D2 Championship: Third Time’s the Charm as Dukes Stun Owls

Brett Pickarts March 21, 2026 @ 08:53 PM

There is a common phrase in high school boys' basketball: "It is hard to beat a team three times." Slinger was unable to defeat the physical, athletic Blue Dukes for the third time this season. The Owls narrowly beat their in-conference rival in the first matchup 56-55, and a second time by a score of 58-56. It was WFB's turn to avenge those losses on the biggest stage, the Kohl Center in Madison at the Division 2 State Tournament.   The game started off slow offensively with the two familiar foes feeling each other out. The first points of the game did not come until Jack Broderson hit a turnaround jumper to put the Blue Dukes up 2-0 at the 15:50 mark. Whitefish Bay's offense did wake up in the first half, as the Dukes when on a 16-3 over the next six minutes to extend their lead to double digits, and never surrender the lead again in the game. Senior Matthew Schoenefeldt was crucial to WFB setting the tone physically and offensively as he had two contact and one finishes in the first half. His teammate Jack Broderson, another role player for the Dukes, had eight points as well to help fill out the scoring sheet. The 2-3 zone deployed by Bay put Slinger's offense in chaos mode as the Owls shot just 5 of 22 from the field before heading into the locker room for the halftime break. On the other side of the ball, WFB utilized great pistol actions to get downhill at will and score efficiently.   Slinger's shooting woes would continue on in the second half as the Blue Dukes stayed in their 2-3 zone that proved to be effective in the first half. Slinger shot 15.2% from 3 for the game and really struggled to find their groove that they had yesterday afternoon from beyond the arc. [player_tooltip player_id='2874937' first='Bryson' last='Fogle'] continued his heater in the state tournament as he finished with 20 points on 7 of 10 shooting. Jack and [player_tooltip player_id='2398448' first='Joey' last='Kohnen'] were thrown out of their usual offensive rhythm as they combined for 5-32 from the field overall. Jack Broderson led all scorers as he was Mr. Consistency from the line, going 10-13 and finishing the game with 23 points. [player_tooltip player_id='2140905' first='Colin' last='Julien'] was spectacular as well for WFB attacking the basket, slamming down dunks in transition, and rejecting shots at the rim. He is a junior that figures to be on radar of collegiate programs this summer and spring. Whitefish Bay's efficiency offensively, and stout defense and rebounding sent them home with a gold ball with a decisive 77-46 victory.   Slinger earned their first state tournament victory in their school's history. Whitefish Bay won their 4th gold ball, their first since 2011. The Blue Dukes reign supreme as the girls' and boys' both brought home the prestigious trophy in 2026.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Box Score</h2>   Whitefish Bay (28+49=77)   Miskel 7, Webb 13, Broderson 23, Schoenefeldt 11, Julien 14, Lodl 5, Muderlak 2, Nowak 2. FT's 15-25, 3FG: 6-11. Players Fouled out: None. Record 24-6   Slinger (16+30=46) (   [player_tooltip player_id='2398448' first='Joey' last='Kohnen'] 7, Mantz 6, [player_tooltip player_id='2351190' first='Jack' last='Kohnen'] 13, Fogle 20. FT's: 11-13 3FG: 5-33. Players Fouled out: Mantz Record 25-5

There is a common phrase in high school boys' basketball: "It is hard to beat a team three times." Slinger was unable to defeat the physical, athletic Blue Dukes for the third time this season. The Owls narrowly beat their in-conference rival in the first matchup 56-55, and a second time by a score of 58-56. It was WFB's turn to avenge those losses on the biggest stage, the Kohl Center in Madison at the Division 2 State Tournament.