Game Report: Oostburg 73, Lomira 42

KEYS TO THE GAME Turns out, the No. 6-ranked team in Division 3 is superior to the No. 3-ranked squad in Division 4. At least that was the case Thursday evening as Oostburg traveled to Lomira and somewhat easily took care of the Lions 73-42 in a non-league matchup. The game was deadlocked at 13-13 early, and it looked like the anticipated contest between two ranked squads would be a dandy. But senior [player_tooltip player_id='1970502' first='Cade' last='Dirkse'] decided to take things into his own hands. The NCAA Division II Hillsdale College recruit dominated in the first half with his scoring, passing and defense. His steal and dunk with five minutes left in the first half gave the Flying Dutchmen a 32-18 lead. Lomira could never get its deficit under 10 points the rest of the way and trailed 43-20 at intermission. Dirkse had 14 of his 18 points in the first half while teammate [player_tooltip player_id='2117025' first='JJ' last='Zavatchin'] added 16 of his game-high 29 prior to intermission. STAR OF THE GAME    Bethel University, a NCAA Division III school located in St. Paul, Minnesota, got a steal in Zavatchin, one of the state's most consistent players who went for 29 points in the victory over Lomira. Zavatchin scored from outside the arc with three triples, but he also used his explosiveness and strengths to score off the dribble and at the rim. Zavatchin is just 55 points shy of 2,000 career points and is a four-year varsity letter winner for the Flying Dutchmen. He is averaging 30.3 ppg thus far this season for 10-2 Oostburg.    EMERGING PLAYERS    Leadership, toughness and clutch play pretty much sum up the qualities Dirkse brings to the court each time he competes. Try taking the ball from this muscular 6-foot-2 point guard and you will fail. Take away his lanes to the basket and he will pop in a three-point shot. Close out on him on the perimeter and he'll zip past you for a floater in the lane. He had 18 points against Lomira, but it's his court savvy and intelligent play that separate him from most other lead guards in the state.     The younger brother of senior [player_tooltip player_id='2117025' first='JJ' last='Zavatchin'], [player_tooltip player_id='2508205' first='Westin' last='Zavatchin'] is a 6-foot-5 sophomore wing with a smooth jumper and the length required to make things difficult on opponents. Westin swished three triples in the victory over Lomira while also taking the ball to the basket for another hoop. Defensively, Zavatchin closes out on shooter well and has the size to take away clean looks at the basket. He is a player to watch in the 2028 class and a key player for an Oostburg squad looking to play well into March.         Broeske had a quiet first half with just five points. He came out and got eight points on four baskets in the paint in the second 18 minutes, but it wasn't enough for Lomira to make much of a dent in Oostburg's 43-20 halftime lead. The 6-foot-10 post player is tough to stop once he gets the ball on the low blocks due to his size and shooting touch, and he also can step outside and make shots facing the basket. Broeske remains open as far as where he will play college basketball.    THE BIG PICTURE Oostburg won its second game of the week to improve to 10-2. The Flying Dutchmen recorded an 83-51 Big East Conference win over Kohler on Monday before defeating Lomira. Next Monday, Oostburg hosts Sheboygan Lutheran in a matchup of undefeated teams in the Southern Division of the Big East. Lomira sustained its first loss of the season after nine straight victories under first-year coach Nick Kohler. The Lions return to action Monday by hosting Lake Country Classical in a non-league contest. COACH'S COMMENTS From Oostburg coach Kevin Bruggink: "I was pleased with our defensive focus. It was strong tonight and it was strong in our game against Kohler as well. You don't see a lot of old-school big guys like (Broeske) very often and he's a handful to defend, especially when Lomira reverses the ball. But JJ does his work early and was able to battle him in the paint pretty well tonight." BOXSCORE Oostburg (43-30 = 73) Dirkse 18, J. Zavatchin 30, W. Zavatchin 11, Eernisse 0, Wilterdink 2, Van Ess 9, Miller 0, DeBlaey 3. Three-point field goals: J. Zavatchin 3, W. Zavatchin 3, Van Ess 2, Dirkse 1, DeBlaey 1. FT: 8-11. Fouled out: None. Record: 10-2. Lomira (20-23 = 43) Broeske 13, Duley 2, Steger 6, Kell 3, Cole 3, Schaumberg 5, Ryan 3, King 3, Todl 0, Bodden 4, Schelvan 0. Three-point field goals: Cole 1, Kell 1, King 1, Ryan 1, Broeske 1. FT: 3-6. Fouled out: None. Record:

KEYS TO THE GAME
Turns out, the No. 6-ranked team in Division 3 is superior to the No. 3-ranked squad in Division 4. At least that was the case Thursday evening as Oostburg traveled to Lomira and somewhat easily took care of the Lions 73-42 in a non-league matchup. The game was deadlocked at 13-13 early, and it looked like the anticipated contest between two ranked squads would be a dandy. But senior Cade Dirkse Cade Dirkse 6'2" | PG Oostburg | 2026 State WI decided to take things into his own hands. The NCAA Division II Hillsdale College recruit dominated in the first half with his scoring, passing and defense. His steal and dunk with five minutes left in the first half gave the Flying Dutchmen a 32-18 lead. Lomira could never get its deficit under 10 points the rest of the way and trailed 43-20 at intermission. Dirkse had 14 of his 18 points in the first half while teammate JJ Zavatchin JJ Zavatchin 6'3" | SF Oostburg | 2026 State WI added 16 of his game-high 29 prior to intermission.

STAR OF THE GAME