The No. 2-seeded Milwaukee Juneau Pioneers clinched a tournament bid for the first time in program history. They demolished the No. 3-seeded Regis Ramblers on the court.
Before Madison:
The Rambler’s had previous success in the 40’s and 50’s with three titles and 2 runner-up finishes that haven’t been seen since.
The most notable player on the court is the Pioneers’ Dooney Johnson. The forward is the 39th-ranked player in the nation and 1st in the state, with a commitment to Gonzaga as a four-star recruit. He has been largely responsible for the program’s success this season.
He’s averaged 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. His other teammates, Senior Takis Tyler and Senior Jaden Hardiman, have also been proficient scorers, both averaging 17 points per game.
For Regis, their Senior and Saint John’s (D3) commit, Blake Risler, averaged 27 points per game alongside Sophomore DJ Cooper with 19 points per game.
First Half – Takis En Fuego
The Pioneers won the opening tip-off and immediately scored with a layup from Tyler.
Afterwards, Johnson laid a block on the backboard with similarities to LeBron James ‘ block on Draymond Green in the 2016 NBA Finals.
In terms of offense for Regis, they were under a dry spell for 5 minutes until Benneth Risler shot a wide-open three, reducing the lead to 6-3.
Tyler continued to dominate the Ramblers as he pushed forward heavily for a contested layup and scored. Johnson took advantage of Regis’ poor transition and tried to dunk, but missed before Tyler put a second-chance layup in the net.
At the midway point, Milwaukee Juneau led Regis 17-12. Both teams maintained ball control with zero turnovers, while both grabbed 9 rebounds.
After the nine-minute mark, early offensive foul trouble hindered Milwaukee Juneau’s offense, which only put up two points in three minutes while the Ramblers put up a three to narrow the gap.
By the end of the half, both teams started exchanging three-pointers, which resulted in a 32-25 score. However, Regis has missed a lot more with only hitting 5-14 from beyond the arc in comparison to Milwaukee’s Juneau, who hit 3-8.
Tyler led the Pioneers with 16 points while shooting 6-10 from range in the first half. For the Ramblers, DJ Cooper and Risler were both tied with 11. In addition, Joey Brahmer had seven rebounds on the court.
Second Half – Offensive Blitz
The opening possession with Milwaukee Juneau resulted in a fouled layup on Johnson; he proceeded to hit 2/2 on his free throws.
As the game progressed, it became a defensive stalemate as both teams struggled to finish at the rim. Then, Cooper scored a deep three to bring the lead down to 34-31 before Dooney responded with a three-pointer of his own.
Cooper responded with another three to tally the score to 37-34. After a fastbreak dunk from Hardiman of the Pioneers, Cooper fought back with another three. Keeping the score at a tight 41-37.
Coming near the middle of the period, the Pioneers went on a 10-2 run to extend the lead to 51-39. Milwaukee Juneau’s defense had become less aggressive, going from six steals to only one steal in this half.
This pace was effective enough to shut down the Rambler’s offense. The Rambler’s offensive tempo had declined massively as they could not overcome Johnson and Corey Collins in the paint.
Risler was able to score an and-1 inside to break their two-minute drought. Alongside a three from Cooper and Risler, respectively. That brought the lead down to 57-48 at the 6:45 minute mark.
The Pioneers began to stall and chew the clock. During the last few minutes, Collins made a dunk to reinforce the lead over the Ramblers.
By the end of regulation, the Pioneers secured their first-ever semifinal win in an overtaking 72-54 performance.
Coming Up:
The Milwaukee Juneau Pioneers will take on the Cambridge Blue Jays in the Division IV title game. The title game will mark a new first-time champion for one of these programs. Both made history tonight getting their first win in their first appearance in the semifinals in WIAA lore.