Edgar boys finally break through

Wildcats top Marathon for regional title

Edgar would .

s not be denied.

Not this year, not this team.

Three straight years the Edgar Wildcats boys basketball team had made it to the regional title game, and all three years they came up empty handed.

With those losses still fresh on their minds, this year’s seniors pulled Edgar into the sectional semifi nals after stopping Abbotsford and Marathon on back to back nights.

“It means a ton,” senior guard Konnor Wolf said about the regional title. “We’ve gotten stopped at the regional final the past couple of years, now we’ve finally gotten past it. Now it’s all about seeing what we can do and how far we can go.”

The Wildcats path to the sectionals was hardly a guaranteed thing. To get to the regional final game they had to battle a pesky Abbotsford Falcons squad that boasts one of the most electrifying players in the state in Cade Faber.

Faber has been a double-double maching for Abby, averaging over 20 points a game. He came into Friday leading the state in rebounds, and the ‘Cats knew he was going to be a problem.

“We were just trying to do what we always do best, and that’s play good defense,” Edgar forward Brayden Baumgartner said. “We were looking to key on Faber and not let him get any shots in the lane.”

Easier said than done.

Faber flew through Edgar in the early goings of the first half, and Abby took a 8-6 lead with 12:04 to go before the break. Edgar tied things up at 10-10, and from there the floodgates opened.

The Wildcats would roll through the remainder of the first half, finishing the final ten minutes of the first frame on a 31-10 run.

Senior guards Drew Guden and Austin Dahlke led the charge. Guden slashed and gashed Abby with threes and inside moves for 14 points. Dahlke dropped another nine on Abby and the Wildcats took a 41-21 lead into the locker room.

The ‘Cats were on cruise control for much of the second half, with Guden and Dahlke continuing to deliver, scoring seven and ten points to lead Edgar with 21 and 19 points.

Faber got his points, hanging 24 on Edgar, but he was the only Falcon in double digits as Edgar went on to out-score Abby 35-23 in the last stanza to set up a date with Marathon, who knocked off Athens on the road.

That was a game the Wildcats were looking forward to, but with Edgar having played them twice before, Edgar knew it was going to be a battle.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Playing Marathon for the third time, there wasn’t going to be any surprises,” Edgar head coach Dave Huss said. “It was going to be a war.”

Huss’s words proved prophetic. Edgar would get the early lead, and held the Red Raiders to just 15 points in the first frame, but Marathon only gave up 21.

It helped Edgar that Marathon came into the D-4 title game down senior forward Brock Warren. His absence wasn’t felt during the Athens game, when four Red Raiders finished in double figures.

But on Friday, his size and strength was sorely needed, especially with Edgar’s speed and athleticism closing down lanes and making life miserable on the perimeter.

“Brock has had a tremendous senior year and unfortunately he went down. If we had Brock, that would have just been another option inside and down at the post,” Marathon head coach Adam Jacobson said afterwards. “He’s a guy that can step out and hit the shot. He’s a big part of our team, and obviously it was devastating for him to not be in a big game like tonight.”

Edgar came out firing in the second half, determined to get through Marathon and into sectionals. With so many seniors on this year’s Wildcats squad, there was a definite sense of urgency, and a ‘now or never’ menality.

“Since this is our last year, we’re all coming together and having the same mindset, which is keep moving forward,” Baumgartner said.

The difference between this year and the past three, says Baumgartner, is experience. “We just have so much more experience and so much more chemistry than past years because we have been playing together so long.”

That experience would be needed midway through the second half.

Edgar went up by as much as 16 at 37-21 with ten minutes remaining in regulation. But then Marathon woke up.

The Red Raiders got some defensive stops, forced Edgar into single possesion shots, and turned the tables on the Wildcats with impressive shooting from three by Dalton Lang and Matt Vande Boom.

Marathon went on an 11-0 run that made it 37-32 with five minutes left when Edgar took a time-out, and then got back to playing their brand of basketball.

Edgar made defensive stops, hustled and fought for every possession.

“I think that’s just our senior leadership taking over,” Wolf said. “Hustle plays are all about energy and who wants it more. We got a great bunch of guys that are willing to give it their all every play.”

Big threes by Austin Dahlke, along with steals and trips to the charity stripe by Kyle Brewster, built Edgar’s lead to 45-36 with under two minutes to play.

Dahlke and Brewster each scored 13 points, and Edgar held the Red Raiders to a meager 23 points in the final frame. Not one Red Raider finished in double figures. Vande Boom and Mike Hahn were the leading scorers, with nine and eight points.

As the seconds ticked away, the Wildcats could contain their jubilation no longer. After threes years of disappointment, they were finally holding aloft a regional title.

“The kids have put in a lot of time and a lot of effort. Not only this year, but through the years,” Huss said. “It’s good to see that hard work pay off. I know this win means a lot to the seniors.”

For Marathon, Saturday was the end of a season, but coaches and players alike were grateful to be playing and to make more memories.

“The start of this season was questionable, so just to be able to get my senior season, with these guys, was just a fun time and a blessing,” Vande Boom said.

A season ends for one team, while for another it continues. Edgar will have a chance get one step closer to state. They’ll host Hurley, a team they beat before. They’re eager to do it again.

THE FOURTH TIME IS THE CHARM- Edgar seniors Brayden Baumgartner (#44) Konnor Wolf (#5) and Austin Dajlke (#3) hold aloft their WIAA D-4 regional title after knocking off Marathon at home Saturday night. The Wildcats had been stymied at this stage the last three years, but now are through to the sectional semi-final. Edgar will look to defeat Hurley for the second time this season, and add even more hardware to their regional and Marawood - South conference titles.STAFF PHOTO/ROSS PATTERMANN

GREAT BATTLES AGAINST GREAT- Marathon’s Matt Vande Boom (#12) drives into the lane against Edgar’s Drew Guden during Saturday’s WIAA D-4 regional title game. Vande Boom led Marathon with nine points, but Guden guided Edgar to the victory with his 13 point effort.STAFF PHOTO/ROSS PATTERMANN