Wisco wins thriller with Greene’s buzzer-beater
MADISON — 29-0, and one massive sigh of relief.
Alex Greene’s layup to cap a frantic sequence just before the final buzzer of regulation vaulted unbeaten top-seed Wisconsin Lutheran past No. 4 seed Nicolet (24-5) in a 56-54 thriller during the first WIAA Division 2 state boys basketball semifinal Friday afternoon at the Kohl Center.
“I came off the ball screen and they switched it pretty high. I didn’t get low enough on it. I should’ve gotten a little lower,” said Wisconsin Lutheran forward Kon Knueppel, regarding the final 29.5 seconds that saw the Vikings play for the final shot.
“My foot slipped (on a state court sticker) and luckily Z(avier Zens) was right there. I tried to bounce it right off to him and he made a great pass into Alex.”
Greene’s third field goal off an instinctive Zens left-handed fastball summed up one of the most efficient days in state history. The Vikings shot 66.7% on 36 shots, including making 12 of their final 13 attempts. The shooting percentage tied the Division 2 state tournament single-game record that was previously held by Racine St. Catherine’s in the 2005 tournament (26 for 39), the first of their six title runs.
“We always preach keeping up with plays, even though you see they don’t always go as planned,” Greene said on his game-winner.
Greene capped the day in large part due to Knueppel’s impressive performance in his state debut. The future Duke Blue Devil scored 26 points on 11of-18 shooting with seven rebounds and seven assists, including a wonderful block with four fouls at the rim following a game-tying fadeaway off the right block with 1:14 left that gave the Vikings one last crack at winning the battle in regulation.
For Nicolet, it’s a second straight heartbreaking finish at state following last year’s close call with eventual D2 champion Pewaukee. Nicolet coach Terence Smith said he was proud of his unit for bouncing back from last year’s ending to come within an eyelash of the school’s first state title appearance since 2019 when they won the gold ball.
“It’s a great group of kids, man,” Smith said. “I would not pick another group of kids over them at all. They listen. They do what I tell them to do. At the end of the day, I didn’t do it right for them. I messed it up for them.”