Game Report: Winneconne vs. Fox Valley Lutheran

<p>Despite the poor weather in the Fox Valley area, I was able to attend a solid matchup of two 6-3 Bay Conference teams in person on Tuesday Night. The game featured high-flying athletes and dynamic scorers. Fox Valley Lutheran earned a tough victory 81-68 in Winneconne. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Game Overview </h2>   <p>Both teams play an upstyle tempo of basketball featuring a lot of scoring. Fox Valley Lutheran dominated the game on the glass outrebounding the Wolves 39-14. The Wolves were within two points in the first half but the Foxes pulled away late in the first by dominating the offensive glass and hitting timely buckets from behind the arc. FVL led 52-34 at half and the Wolves never got closer than 13 in the second half despite getting to the free throw line several times in the second half. Winneconne's 1-3-1 full court pressure was well prepared for by Head Coach Tommy Stelter of Fox Valley Lutheran. FVL improves to 7-3 on the season while Winneconne falls to 6-4. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tuesday Night Standouts </h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Heiges is a dynamic athlete that uses his strong frame to impact the game on the offensive and defensive end. The 5'9 senior guarded Winneconne's talented trio of guards most of the night while finishing the game with 18 points. Heiges hit shots from the perimeter and connected on several acrobatic finishes at the rim. Gabe is never out of control on the floor and is making a strong case to earn a spot on the all conference team at the end of the season.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Dahlke demonstrated his versatility in this game scoring inside and from the perimeter finishing the game with 19 points. The 6'5 senior impacted the game on the glass pulling down several rebounds while displaying his shooting ability knocking down three triples in the game. Dahlke provides great frontcourt depth for the Foxes. </p>     <p>Lenz is one of the most skilled freshman I have seen in the Bay Conference in recent years. He is well beyond his years with his confidence, skill level, and ability to create his own shot for himself and his teammates. With his advanced skill set, Drew is already a well known name in a conference loaded with highly talented players. Lenz is incredibly shifty and can score at all three levels at will. The 5'10 freshman had 15 points and several assists in this contest. Lenz will be a player to watch in 2029 and moving forward in Wisconsin.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Schaffer, who is headed to Iowa next fall for football eclipsed the 1000 point mark in Tuesday night's match up. Brody is an explosive athlete who can get to the rim at any time, contest shots and is an improved perimeter shooter. The 6'2 senior may be one of the best all around athletes in the Fox Valley and is a player you should go and see before he graduates. Schaffer led all scorers with 24 points on the night and hauled down several rebounds. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Takeaways</h2>   <p>Winneconne has a lot of firepower with their scoring trio consisting of [player_tooltip player_id='2308750' first='Brody' last='Schaffer'], [player_tooltip player_id='2500850' first='Parker' last='Ingles'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2436991' first='Drew' last='Lenz'] that will lead to a ton of wins down the stretch. Winneconne does have strong and physical athletes but struggled to match FVL's size on the interior. The Wolves took unbeaten Lomira to overtime last week before falling on the road, demonstrating their ability to compete against the premier teams in the state. Fox Valley Lutheran boasts the depth and scoring options most coaches would love. Their balance in both the back court and front court will allow them to challenge Seymour for the Bay Conference title in 2026. FVL runs fluid Princeton and circle motion offense and gets quality shots at the rim and uncontested threes through cutting, modern spacing and excellent screening. FVL had four players in double figures on Tuesday night flexing their efficient offense. They will be tough to beat down the stretch due to their ability to take care of the basketball, execute scouting reports, and the overall physical culture embedded in their program. Both schools run successful football programs and it shows with their players' overall strength and athleticism on the basketball court. My 2026 playoff crystal ball predicts both teams will get past the first regional weekend in early March.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Box Score</h2>   <p><strong>Fox Valley Lutheran : 81</strong> G Heiges 18, Erickson 4, Lindell 13, Schuleter 2, Schaser 2, Loberger 10, B Heiges 14, Dahlke 19</p>   <p><strong>Winneconne</strong>: <strong>68 </strong>Lenz 15, Schaffer 24, Bartel 7, Aberle 4, Zimmer 5, Ingles 14</p>   <p></p>

Despite the poor weather in the Fox Valley area, I was able to attend a solid matchup of two 6-3 Bay Conference teams in person on Tuesday Night. The game featured high-flying athletes and dynamic scorers. Fox Valley Lutheran earned a tough victory 81-68 in Winneconne.