This story is sponsored by: High Street Salon, Spa & Travel
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
SCHOFIELD – The Stratford boys basketball team moved one step closer to its first-ever state tournament.
Junior Brenden Fecker drilled five 3-pointers and made 10-straight free throws in the final 6 minutes to lift Stratford to a 63-48 victory over Neillsville in a WIAA Division 4 sectional semifinal Thursday night at D.C. Everest High School.
Fecker finished with a game-high 32 points and teammate Vaughn Breit added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Tigers (18-8), who move on to a sectional final against Manitowoc Roncalli (12-13) on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Waupaca High School.
Fecker was hot from the start, hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the first 1:36, to help keep pace with Neillsville’s Adam Schmidt, who scored the first seven points for the Warriors.
Schmidt scored all seven points in a 7-0 run that gave Neillsville (17-9) a 20-16 lead with 5 minutes left in the first half.
A switch away from its traditional man-to-man defense changed the course of the game for Stratford.
After a timeout, the Tigers turned to a 1-3-1 zone press defense and forced turnovers on three straight Neillsville possessions, and six total over the final 4:45 of the half, as the Tigers used a 10-3 run to take the lead at 26-23 by halftime. They would never trail again.
“We decided we’re going to trap, we’re going to blitz them,” Stratford coach Curt Schmidt said. “We have to make them uncomfortable. Our man has been so good, and it was good quite a bit, but our foul trouble made me go to the zone, and to create some turnovers to get a run going.”
Neillsville didn’t make a basket from the field for the first 6:32 of the second half and a 10-1 run to start the half broke the game open for Stratford.
Fecker hit two more 3-pointers to help the Tigers open up a 39-27 lead with 11 minutes to go. Neillsville would get as close as seven at 51-44 after a 3-pointer from Cody Roman with 3:49 left before Stratford finished it off at the free throw line.
After making only three of its first seven shots at the line in the opening 6 minutes of the second half, Stratford finished by going 16 of 17, including 10-for-10 by Fecker in the final 5:57.
“In warm-ups I felt it and then the first shot I took, it went in, and I just kept going,” Fecker said. “Luckily they fell. Coach really pushes free throws, that’s what seals games.”
Roncalli toppled No. 1 seed Shiocton 70-62 to earn a spot in the sectional finals after a 9-13 regular season. Roncalli beat five-time defending Division 4 state champion Whitefish Bay Dominican in its season opener and, after another win, hit the skids, losing 10 of 11. Since, the Jets are 10-3, including four playoff victories.
Roncalli is all that stands in Stratford’s way from making school history.
“It feels amazing,” Fecker said. “We keep grinding, keep doing it in practice. This is what we want to do and we’re going to keep doing it.”
Tigers 63, Warriors 48
Neillsville 23 25 – 48
Stratford 26 37 – 63
NEILLSVILLE (48): Luke Mayer 0-0 0-0 0, Hunter Hand 0-0 1-2 1, Logan Matson 0-0 0-2 0, Cody Roman 3-6 3-5 10, Alex King 2-8 3-4 8, Noah Henchen 0-0 0-0 0, Nic Kuhn 0-0 0-0 0, Logan Brody 0-0 0-0 0, Monte Dietsler 0-0 0-0 0, Isaac Bryan 1-9 2-3 5, Dominic Elmhorst 0-0 0-0 0, Paul Miller 0-0 0-0 0, David Harder 0-2 0-0 0, Adam Schmidt 9-16 3-5 24. FG: 15-41. FT: 12-21. 3-pointers: 6-20 (Schmidt 3-8, Bryan 1-6, King 1-5, Roman 1-1). Rebounds: 24 (Bryan 8). Turnovers: 18. Fouls: 17. Fouled out: Matson. Record: 17-9.
STRATFORD (63): Brenden Fecker 7-14 13-14 32, Cole Hoffmann 0-2 4-4 4, Okley Wrensch 2-5 0-0 6, Paul Huther 0-0 0-0 0, Trent Heckel 1-5 0-0 3, Vaughn Breit 4-6 4-7 12, Lance Heidmann 0-1 0-0 0, Jacob Danen 3-5 0-1 6. FG: 17-38. FT: 21-26. 3-pointers: 8-22 (Fecker 5-10, Wrensch 2-5, Heckel 1-5, Breit 0-1, Heidmann 0-1). Rebounds: 25 (Breit 8, Danen 8). Turnovers: 13. Fouls: 18. Fouled out: none. Record: 18-8.