Warhawks survive longest game in state boys hoop history
MADISON – The first four-overtime game in the 108-year history of the WIAA boys state basketball tournament had just about everything and then some on Friday night at the Kohl Center.
Behind a herculean 34-point, 14-rebound from Iowa State football commit Jace Gilbert and the best field goal percentage in the history of the Division 1 state tournament (71.7%, 33 of 46), topseeded Arrowhead (27-2) overcame a 15-point first-half deficit and survived a heavyweight bout for the ages against No. 4 seed Neenah (21-8), 99-95.
“Our guys just believe right now,” Arrowhead coach Craig Haase said. “We’re in that mode where we believe. We’re down 12 at half and we knew we did not play defensively. We knew we had to play better. We had to pressure the ball.
“They were really dictating tempo and really dictating everything to be totally honest. Once we got a couple stops from pressuring, the momentum started to swing.”
The game set state records across all divisions for most points between two teams (194), most field goal attempts (113) and the best field goal percentage between two teams (62.4%). Neenah also set the highest mark of any division in state history with the highest losing total (95).
Arrowhead earned the right to go back to the Division 1 title game for the second straight season to face Marquette, which downed back-to-back state tournament qualifier Kettle Moraine in the second semifinal, 67-60.
“I don’t know. I’ve never been a part of a game that’s gone that long,” Haase said. “Just an incredible game. I’m super happy for these kids that did everything they possibly could to get us a victory.”
True to their name, the Rockets fired themselves out of the gate to a 20-10 advantage inside of the game’s first nine minutes. The lead reached as many as 15 points (32-17) with 3:56 to play before halftime before Neenah took a 37-25 lead into the locker rooms.
The start of the second half was a bit of role reversal, as the Warhawks clawed their back with a 19-6 run to grab their first advantage at 44-43 with 10:51 to play in regulation.
Neither team led by more than four over the final nine minutes of regulation. There were six ties in that stretch, including two of them in the final 55 seconds of regulation.
After each team could only muster a three-pointer each in the first session with a miss by Neenah senior Justin Janssen miss at the horn, the second overtime featured Gilbert splitting a pair of free throws with 42 ticks left before Gilbert saved the day with a huge block on the other end on Charlie Wunderlich’s three-point attempt forced a third overtime.
Brady Corso had a chance from the left wing to win it for Neenah to close the third overtime, an area where he hit all four of his three-point makes on the night, but it sailed long.
Bennett Basich fouled out with 2:13 left in the sixth period with Arrowhead leading 87-83 after a Gilbert bucket at the basket. The UW-Green Bay recruit took a hard shot to the face that started to bleed immediately. “Hopefully, he’ll be able to go,” Haase said. “It looks like he’s got a cut lip and whatnot, but we’ll see. I’m hoping he can go and if there’s any chance in heck he can go, he’ll go. That kid played his heart as usual. He plays with incredible passion. He’s a great kid.” Without their leading scorer, Gilbert, Sam Leoni and Bennett’s younger brother Blake – who played just 86 seconds on Friday – helped keep the Warhawks in front at the line in the closing moments.