The Gold Ball Returns to Whitefish Bay
Whitefish Bay won its fourth title in a blowout against its in-conference opponent, Slinger. The Blue Dukes were 0-2 against the Owls in the regular season, with both contests below a four-point deficit. This is their first title in 15 years.
Meanwhile, for Slinger, their tournament record is now 1-2, as their only other appearance was a semifinal loss in 1977.
First Half – Slow Shooting
Both offenses struggled early until Jack Broderson eventually scored the first points of the game. The Owls responded to tie it. Julian’s corner three put the Blue Dukes ahead 5-4 in a slowly paced game. Slinger tried to answer but missed two chances beyond the arc in the same possession.
Midway in the period, both teams amped up the offensive pressure but still largely missed shots or turned the ball over, resulting in a 16-7 Whitefish Bay lead at the nine-minute mark.
As the half drew near zero, Jack Kohnen accidentally tipped the ball into his own net, giving the points to Whitefish Bay. Besides the error, the deficit remained 22-12, with the Blue Dukes leading. Mace Miskel got fouled in a fastbreak layup after a steal on the Owls. After all was said and done, the score was 28-16 at the buzzer.
Broderson and Matthew Schoenfeldt tied as the leading scorers with eight points. For the owls, it was also tied with Joey Kohnen and Bryson Fogle scoring five apiece. Slinger struggled shooting, hitting 5-22, while the Blue Dukes hit 12-18 shots.
Second Half – Whitefish Bay Surge
Both offenses turned the dial in the opening start, but Slinger remained scoreless for the first five minutes before Jack Kohnen snapped the Blue Devils’ 5-0 run with an and-1. Putting the score at 33-21 for Whitefish Bay.
The Slinger offense continued to struggle as Whitefish Bay extended the lead to a 43-26 blowout. The Owls were only efficient at the free-throw line, shooting 7-9 at this point in the game. By the eight-minute mark, Whitefish Bay had a dominating lead 54-34.
The pace of the game remained the same as the Owls failed to rally and overcome the growing deficit. When the buzzer rang, Whitefish Bay won with a 77-46 victory.
Broderson ended the game with a double-double performance with 23 points and 10 rebounds. For Bryson Fogle, his 20-point performance was not enough to overcome the Blue Dukes defense.