SPORTS

SPASH runs state Division 1 title streak to three

Scott A. Williams
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

MADISON - Joey Hauser, Drew Blair and a number of Stevens Point Area Senior High seniors moved down to the far end of the bench.

Stevens Point High School players celebrate with the trophy after defeating Arrowhead High School in the Division 1 championship game at the 2017 boys basketball state tournament at the Kohl Center on Saturday, March 18, 2017, in Madison, Wis.

As much as they wanted to wait until the final horn the players stood up and began hugging and handing our bear hugs to one another.

Why not. SPASH had just turned in a performance reminiscent of those turned in during back-to-back Division 1 state championships each of the last two seasons.

Now this collection of players was able to call themselves state champions after dismantling Arrowhead 85-56 in the state title game at the Kohl Center on Saturday night.

Hauser was unstoppable with 33 points and 21 rebounds.

“This is a dream come true,” senior point guard Beau Rosenthal said. “Getting to go out and play my last game at the Kohl Center and win a gold ball is a memory I’ll never forget the rest of my life.”

Hauser looked every bit the part of a national recuit. Andrew Erdman and Beau were knocking down 3-pointers like layups.

Arrowhead never stood a chance.

SPASH (24-4) wasted no time making its dominance to everyone. The Warhawks never knew what hit them after watching the two-time defending state champions score the opening 13 points of the game.

“We tried to mix things up, but things were just not going our way,” Arrowhead coach Craig Haase said.

If you didn’t know better, one would have sworn this was the same cast for the Panthers that put together blowout wins in the state finals each of the last two seasons.

The state championship is the sixth in school history. SPASH also joins Germantown as recent Division 1 programs to bring home three state titles in a row.

“Our guys played a beautiful game,” SPASH coach Scott Anderon said. “Where do you start? Joey was outstanding. Beau was great. It’s a team thing and we always preach about that.”

There were points in the season when there were doubts whether Stevens Point Area Senior High had what it took to call it state champion.

Some nonconference blowout losses left some questions about whether a state tournament run was in the Panthers’ future.

Once the postseason arrived, however, the 2016-17 edition found its mojo.

Boy, did it ever, and subsequently this collection of players earned the title of state champion Saturday night.

“This was a lot different than last year,” Hauser said. “I didn’t have to be a leader with Sam (Hauser) and Trevor (Anderson). I had to step up and be a leader and to have a large role on a state championship team is special.”

Hauser and Blair accounted for the opening 24 points for SPASH. Then Rosenthal and Erdman began raining down 3-pointers from all over the court.

Before Arrowhead knew what happened, the Panthers had built a 20-point lead midway through the opening half.

Rosenthal and Blair each chimed in with 13 points, while Erdman finished with 11.

“I’ve always been confident in this team, especially in the playoffs when we really started to click,” Hauser said.

Talk about a perfect time to put it all together.

For the third consecutive year SPASH has a gold ball as proof there was no one in Division 1 better in Wisconsin.

SPASH

48

37

85

Arrowhead

20

36

56

SPASH (85): Joey Hauser 33, Keon’te Williams 2, Beau Rosenthal 13, Drew Blair 13, Andrew Erdman 11, Drew Cullen 5, Brennan Mueller 2, Logan Lewis 4, Travis Johnson 2.

Arrowhead (56): Alec Hamilton 2, Sam Given 2, Ben Seefeld 10, Trevell Cunningham 22, Tommy Durand 6, Marko Matejic 4, Alec Meister 3, Jared Matheny 2, Aleck Sharma 3, David Widenski 2.

3-pointers: SPASH 8 (Hauser, Rosenthal 3, Erdman 3, Cullen); Arrowhead 2 (Meister, Sharma).

Records: SPASH 24-4; Arrowhead 22-6.

Scott A. Williams can be reached at 715-345-2282, or by email at ssswilliam@stevenspoint.gannett.com. Find him on Twitter as @SPJScottWill

Stevens Point High School players rush the court following their 85 to 56 victory over Arrowhead High School during their Division 1 WIAA state basketball championship game on Saturday, March 18, 2017 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin