Trojans have no answer for late surge by Cardinals
MADISON – East Troy’s margin for error was slim, much too slim.
The Trojans spent all afternoon playing catch-up to Prescott in their WIAA Division 2 state semifinal Thursday and finally with 21⁄2 minutes to play they’d pulled within six points. The rest of the game, however, belonged to the Cardinals, who took advantage of an intentional foul call on the way to a 6-0 run that completed a 65-53 victory at the Kohl Center.
The victory sends No. 3 seed Prescott (25-2) to the final for the second straight year. The Cardinals will face No. 1 seed Valders (24-3) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
The loss sends No. 2 seed East Troy home with a 21-6 record. The Trojans also lost in the semifinals in 2013 and ’15.
“We didn’t have to play catch-up too much all year, so having to be in that situation, that’s not fun,” East Troy coach Darryl Rayfield said.
Prescott senior guard Peter Brookshaw, a 30-point per game scorer, live up his billing, posting 34 points on 10-for-20 shooting and hitting 11 of 14 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Parker Nielsen added 15 points and shared the team high with seven rebounds.
East Troy got 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists from sophomore guard/ forward AJ Vukovich. Senior forward Nick Bourdo added 14 points,11 rebounds and five blocks.
The Trojans, however, never led after the first 90 seconds. They fell behind by as many as 10 in the first half and, after cutting that deficit to six at the break, were on the wrong end of a 10-2 run to start the second half that left Valders with a double-digit lead for most of the second half.
The Vikings didn’t have a great day shooting overall – they hit 40.4% – but did cash in from three-point range, where they connected on six of 13 shots. Prescott attacked the basket, got to the line and went 21 of 28 compared to 8 for 13 for East Troy.
“They have a nice team and they have really a good chance (Saturday),” Rayfield said. “I wouldn’t have thought that coming in, having watched both games (Thursday), but they’re really going to have to guard. Valders has got some size, but it’s really going to be a good game.”
East Troy trailed by 14 points before mounting its final challenge. A threepointer by sophomore guard Quinten Lottig and two free throws by Vukovich made it a 55-46 game with 3:13 to play. The teams traded points in the next minute, but a layup by senior Logan Mitchell and a three by Lottig that were sandwiched around two Nielsen free throws made it a 59-53 game 2:28 left.
A comeback fell flat, however, when Vukovich was called for an intentional foul on Prescott’s next possession. Brookshaw made one of two from the line and on the retained possession sank two more attempts 5 seconds later to push the lead to 61-53 with 2:13 to play.
The Vikings made six of eight from the line down the stretch to eliminate the Trojans and put themselves in position for their first state championship in this their third trip to state in four seasons.
“This year in this locker room right now it’s unfinished business,” Prescott coach Nick Johnson said. “Our goal is to win a golden ball.”