Wildcats lose to Eagles in regional final

By Casey Krautkramer

Edgar varsity boys basketball co-head coaches Chris Trawicki and Zach Paul won their first playoff game in Friday’s 64-60 home WIAA Division 4 regional semifinal against Iola-Scandinavia. They could only keep the momentum going into the first half of Saturday’s road regional championship against Auburndale, however, the Eagles came from behind for a 62-46 win.

The Wildcats led the Eagles, 30-25, at halftime. Auburndale then outscored Edgar, 37-16, in the second half. Edgar concludes its season with a 19-7 record while Auburndale improves to 22-4 and will face Marathon in a sectional semifinal this Thursday, March 7, in Merrill.

Senior Preston Dahlke led Edgar with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the loss to Auburndale. Senior Teegan Streit added 11 points and he paced the Wildcats with four steals. Senior Karter Butt grabbed eight defensive rebounds.

Edgar built a 35-30 halftime lead against Iola-Scandinavia in Friday’s regional semifinal. Wildcats senior Brett Baumgartner drained a corner three pointer to begin the second half before heading to the bench after committing his fourth foul. Later on, Streit’s steal and layup gave Edgar a 42-25 lead against Iola-Scandinavia. Karter Butt sank a three pointer to extend Edgar’s lead to 49-38.

The pesky young Thunderbirds squad wouldn’t go away, however, by staying close to the Wildcats until the end of the game. Edgar junior Leyton Schuett made a pair of bonus free throws to give his team a 58-52 lead with just over three minutes remaining. Streit’s pair of made bonus free throws gave the Wildcats a 61-54 advantage with one minute, 34 seconds left. Schuett made the game’s final play by stealing the basketball and holding it until the clock ran out on Edgar’s four-point victory.

Trawicki loved the playoff atmosphere in Edgar’s gym.

“It was fantastic; it was awesome,” he said. “The crowd really bought it. We told the guys that this is the show in town tonight so go out there and put on a show for your fans. The student section was outstanding. The fans were great and it was just a lot of fun.”

‘Jays lose regional semifinal

The Athens varsity boys basketball squad lost, 59-46, in Friday’s road WIAA Division 5 regional semifinal to Drummond. Drummond shot 34 free throws compared to Athens attempting only six.

Senior Ty Johnson led Athens with 14 points and six rebounds. Freshman Daxton Diethelm and sophomore Kamden Zarnke added nine points apiece. Diethelm paced the Bluejays with five assists and three steals.

Athens concluded its season with a 10-16 record. Drummond, 19-8, lost to Winter, 20-7, in Saturday’s regional championship.

STREIT’S STEAL AND LAYUP- Edgar senior guard Teegan Streit swipes the basketball from Iola-Scandinavia and he streaks down the court for a contested layup in the second half of Friday’s 64-60 home win.

STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER