Arrowhead loses its way in decisive second half
MADISON - Arrowhead head coach Craig Haase said Friday night that his team would need an 'A+' game to come away with the win against undefeated De Pere in Saturday's WIAA Division 1 state title game.
For stretches in the first half, it looked as though the Warhawks may just have a high-A effort in them. However, De Pere came out at a blistering pace in the second half to pull away to a 69-49 final while earning its first WIAA state title since 1934 to complete an undefeated 30-0 season.
"A+ first half, or maybe A- I guess, because we were down two," Haase said. "Second half, not so much. I don't know, I don't where you'd grade that out."
Junior forward Jace Gilbert helped lead an 8-2 start for the Warhawks with four points, but found himself in similar foul trouble to what he experienced in the semifinal. Two early personals had Gilbert on the bench from the 13:23 mark onward in the first half Saturday.
A pair of first-half fouls for Bennett Basich also took another key piece off the floor for Arrowhead for nearly nine minutes. De Pere responded with a 6-0 run to tie the game, and later in the first half, took a 20-18 lead on consecutive three-pointers from Gabe Herman. The Redbirds led 22-20 at halftime.
A low-scoring battle of attrition in the first half gave way to a runaway lead for De Pere, as the Redbirds went on a 12-2 run out of the break.
Trailing 32-22, Arrowhead responded with a 12-4 run led by seven points from Mac Wrecke to pull back within 36-35. Foul trouble and turnovers for the Warhawks began to rear their heads soon after, as De Pere answered back with 11-2 run. The Redbirds spent the final seven minutes of the contest in the double bonus as a parade of free throws expanded the lead.
Offensively, the Warhawks could find few open looks to close the gap.
"We did a tremendous job this year of getting to the lane and creating for others," Haase said. "It was hard to get into the lane today."
Wrecke led Arrowhead for the game with 18 points, followed by 11 from Basich, seven from Austin Villarreal, six from Gilbert, three from Alex Kramer and two from Garrett Sexton. When asked to reflect on the departing senior class, Haase highlighted Jacob Woida for sacrificing a more prominent role for the good of the team.
"That's the kind of kids this group of seniors was. Alex Kramer, great defender, you saw him give tremendous effort. Tripp Walsh battled through injuries, kept on going. Austin Villarreal, incredible work ethic, off-the-charts gym rat," Haase said. "Great group, won an incredible amount of games."
Wrecke concludes historic career
Wrecke, a UW-Green Bay commit, concluded his career at Arrowhead as a top-50 scorer in Wisconsin state history according to records kept by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association.
His 18 points in Saturday's state final brought his career total to 2,033 points. For his coach, seeing this season come to an end was especially bittersweet as someone who had known Wrecke his whole life.
"Best record in school history, and getting to do it with a guy that I've known since the day he was born, that's magical stuff," Haase said. "Over 2,000 points, a state runner-up, multiple conference championships, regional championships, sectional finals... Incredible stuff, and to be a part of his life, which we'll be together forever as long as I'm around, is amazing."
While the emotions ran high for Wrecke as well, he acknowledged a sense of achievement in ending the season on the state's biggest stage.
"This is where you want to be at the end of the year. You want to be here, you want to be playing for a state championship," Wrecke said. "I'm happy to have done it with a coach I've known since day one and all my teammates. They played their hearts out tonight, but it just didn't go our way."