Dream season continues
Wildcats return to state for first time in 24 years
The last time the Edgar Wildcas boys basketball team made it to state it was a different century. It’s been so long that none of this year’s seniors were even close to being born.
But they’ve heard the stories. They’ve seen the shining gold ball from that 1997 championship winning team.
Nearly a quarter century later, this year’s team has a shot at adding another gleaming trophy to that case after overcoming stern challenges from Hurley and Clear Lake in the WIAA D-4 sectional semifinal and championship games.
“It means a lot. The seniors, us group of guys, we’ve been working towards this goal since the sixth grade,” senior forward Brayden Baumgartner said. “We’ve had countless practices, countless hours put in together. It means so much that it gets to come out the way we wanted it to.”
That almost wasn’t the case on Saturday. Edgar was staring at a twelve point deficit on their home court, their starters saddled with fouls as the Clear Lake Warriors put on a big run to take a 33-21 lead with 2:19 to go before the break.
But a dream borne from the frustra- tion of three straight regional final losses would not die. It could not die.
This team, this year’s seniors, had been in too many close games before, had stared down so many big moments in the past, to let that happen.
“That’s where it all starts, is the kids and their effort and attitude each and every day,” Edgar head coach David Huss said in the aftermath of Edgar’s 74-60 victory over Clear Lake in the sectional championship.
“They’re a great group of guys to be around. They work very hard, they’re super coachable. I’m just really happy for them. They put in a lot of time, not just this year, but through the years, and you always like it when hard work pays off.”
The Wildcats certainly had their work cut out for them on Saturday. Their opponent was undefeated, boasting an unblemished 22-0 record. They also boasted impressive size for a D-4 team, with one player standing 6’7” and two more play- WIAA DIVISION 4 SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
ers coming in around 6’4”.
Edgar had the equalizer, and while they gave up height, they more than matched Clear Lake’s size with their speed.
“We’re quick, so when we turn corners on screens it was hard for them to keep up with us because they’re big guys,” senior gurad Kyle Brewster said. “So I’ll take speed over height any day.”
Edgar’s speed was put to good use in the early minutes of the first half. Drew Guden, Brewster and Konnor Wolf were able to find Baumgartner for buckets down low that gave the ‘Cats a 7-5 lead.
Clear Lake did the same, using their size to bull down in the post for baskets. That interior presence led to foul trouble for Edgar. With 11:30 left to play in the first half, Dahlke, Wolf and Baumgartner were stuck on the bench, all three picking up two quick fouls.
Clear Lake sense their opportunity and made its move. The Warriors continued to draw contact underneath that led to more free throws. When Edgar tried to collapse inside, the Warriors kicked it out to Alex St. John, who made them pay.
St. John hit three big triples in the first half that sucked the air out of the gym, giving the Warriors a 28-17 lead.
That’s when Ayden Weisenberger had decided he had seen enough. The junior guard had his coming-out party in the first half, splashing buckets left and right to give Edgar 11 points.
“I figured I needed to get in the game and give the team a little spark. I don’t know how much we were down by, but we needed a spark,” Weisenberger said afterwards, still surprised by his output. “Guys just left me open, so I figured I’d shoot it, and they kept going in.”
Ayden hit a triple with less than two minutes before halftime to make it a 33-24 game, and Edgar was back in business.
“He stepped up huge for us today, no doubt about that. We needed that,” Huss said. “We were in foul trouble. You start looking around and going ‘He’s got three, he’s got two, oh my god.’ He was that Xfactor that kept us in the game. He’s not making those shots, we’re down 15-20.”
Edgar cut into the deficit even more when Brewster came back in and nailed a three from the corner that was nothing but nylon. With under ten seconds to play, Guden ran the length of the floor and hit a floater for two. After being down by a dozen, Edgar was in striking distance, down 35-29 at the break.
Edgar had all the momentum on their side while Clear Lake went into halftime wondering what went wrong.
Things could not be more different in the second half. Edgar chose to be the aggressor, going on the attack. After not attempting a single free throw in the first frame, the ‘Cats got to the line a total of multiple times. No free throws were bigger than Baumgartener’s.
Brayden played that second half as if his life depended on it. Brewster, Guden, and Wolf fed Brayden underneath, and Baumgartner made baskets and earned three And-One chances.
Baumgartner converted on all three opportunities, and finished with a game high 19, a remarkable turnaround from the two points he scored against Hurley in the sectional semifinal three days ago.
Baumgartner says his individual stats were simply a reflection of Edgar’s brand of team basketball.
“I was just playing my role, and those points were coming to me because my teammates were giving me good passes and good assists and I was finishing.”
Minute by minute, basket by basket, the Wildcats slowly turned the screws on Clear Lake, doing to the Warriors what they had done to Edgar in the first half.
Another bucket by Baumgartner gave Edgar its first lead since early in the first half, making it a 47-46 game with ten minutes to go. Dahlke built up the lead to 53-46 as he converted a four point play after he was fouled swishing a three.
The Warriors never recovered. Edgar’s speed forced turnovers that led to runouts, and with each basket, Edgar’s trip to state drew nearer.
“As soon as we got them in foul trouble we kept driving, trying to get them in even more foul trouble,” Weisenberger said. “The buckets kept going in and we kept making our free throws.”
Brewster and Guden converted multiple free throws to finish with 13 and nine points. Dahlke was just as effective, splashing several free throws to finish with 13 points. Before long Clear Lake began to run out of bodies to put on the court, and with St. John fouling out, the Warriors lost their best perimeter threat.
Soon it was Edgar with the double-digit lead. Clear Lake was forced to foul, and the Wildcats made them pay, converting on 18 of 22 trips to the charity stripe.
Each free throw brought another round of cheers and applause from the assembled fans. Their energy only made Edgar play that much harder and faster.
“To make all the Edgar fans and Edgar alumni feel this way, it’s amazing,” Brewser said. “They got us through because once they get fired up, then we get fired up.”
The final five minutes melted off the clock, and when it struck zero, players and fans alike erupted with exultation.
A dream that was conceived so many years ago by this year’s seniors was finally realized - all that awaited was cutting down the nets. Each player from this year’s team ascended that letter, took their twine, and reveled in the moment.
But every player also knew that the journey was not over, not yet. The Wildcats have earned the third seed in this, their program’s fifth trip to state.
They’ll take on second seed Lourdes Academy out of Oshkosh Friday afternoon at the La Crosse Center in the state semifinal. Each player knows what an opportunity it is.
“It’s another game, another game we get to play and prepare for,” Brewser said. “The work’s not done yet.”
A DREAM FULFILLED- Edgar’s Drew Guden (#2) triumphantly holds up the WIAA D-4 sectional championship plaque after the Wildcats defeated the Clear Lake Warriors on Saturday night. The ‘Cats overcame a double digit deficit to return to the state tournament for the first time in nearly 25 years. Edgar will face Lourdes Academy in the first round this Friday in La Crosse.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER
FORCING THE FOUL- Konnor Wolf celebrates after drawing an offensive charge from Clear Lake’s Tyson Blanchard during the second half of the sectional championship. Edgar outscored the Warriors 45-25 in the final frame.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER
EDGAR’S X FACTOR- Ayden Weisenberger attacks the basket, going directly at Clear Lake’s 6’7” forward Ashtyn O’Bryan in the first half of the sectional championship. Ayden went off on Clear Lake, scoring 11 points in the first period.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER
