Staff Photo: Ari Selvey Madelia’s Josiah Demaris (2) shot Nicolet defenders Carson Kettner (34), Henry Kennedy (2) and Keegan Harke (5) at the Section 2A Boys Basketball Tournament at Madelia High School on Tuesday.
Madelia – Fourth seed Madelia took a 30-25 lead at halftime and expanded to a 64-52 victory with 13th seeded Nicolette in the Section 2A Boys Basketball Tournament Game on Tuesday.
Madelia head coach Jeff Vanhi said the senior leaders were key to winning.
“There was someone who was here before in these tight games.” He said. “They came out, they were juiced, they were ready to go, Nicolette was. And we knew they would play well. They played us pretty close. We felt like we were a better team for the guys than we played. But (Nicolette’s head coach) Chris (Harke) looked back on that. They have a lot of confidence, they’re so confident, and that confidence has a long way to go for you. Our defenses really got physical and we tried to make our balls every 50-50 balls. And that was a big deal.”
Kaydon Firchau led the Blackhawks with 18 points, while Kyle Pietsch scored 15 points. Hayden Jones scored 14 points, while Tate Becker added 11 points.
Carson Kettner led all Nicolette scorers with 22 points and five rebounds, while Henry Kennedy had nine points and five rebounds. Henry Oscarson added seven points and five rebounds.
“We didn’t make enough shots.” Coach Harke said. “It’s like a storyline during the season. Offensive is good when you can’t make a shot. I was very impressed with our defensive efforts. We played a lot of guys tonight and I thought it worked.
“It’s hard. There are no seniors this year, but the team versions are a little different each year so it’s difficult to see one end of this. It tasted a bit. It’s pretty loud here, so it’s a great place to play the playoff game. I hope we’re being tested in next year’s battles. I don’t have any seniors so I’m excited to be able to do it in the summer to prepare for next year.”
Both teams had strong defenses to start the game, with a 3-pointer by Oscarson opening up the score two minutes into the game. Firchau responded with his own three on his next possession, and the team changed the bucket until Keegan Hulke’s three-pointer raised Nicollet to 10-5.
Madelia quickly led with a 7-0 run, starting with a putback from Josiah DeMaris and finishing with a layup from Piecchi to rise to 14-13. Oscarson did a layup and Kettner finished with a foul to bring the Raiders back to 17-14, but Firchau’s three-pointer tied the game with 17.
The team fought for some possessions, but Madelia was heated up with a 7-0 run and rose to 29-21 with Jones’ three-pointer. Nicolette finished the run with a layup from Ketner, and another layup from Ketner made it 30-25 games.
Madelia started the second half with eight unanswered points, moving up to 38-25 after a pair of free throws from Piecchi. Nicolette tried to cut the lead to 40-34 after a layup from 3 pointers and Ketner, but Madelia went again with a steal and layup from Becker.
Nicolette kept the lead far less than 10 points for most of the second half, but Madelia kept a strong lead. Jones and PhilChow played in under three minutes. Ketner made a 3-pointer late, but Madelia dribbling the rest of the clock for the victory.
Nicolette finished the season with a 14-14 record after going without a pre-season victory despite the lack of seniors on the roster.
“I’m very proud of them.” Coach Harke said. “From zero wins last year to two wins the previous year to 14 this year. I hope they remember more than a playoff loss. The season can be lost in that, but just the growth they had, they rewrite the story of our entire program.
“They lost five seniors and won 14 more games than last year. They’ve bought everything we taught. We pushed them pretty hard, they bought, and the sky is at the limit of next year. We’re already excited to start planning for next year, as this year hurts.”
Meanwhile, Madelia improves to 21-6 and plays the 12-seeded Sleepy Icent Marys in the next round of the tournament. The game will be held at St. Peter High School on Thursday at 7:45am.
“When a storm occurs, we just need to survive the storm.” Vanhi said. “Body and mind. Play the next mentality, make adjustments, make sure something doesn’t happen twice… Stay connected, play with each other. If they keep playing for each other, we’ll be fine.”
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