(Alfred Smith III, Wausau Daily Herald) Marshfield had their first-ever Division 1 championship in the palm of their hands on Saturday for most of the second half against Wisconsin Lutheran, according to Alfred Smith III with the Wausau Daily Herald.
But after a thrilling final minute, in which the defending Division 2 champions retook the lead with a layup and -1 with 36 seconds remaining, the Vikings held on to beat the Tigers 57-55, winning their second consecutive state championship.
Though Marshfield kept the Vikings mostly contained for the second half of the championship game, it wasn’t without first clawing themselves out of an early hole after giving up an 8-0 run that pushed them into a 13-2 debt.
Junior forward Chris Pohl was the Tigers initiator on offense, scoring seven first-half points.
But it was the Landon Lee show for Marshfield Saturday night. He energized the Tigers on both ends of the floor and finished leading all scorers with 22 points, three rebounds, and four assists.
Each team caught the hot shooting hand in the first half, making six 3-pointers apiece. Marshfield finished knocking in 11 3-pointers, which was just one shy of the WIAA team record that Marquette set last season.
Though Marshfield fell short of their goal to capture their first state championship in school history this season, there is still plenty to celebrate for the now and future.
They’ll lose three of their top contributors from their starting lineup in Brooks Hinson, Lee, and senior guard Joey Ketterer, but their younger talent showed glimpses of what they can bring to the program in the future with Pohl’s early spark and sophomore Camden Kolstad coming off the bench to knock in two timely three’s during the Tigers early surge.
The future is bright for Marshfield coach Chris Fischer and his hungry Tigers.
It’s not every day that a team shoots 11-for-20 from 3-point range and doesn’t walk away from a game victorious, but until Marshfield has the chance to do it again next year, the Tigers are forced to wrestle with that reality for this season.
Comments