Regional Final Thriller: Bonduel vs. Iola-Scandinavia

<p>I had the privilege to attend round three of these teams matching up this season in Bonduel on Saturday night. A game loaded with basketball talent and athleticism, this game did not disappoint coming down to the wire. Here is my analysis and recap of this rivalry regional final. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Game Recap</h2>   <p>The first item that needs to be shared is how special regional final games in small towns are. Thank you to the Bonduel and Iola- Scandinavia communities for passionately supporting and showing up for your high school student athletes. The gym was packed and the parking lot most likely had several illegally parked vehicles, so you know the game was going to have the juice and hype needed to produce an instant classic.</p>   <p>Bonduel took advantage of home court advantage early, as the Thunderbirds had a few unforced errors and turnovers that allowed for the Bears to jump out to a 12-7 lead. The home team continued their run when [player_tooltip player_id='3004386' first='Griffin' last='Uelmen'] took a charge and the gym went bananas at the 12:30 mark. This led to a run by Bonduel putting them ahead at the mid-point of the first half 24-16. They did an excellent job of handling Iola's ball pressure and limited turnovers in the first half which allowed them to push their lead to double double digits several times in the first half. Bonduel had one of their first turnovers at the 7:12 mark when [player_tooltip player_id='2352817' first='Alex' last='Robbins'] took a live ball turnover and converted the blunder into a powerful transition dunk to cut the Bonduel lead to eight. [player_tooltip player_id='2387960' first='Quinn' last='Wesenberg'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2386363' first='Carter' last='Moesch'] were able to convert some buckets to extend their lead back to double digits in the next few possessions. Once again the Thunderbirds hit back, and went on a 9-1 run to end the half bringing the margin back to single digits before the halftime horn. Bonduel led 41-32 at the halftime break.</p>   <p>To slow down the Iola run, Bonduel ran a perfectly executed ball screen slip play to extend their lead to 11 out of the halftime break. Like a heavyweight boxer, the Thunderbirds kept punching back and went out on a 10-2 run after the first basket bringing things to a four point game. The two talented squads would continue to trade buckets to keep things tight until Iola converted in transition to tie the game with 6:11 remaining. [player_tooltip player_id='1859310' first='RJ' last='Opperman'] would hit his fourth triple of the half and pushed his squad ahead on the scoreboard 65-64 with 1:18 left. On the next possession, Bonduel ran a good chunk of clock and [player_tooltip player_id='2391085' first='Ryan' last='Westrich'] was fouled on a post move. The all time leading scorer, had ice water in his veins and hit both free throws to put Bonduel up one with under a minute to play. I-S had a shot come off in the half court and were forced to foul [player_tooltip player_id='2386363' first='Carter' last='Moesch'] who stepped up and also hit two big free throws. With fouls to give, Bonduel could be aggressive on the very next possession and forced a very difficult shot from [player_tooltip player_id='1859310' first='RJ' last='Opperman'] that came up short. Bonduel secured the defensive rebound and [player_tooltip player_id='2387960' first='Quinn' last='Wesenberg'] was fouled. Wesenberg converted two free throws to seal the game and led the Bears to another regional final title, 70-65. Down the stretch the Bears were able to string together stops via a denial on Robbins, and converting six of six free throws in crunch time. Instant classic. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Saturday Night's Stars</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Robbins was unbelievable for the Thunderbirds in Bonduel on Saturday night. Alex has an extremely high ceiling due to his long frame and elite athleticism. The six-foot-six junior wing was unstoppable and unguardable a majority of the time on Saturday night. Alex has advanced footwork around the basket that allows him to use pivoting to make shots at the rim, fadeaway from the midpost, and find his teammates on assists. Robbins is an athletic and physical offensive rebounder that kept several possessions alive for I-S with his strong ability and desire to clean up the glass. I have seen Robbins play in summer league, so I was well aware of his explosive athleticism but his dunks were jaw dropping in this contest as he punched two powerful dunks down in transition. Alex is still developing other parts of his game, as he had a shifty 1-2 pullup in the half court, and hit a few perimeter shots in this game. He finished with 25 points in this affair and led all scorers. Robbins continues to grow as a player in his development, and should gain significant buzz this AAU season as one of the state's top juniors.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Wesenberg showcased his ability to impact games outside of his smooth and automatic jump shot on Saturday. Quinn is an outstanding three point shooter, but was chased off the perimeter by the aggressive defense of Iola. Wesenberg was able to adjust using his top-tier body control when he is handling the ball. The six-foot-four junior combo guard is able to stop on a dime using stop exchange and hesitation dribbles to rise up to hit midrange jumpers. He is a crafty and intelligent player as he is able to get defenders off-balance from that mid-range area to explode to the basket, or draw contact to get to the charity stripe. Wesenberg was nine of ten from the line including two free throws to ice the game away for the Bears. Quinn is an underrated athlete and showcased his ability to finish at and above the rim as he converted several takes over the length and athleticism of Loken and Robbins. Quinn finished with 17 points, and should be on the radar of college coaches this spring and summer with his size, skill, and athleticism.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Loken is a well known football standout committed to the University of Wisconsin, but showcased his basketball talents in Bonduel in this regional final contest. Korz is extremely strong and physical and created problems for the Bears inside with his ability to finish at the rim and seal defenders on his back. Loken operated exclusively out of the paint and finished this game with 15 points and a collection of rebounds. Loken is a true two-way basketball player generating heavy ball pressure, and initiating transition offense for the Thunderbirds on steals and deflections. Korz also had a monster two foot dunk on a dumpoff in the second half to keep Iola within two possessions. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">They say seniors make plays in March, and this is exactly what [player_tooltip player_id='3004386' first='Griffin' last='Uelmen'] did for his team in this win or go home game. Uelmen may not get the recognition nor attention that Westrich, Wesenberg, or Moesch but he plays an essential role for the Bears. Griffin is willing to do the little things and dirty work for Bonduel. He typically guards bigger players and is able to use his strength and quickness to lock up his matchup. Uelmen took a big charge and found teammates on drives throughout this game to help lead his team to a victory. Seeing Bonduel play once this season, I saw the role Griffin played with the intangibles, but he stepped up his scoring when Westrich picked up his third foul midway through the first half, tossing in 11 points. Uelmen has a good midrange pullup game and canned a big three on a scoring run. If Bonduel beats Kewaunee on Thursday, they will do it with role players like Griffin stepping up. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Another great example of seniors making big time plays in March, Opperman exploded for 17 points in the second half on Saturday night. After the intermission, the Bonduel defense tightened up on Loken and eventually went to a box and one on Robbins, and someone needed to step up for the Thunderbirds. RJ answered the call and canned five triples for Iola, some from several feet behind the arc. Every time the Bears went on a run in the second half, Opperman would can a three to keep the game within reach. Truly a microwave scoring performance, Opperman was incredible to watch in the second half in this regional final. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Moesch, much like Uelmen stepped up for Bonduel when Westrich picked up a critical third foul in the first half. Carter did his best Klay Thompson impression and hit four threes in the first half, and maybe dribbled twice on those attempts. Moesch highlighted his ability to impact the game outside of his shooting, guarding [player_tooltip player_id='2542526' first='Korz' last='Loken'], elevating on offensive rebounds to generate extra possessions, and finishing around the basket using his strength and footwork. Moesch is also one of the multi-sport athletes featured in this game as he scored 23 touchdowns and racked up 1500 rushing yards on the gridiron this year. I really like the game of Moesch and his ability to use his skill set and strength to positively impact the game for his squad. He completes the scoring trio for the Bears and makes them very dangerous headed into sectionals. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Box Score:</h2>   <p><strong>Bonduel 70: </strong>Wesenberg 17, Westrich 16, Uelmen 11, Zernicke 10, Moesch 16 </p>   <p><strong>Iola-Scandinavia 65</strong>: Robbins 25, Loken 15, Tappa 2, Zielke 4, Opperman 17, Wolberg 2, </p>

I had the privilege to attend round three of these teams matching up this season in Bonduel on Saturday night. A game loaded with basketball talent and athleticism, this game did not disappoint coming down to the wire. Here is my analysis and recap of this rivalry regional final.