State Tournament Notebook: D4 semifinals
In this article:
Aquinas 57, Mineral Point 54
*** Another memorable installment of the Aquinas vs. Mineral Point series that last year produced a thrilling 62-61 victory for the Pointers in the Division 4 state semifinals as they outscored Aquinas 8-0 down the stretch. This time around, Aquinas did the rallying as the Blugolds trailed for most of the game but used some big shots over the final two minutes to pull out the victory.
Finley Strom
Finley
Strom
6'3" | PG/SG
Aquinas | 2026
State
WI
hit a baseline triple to give Aquinas its first lead of the second half at 52-50 at the 1:56 mark. He then scored in transition to make it 54-50. Mineral Point got a three from
Jaxson Wendhausen
Jaxson
Wendhausen
6'4" | SG
Mineral Point | 2025
State
WI
to tighten things up at 54-53 with 1:18 left. Strom again was at center stage as he buried two foul shots with 40 ticks left to make it 56-53.
Eli Lindsey
Eli
Lindsey
6'5" | SF
Mineral Point | 2025
State
WI
split a pair of foul shots on the other end to close it to 56-54. Aquinas then turned the ball over with 21 seconds left, but Lindsey then committed a costly turnover of his own with eight seconds left as
Logan Becker
Logan
Becker
6'3" | CG
Aquinas | 2026
State
WI
came up with a big steal. Becker split two foul shots to make it 57-54 and Wendhausen got off a clean look at a triple on the other end after a ball fake, but it bounced off the back of the rim and the game ended.
“Usually, when I take a three, I know if it’s going to go in,” said Wendhausen, who made 4-of-12 tries from outside the arc in the game. “It just didn’t feel good coming out of my hands.”
Strom scored 13 of his team-best 16 points after intermission while Vincent Bahr had 12 of his 15 in the second 18 minutes as Aquinas buried five triples in the second half.
*** Aquinas had all kinds of problems dealing with Mineral Point’s 1-3-1 zone defense in the first half as the Pointers’ length and defensive prowess helped coach Dan Burreson’s squad limit the Blogolds’ scoring chances. On the other end, Mineral Point was getting to the basket, particularly with junior
Drew Aschliman
Drew
Aschliman
6'3" | SG
Mineral Point | 2026
State
WI
, who scored 13 of his 16 points before intermission. The Pointers led by as many as 14 in the first half before entering the locker room up 31-23.
“We frustrated them early, but we knew they weren’t going away,” Burreson said. “We knew it would be a tough game. Aquinas has a lot of guys who can score. It was a case of two teams going at each other for 36 minutes. Two teams with kids who are very coachable. We figured it would come down to the last three minutes, and it did.”
*** Vincent Bahr and Strom hit some huge baseline triples in the second half as Aquinas did a better job of attacking the 1-3-1 zone, sometimes beating it down the floor and at other times throwing over the top of the zone. The impressive perimeter shooting by the Aquinas tandem was needed as the Blugolds scored just 14 points in the paint.
In addition to his 15 points, Vincent Bahr had 10 rebounds and three assists. Strom had six rebounds and a couple of blocked shots in addition to his 16 points. Becker finished with nine points, four rebounds and two assists, and senior
Trey Bahr
Trey
Bahr
6'1" | SF
Aquinas | 2025
State
WI
added 12 points and four rebounds.
“We knew what we were going to see in the 1-3-1,” Aquinas coach Brad Reinhart said. “But you cannot replicate their length. It took us some time to solve the puzzle, but in the second half we were able to get some looks and made some shots.”
BOXSCORE
Aquinas (23-34 = 57)
C. Bahr 2, Young 1, V. Bahr 15, T. Bahr 12, Becker 9, Strom 16, Reinhart 0, Johnson 2. Three-point field goals: V. Bahr 4, Strom 3, Becker 2. FT: 12-17. Fouled out: None. Record: 25-3.
Mineral Point (31-23 = 54)
Wendhausen 15, Lindsey 11, Aschliman 16, Dannenberg 0, Phillips 2, Dempsey 8, Potterton 2. Three-point field goals: Wendhausen 4, Lindsey 1, Aschliman 1. FT: 14-19. Fouled out: Phillips. Record: 27-2.
Bonduel 59, The Prairie School 41
*** Bonduel forward
Ryan Westrich
Ryan
Westrich
6'6" | PF
Bonduel | 2026
State
WI
(6-6) is a load in the lane and he utilized his size and nifty footwork to continuously score in the post. He was a tough matchup all game long for The Prairie School, which had a bit more athleticism along the baseline but couldn’t keep Westrich from scoring or grabbing rebounds. Westrich came into the contest averaging 15.5 points and 9.3 rebounds while shooting 62 percent from the field and 63 percent from the foul line. He finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds while also clogging the lane and making it difficult for the Hawks to get all the way to the basket for layups. Westrich is considered an outstanding football prospect and currently owns a scholarship offer in that sport from North Dakota State.
*** A big part of Bonduel’s 28-1 season has been the stellar play of senior guard
Race Anvelink
Race
Anvelink
6'0" | CG
Bonduel | 2025
State
WI
. The 6-foot-0 combination guard can shoot it from deep, makes good decisions with the ball and defends at an extremely high level. His steady play helped the Bears win the Eastern Division title in the Central Wisconsin Conference, and he was at it again in the Bears’ state semifinal against The Prairie School. Anvelink finished with 10 points, five rebounds, five steals and two assists, but equally important was the poise and leadership he displayed throughout the contest.
*** The Prairie School finished the season with a 14-16 record, which isn’t all that unusual considering the non-conference schedule the Hawks play and the fact they compete in the Metro Classic Conference. Coach Jason Atanasoff started one freshman, three sophomores and senior lead guard
Carsen Eeg
Carsen
Eeg
5'11" | PG
The Prairie School | 2025
State
WI
against Bonduel. There is no doubt the Hawks gained plenty from winning a sectional title and advancing to the state tournament, and the future looks bright for the program. Sophomore
Dalton Ahlensdorf
Dalton
Ahlensdorf
6'5" | SF
The Prairie School | 2027
State
WI
led the Hawks with nine points in the loss to Bonduel while also contributing three rebounds.
BOXSCORE
The Prairie School (15-26 = 41)
Eeg 6, Vanoss 6, Perry 4, Wassil 8, Ahlensdorf 9, N. Greb 6, Carter 0, Orth 2, H. Greb 0, Jedlicka 0, Dropnik 0, Radke 0, Lynott 0, Tollaksen 0. Three-point field goals: Vanoss 2, Ahlensdorf 2, Eeg 1. FT: 4-8. Fouled out: None. Record: 14-16.
Bonduel (23-36 = 59)
Johnson 2, Westrich 20, Moesch 7, Wesenberg 14, Anvelink 10, Uelmen 4, Roberts 2, Westphal 0, Zulegar 0, Hartlaben 0, Ballwahn 0, Schroeder 0, Weier 0, Zernicke 0, Hillsberg 0. Three-point field goals: Wesenberg 2, Anvelink 2, Westrich 1, Moesch 1. FT: 9-11. Fouled out: None. Record: 28-1.
