D1 Title Game: Wisconsin Lutheran rallies past Marshfield

Things were looking very promising for the Marshfield Tigers boys' basketball program with 3:38 left in its WIAA Division 1 championship game with Wisconsin Lutheran Saturday night at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2426092' first='Landon' last='Lee'] had just scored his 21st and 22nd points of the game off a drive to the basket to give Marshfield a 55-50 lead. The first state championship in the sport was within sight for the thousands of Marshfield fans in the stands.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, they didn't even get a shot off the rest of the way while also committing four turnovers, opening the door for Wisconsin Lutheran to mount a comeback that ended with a 57-55 victory and the Vikings' second state crown in as many years.

The Vikings, who won the Division 2 state title last season before being moved up to Division 1 this season due to the WIAA's success formula, started their comeback on a drive to the basket by [player_tooltip player_id='1973108' first='Alex' last='Greene'] following Lee's hoop. Greene's deuce cut Marshfield's lead to 55-52 with 3:12 left.

Marshfield then went into its delay game, continuously passing the ball around the perimeter in an effort to have Wisconsin Lutheran foul. The strategy worked for a while as the Tigers chopped 59 seconds off the clock before [player_tooltip player_id='1485498' first='Isaiah' last='Mellock'] committed the Vikings' third team foul at the 2:13 mark.

Wisconsin Lutheran fouled twice more before [player_tooltip player_id='2140949' first='Kager' last='Knueppel'] came up with a steal that led to a fastbreak layup for [player_tooltip player_id='1552512' first='Zavier' last='Zens'], cutting the margin to just 55-54 with 1:15 left.

After a couple of timeouts, Greene came up with another steal near midcourt with :56 remaining. After a Marshfield foul, Zens scored off a nice drive to the hoop with 36 seconds left to give Wisconsin Lutheran a 56-55 lead, the Vikings' first lead since the three-minute mark of the first half.

Marshfield had the ball with 18 seconds left and down one when coach Chris Fischer called a timeout to set up a final play.

However, as Lee was driving to the hoop, Wisconsin Lutheran defensive specialist Josiah Rice stole the ball from Lee and was fouled with three seconds left. It was the Tigers' sixth team foul so no foul shots for Wisconsin Lutheran.

Zens was fouled prior to Wisconsin Lutheran inbounding the ball, but he missed his bonus foul shot.

That left Marshfield with one last chance, down two with just three ticks left and having to go the length of the court.

But Greene intercepted a length-of-the-court pass and was fouled with just a second remaining. Greene made the front end, but missed the second foul shot. Zens grabbed the offensive rebound as the final horn sounded.

A bitter pill to swallow for the Tigers on one end of the floor and a wild celebration for the Vikings on the other end ensued.

Marshfield finished its most successful season ever with a 23-7 record and got 22 points, four three-point baskets, five rebounds, four assists and two steals from Lee, a 5-foot-11 senior who used his quickness and skill to get to the basket while also making perimeter shots.

Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1973149' first='Chris' last='Pohl'] added 10 points, two rebounds and two assists while [player_tooltip player_id='2425973' first='Joey' last='Ketterer'] added eight points. Northern Michigan recruit [player_tooltip player_id='1244808' first='Brooks' last='Hinson'] was held to a season-low five points on two-of-seven shooting. Hinson did have seven rebounds and two assists.

Zens had 19 points, five rebounds and three assists while Greene added 11 points, Knueppel had 10 and Mellock added nine.

Wisconsin Lutheran coach Ryan Walz is one of four coaches in state history to win four WIAA state championships. He led the Vikings to titles in 2009, 2014, 2024 and 2025. He joins Derek Berger (Dominican), Jim Gosz (Milwaukee King) and Paul Wollersheim (Dominican 3, Martin Luther 1) with four state championship teams.

BOXSCORE

Marshfield (28-27 = 55)
Lee 22, Hinson 5, Pohl 10, Ketterer 8, Ramberg 4, Kolstad 6. Three-point field goals: Lee 4, Kolstad 2, Pohl 2, Ketterer 1, Hinson 1. FT: 2-3. Fouled out: None. Record: 23-7.
Wisconsin Lutheran (26-31 = 57)
Greene 11, Kag. Knueppel 10, Mellock 9, Langebartels 2, Zens 19, Walz 3, Kin. Knueppel 3, Rice 0. Three-point field goals: Greene 2, Mellock 1, Zens 1, Walz 1, Kin. Knueppel 1. FT: 5-8. Fouled out: None. Record: 28-2.