By John Dalton
Lancaster needed a win at home to be the outright champion in the Southwest Conference Thursday night, but River Valley had other thoughts as four players scored double figures, and the Blackhawks soundly defeated Lancaster 71-60 as both teams now prepare for the WIAA tournament.
With the Blackhawks victory, Lancaster, Platteville and Dodgeville will share the conference title with 7-3 records. River Valley’s conference record ends at 5-5. The Blackhawks played Platteville in the first round of the boys’ WIAA Regional tournament on Tuesday, and you can find the results of that game in this edition of the newspaper.
Right from the opening tip, the Blackhawks demonstrated confidence and composure on the Flying Arrows’ home court. Seniors Lucas Klein and Sumner Nachreiner set the tone in the first half by making important shots, helping the Blackhawks establish a 21-15 lead midway through the period. Then, freshman Danny Zaemisch stepped up, sinking three consecutive three-pointers within 90 seconds to extend the team’s advantage to 30-18. By halftime, River Valley was ahead 33-24.
They quickly increased the lead to 12 seconds into the second half as Nachreiner connected on a corner 3-point shot, and they increased it to 38-24 when Quincy Blakely dished a pass to Jackson Thatcher who hit a shot in the lane. Thatcher had the hot hand in the second half to lead the Blackhawks as he scored 15 of his game high 19 points in the second half.
Whenever Lancaster attempted to close the gap, River Valley responded effectively. After Arrows players Anthony Busch, Zach Hermsen, and Taylor Williams scored baskets to reduce the deficit to 10 points and pressed the Blackhawks with full-court pressure, River Valley managed to break through, earning points from Thatcher, Nachreiner, and Klein. During one inbound play, Nachreiner launched a touchdown-style pass over the defense to Zaemisch, who finished with a layup. Throughout the second half, Lancaster remained behind by double digits.
Down the stretch, Lancaster was forced to foul and the Blackhawks connected on 11 second half free throws, and ultimately won the game by that margin, 71-60 knocking Lancaster out of sole possession in the SWC.
“I loved how the kids responded tonight, they attacked it with an intensity. I felt we competed very hard This was a game I think a lot of people would look at the last game of the regular season knowing what the seeds are and where things fall. I’m really proud of how they showed up and competed tonight,” said River Valley Head Coach Luke Thatcher following the game.
“I think things are clicking for us right now as far as our defense goes. There’s a little to be desired on the offensive side of things, as there always is, our size hurts us at times, but I wouldn’t trade this group in for anybody,” he said. “It’s a great group of kids, they show up with an intensity and it’s a lot of fun to coach them.”
For video highlights of the River Valley vs. Lancaster game check out The Dodgeville Chronicle Facebook page.
Box Score
River Valley 33 – 38 – 71
Lancaster 24-36-60
River Valley (fg-ft-tp); Jackson Thatcher 7-4-19, Danny Zaemisch 5-3-16, Sumner Nachreiner 6-1-15, Lucas Klein 4-0-10, Keagan Heiser 2-1-5, Quincy Blakely 2-2-4, Trevor Henkel 0-2-2.
3-pointers;
Zaemisch 3, Klein 2, Nachreiner 2, Thatcher 1.
Lancaster (fg-ft-tp); Taylor Williams 8-2-18, Zach Hermsen 5-4- 15, Dayne Kauffman 3-5-13, Lukas Weber 1-4-6, Brady Schmitz 1-2-4, Anthony Busch 2-1-3, Ethan Cicero 0-1-1.
3-pointers;
Kauffman 2, Hermsen 1.
