WIAA State Tournament: Day 2 Recap

OSHKOSH -- The Division 3 and Division 4 state tournaments both started and came to a close on Friday. In Division 3, Racine St. Catherine’s capped off a phenomenal season by knocking off Lake Country Lutheran. In Division 4, Lourdes Academy pulled off a comeback for the ages, rallying from a 20-point deficit to take home the gold ball... [player_tooltip player_id="994508" first="Jameer" last="Barker"] - 2021 - SG - Racine St. Catherine Wrightstown had no answer for Barker in the semifinals. The senior guard dropped 22 points and a whopping 16 rebounds. A high volume scorer with supreme confidence, Barker is a terrific isolation guard. He plays so low to the ground, forces defenders to backpedal, and then hits his mid-range jumpers with ease. Putting an end to a Wrightstown run, Barker scored eight-straight points for St. Cat’s in the second half to give the Angels a 45-37 lead with just under five minutes left. Barker picked up where he left off in the title game. The shot-making guard scored 10 of the first 15 points as St. Catherine’s jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Barker finished with another double-double, posting 14 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists in the win over Lake Country Lutheran. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Big time effort by [player_tooltip player_id="994508" first="Jameer" last="Barker"] to lead St. Catherine’s to the D3 title game. 22 points and 16 rebounds for the senior guard.<a href="https://twitter.com/BarkerJameer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BarkerJameer</a> <a href="https://t.co/A3vn3IJeqz">pic.twitter.com/A3vn3IJeqz</a> — Prep Hoops Wisconsin (@PrepHoops_WI) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepHoops_WI/status/1367918385036734469?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Matthew Hansen - 2021 - SG - Wrightstown If not for Hansen’s shooting, the Tigers likely would not have hung around as long as they did against St. Catherine’s. At one point in the second half, Hansen had 14 of his team’s 28 points. Hansen got Wrightstown off to a good start, hitting three triples in a four-minute span to tie the game at 14. Hansen then had a quick 5-0 spurt of his own to cut a 12-point halftime deficit down to seven. Hansen played all 36 minutes for the Tigers and also grabbed five rebounds in the loss. [player_tooltip player_id="761407" first="Luke" last="Haertle"] - 2022 - SG - Lake Country Lutheran Saint Croix Central did everything they could to take Haertle out of the game, however, eventually, the top 20 prospect broke through. Finishing with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, Haertle had another gutty performance to push LCL into the Division 3 state championship game. Haertle was only able to take 13 shots, but got to the foul line eight times. When his team needed him to make a play, Haertle was right on time. His team was up against it in the championship game against St. Catherine’s, but Haertle absolutely battled. Going against one of the state’s premier on-ball defenders, Haertle tallied a team-high 16 points and three assists. Loved the spirit and fight from Haertle, who laid it all on the line. You could tell after the game, he was not content with that silver ball, likely a chip on his shoulder he’ll carry with them into next season. [player_tooltip player_id="1041724" first="Asanjai" last="Hunter"] - 2022 - G - The Prairie School Hunter really jumped out defensively. In the Division 4 state title game, Hunter was matched up with Lourdes Academy’s star guard and a Division 2 prospect. The Knights run their guards through a ton of screens and it just always felt like Hunter was right there on the catch. A strong, athletic guard with twitch, Hunter was keeping everything in front of him throughout both of Friday’s contests. Scoring in double figures twice, Hunter really picked his spots well offensively. When the junior guard saw a gap, he hit it hard, didn’t second-guess himself, and got to the rim before the help defense could react. [player_tooltip player_id="879981" first="Kamari" last="McGee"] - 2021 - PG - Racine St. Catherine’s McGee had a phenomenal title game in the win over Lake Country Lutheran. The UW-Green Bay commit poured in a game-high 26 points, including 22 in the second half. McGee just flat out took over, getting to the rim at will. No matter the time and score, McGee was extremely composed throughout both contests. One of the best defenders in the state, McGee was in lockdown mode for 36 minutes, also coming up with three steals in the second half. Love his ability to just be in the moment and simply worry about the things he can control. Bad calls, missed shots, turnovers, crowd noise, none of it matters to him. When Iowa State commit [player_tooltip player_id="804895" first="Tyrese" last="Hunter"] left the game with an injury, McGee elevated his play even more. McGee moved on the ball, initiated the offense, and attacked Lake Country Lutheran’s trapping zone like a pro. Expect this kid to play right away for the Phoenix, whose fans will just wrap their arms right around a player like McGee. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> UW-Green Bay commit [player_tooltip player_id="879981" first="Kamari" last="McGee"] took over the second half to lead Racine St. Catherine's to the Division 3 state championship. Scored 22 of his 26 points in the second half. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wisbb?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wisbb</a><a href="https://twitter.com/KamariMcGee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamariMcGee</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/gbphoenixmbb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@gbphoenixmbb</a> <a href="https://t.co/oDPJFYesPO">pic.twitter.com/oDPJFYesPO</a> — Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) <a href="https://twitter.com/Evan_Flood/status/1368233207607525379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> [player_tooltip player_id="879983" first="Antuan" last="Nesbitt"] - 2021 - G/W - The Prairie School As per usual, Nesbitt did a little bit of everything in The Hawks’ win over Onalaska Luther. If you get spread out in the half court against The Prairie School, Nesbitt is generally the one that’s going to kill you. Once TPS got a lead, Nesbitt operated like a surgeon. Nesbitt finished with 18 points, five rebounds, and three assists. The senior shot 8-of-14 from the floor, never settling the entire game. In the championship game, TPS let a 20-point lead get away, but Nesbitt was still solid, despite battling foul trouble in the second half. He finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. He also hit a tough jump shot with a hand in his face late that briefly looked as if it might save the Hawks from the collapse. [player_tooltip player_id="879988" first="Preston" last="Ruedinger"] - 2021 - PG - Lourdes Academy Just blown away by Ruedinger’s mental fortitude. His team was down by as many as 20 points against The Prairie School in the Division 4 state championship and couldn’t buy a 3-pointer. As for Ruedinger, he started the game 1-of-9 shooting, including eight consecutive misses to begin the contest. In the second half, that was all out the window. Relying on their defense to jump start their offense, Lourdes Academy slowly chipped away and won at the buzzer via a Ruedinger assist. Over the final 10-12 minutes, Ruedinger had complete control of the game as a scorer and facilitator. Ruedinger scored or assisted on 19 of his team’s 31 points after halftime. He does have a few Division 2 scholarship offers, but if you’re a D2 still with a spot open, what are you waiting for? [player_tooltip player_id="994483" first="Gabe" last="Siler"] - 2021 - PG - Saint Croix Central Easy to appreciate the way Siler plays the game. A pass-first, unselfish point guard, Siler does a great job of getting his teammates in a rhtym. His passes are always on-time and on-target, allowing his shooters to get rhythm looks when the ball arrives right in the shooting pocket. The senior guard really controlled the game well despite a loss to Lake Country Lutheran and dished out seven assists. Siler also added seven points and five rebounds while playing all 36 minutes.