Vikings Win Regional Championship

Wisco shot 70% in the first half and opened up a 14-point lead when Kon Knueppel ('24) hit a three-pointer one minute into the second half. But Bay, ranked #6 in the state in Division 2, fought back. The Blue Dukes connected on 13 of 26 threes to pull ahead 55-54 with just over a minute remaining in regulation. Jonah Rindfleisch ('21) found Isaiah Hopf ('21) for a layup to put the Vikings back up by one with 1:05 to play. Bay made one of two free throws with 34 seconds left to knot the score at 56, and Wisco was not able to score before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.

After a defensive stop to open the extra period, Rindfleisch found Prentice Young ('23) in the corner, and the sophomore drained his third three of the night to give the Vikings a lead they would never relinquish. Jamiir Allen ('23) made both ends of a one-and-one to push the advantage to 61-56. The Blue Dukes drained a three to cut the lead to 61-59 with 1:28 remaining. Knueppel was fouled and made two free throws with 1:11 to play. After a defensive stop, he was fouled again and once again sank two from the charity stripe. On the ensuing possession, he stole the ball out top and laid the ball in on the other end to give Wisco a 67-59 lead with 21 seconds left. Bay hit one last three-pointer, but could not get closer.

Knueppel led the Vikings with 18 points and six rebounds. Hopf scored 15 on 7-9 shooting and added three steals. Young scored 13 points and handed out three assists. And Allen's seven points included two crucial free throws; he also had a team-high five assists and four steals. Wisco shot 53% from the floor and edged Bay 28-25 on the glass. More stats are available here.