but the Wolves pounded the paint to the tune of 70 percent field goal shooting and hung on for a 64-55 triumph.
Catholic Central finished the season 7-17.
Hilbert made 20 of 27 from inside the paint, led by Kody Krueger’s 20 points and Jack Halbach’s 16.
Frank Koehnke had a monster game for the Toppers with 25, but no other Toppers scored in double figures.
Head coach Kyle Scott said it was a hard-fought game, but when senior point guard Aaron Rueber fouled out with five minutes left and the Wolves clinging to a five-point lead, it was a turning point.
“A few times they got up eight, but we’d make an 8-0 run and tie it up,” he said. “I think we gave them everything they could handle. They haven’t had a ton of close games. We weren’t intimidated at all, they just made a few more shots than we did.”
“Losing Rueber was very hard to overcome. He’s a one-man press break. He handles the ball very well, runs our offense and makes great decisions.”
Koehnke was on fire, hitting 9-for-12 shots overall and 3-of-5 from long range. Scott said Koehnke’s shooting kept the Toppers in the game near the end of the first half, and Hilbert led, 29-25, at halftime.
“Frank played extremely well,” Scott said.
Hilbert played a 3-2 zone early and allowed some inside scoring by the Toppers, but the Wolves switched to man.
In the second half, the Toppers had three straight empty possessions with two turnovers and a missed shot, and the Wolvers built a 13-point lead.
Rueber, who scored seven and dished four assists in his final game, said it was an emotional last game. He wasn’t thrilled about fouling out.
“The game against Hilbert was very emotional but we played well,” Rueber said. “It was a game of runs in the first half, and we responded to everything they threw at us.”
“In the second half we had some calls that didn’t go our way, the crowd started to get into it and that’s when emotions started to run high, however it was a great atmosphere and a great last game.”
The Toppers shot a respectable 45 percent from the field for the game, including 44 percent (4-for-9) from three, but Hilbert hit a whopping 20 of 27 shots in the paint.
Senior wing Cole Pankau scored nine points, and senior Bryce Hocking was held to six after scoring a season-high 16 three nights earlier in a win against Faith Christian.
The Wolves benefitted from a balanced attack with five players scoring nine or more points.
Finishing season strong
Pankau said the Toppers left it all on the court.
“We played our hearts out against Hilbert,” Pankau said. “We started off fairly strong but lost our way towards the end of the first half. We picked it up and found ourselves down five when Aaron fouled out, which obviously slowed down our offense. Hilbert is a very strong and sound team, and any team they’ll face in the tournament will have its hands full.”
One year removed from a state championship game, the Toppers took their bumps this season.
While the record didn’t show it, the players gave maximum effort and improved at the end of the season.
“These guys had a good season,” Scott said. “They brought it every night. It might not reflect in the wins and losses.”
“Coming off the state run, there was a lot of pressure on these young guys. They did a nice job, and I’m very proud.”
Rueber, Hocking and Pankau along with Nick Hoffman, Austin Neuhaus, Josh Muellenbach, Sam McKinney and Hayden Kempken saw their Toppers careers come to an end.
What memory sticks out the most?
Beating Barneveld at state in 2016, and competing for a shot at a state title at the Kohl Center alongside your best friends.
For Pankau and Rueber, the growth as men was equal to the success on the court.
“CC Basketball has shaped me into the man I am today,” Pankau said. “I’m so thankful for being given the opportunity to compete with my friends in an amazing atmosphere. The life lessons that Coach Scott has instilled within me will be carried on throughout my entire journey as a young adult.”
“Easily my greatest memory of the past four years is the last 3-4 minutes of the Barneveld game at the Kohl Center. That is something I’ll never forget, and the fact I was out there with my closest friends made it that much more spectacular.”
“Over the past three years on varsity, it was an outstanding career and I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Rueber added. “My greatest memory was being able to play at the Kohl Center, and the thing that I will remember most is being able to play with my best friends and the opportunities I have been blessed with.”
Area scoring leaders
Boys
- Nick Klug, jr., Burlington, 19.2 points per game
- Luke Geiger, sr., BUR, 18.0
- Frank Koehnke, jr., Burlington Catholic Central, 17.6
- Matt Korman, sr., Waterford, 17.5
- Jack Pettit, jr., Union Grove, 15.2
- Riley Hale, jr., UG, 13.8
- Matt Borchardt, jr., WAT, 9.8
- Will Busch, jr., WAT, 8.1
- Cole Pankau, sr., BCC, 8.0
- Brock Halbach, jr., BUR, 6.9
Girls
- Janelle Shiffler, sr., UG, 18.6
- Jessa Burling, jr., BUR, 16.6
- Brooklyn Bull, jr., UG, 16.3
- Elizabeth Klein, soph., BCC, 14.0
- Megan Wallace, sr., BUR, 13.0
- Bridget Bittman, sr., BCC, 12.2
- Katie Rohner, fr., WAT, 10.6
- Emma Klein, soph., BCC, 7.5
- Peyton Killberg, fr., 6.5
- Kathleen Fitzgerald, soph., 6.3
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