Replay: 2023 WIAA high school boys basketball state tournament championship games
Five state champions will be crowned today during the 2023 WIAA boys basketball state tournament finals at the Kohl Center in Madison.
We'll have live updates all Saturday. Here's a look back at Friday's action.
Today's schedule:
DIVISION 5
Newman Catholic 66, McDonell Catholic 54
DIVISION 4
Luther 60, Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic 46
DIVISION 3
Brillion 61, West Salem 55
DIVISION 2
Pewaukee 71, Whitnall 54
DIVISION 1
De Pere 69, Arrowhead 49
And that's a wrap
Congratulations to today's five state champions − Newman Catholic in Division 5, Luther in Division 4, Brillion in Division 3, Pewaukee in Division 2 and De Pere in Division 1.
Thanks for following along all weekend.
De Pere wins Division 1 title
De Pere rode a dominating second half to a 69-49 victory over Arrowhead in the championship game.
It is the first state title for De Pere since 1934.
De Pere outscored the Warhawks 47-29 in the final 18 minutes.
John Kinziger led De Pere with 24 points. Zach Kinziger added 19 and Will Hornseth scored 17.
Arrowhead was led by Mac Wrecke with 18 points and Bennett Basich with 11.
De Pere finishes the season with a perfect 30-0 record. Arrowhead finishes the season 27-3.
Redbirds headed toward title
De Pere leads Arrowhead 62-45 with 2:20 remaining.
The Redbirds have dominated play in the second half after leading 22-20 at halftime.
John Kinziger with 20 points, Zach Kinziger with 19 and Will Hornseth with 17 for De Pere.
De Pere taking control
There’s a long way to go, but De Pere appears on its way to finish its season unbeaten with the title.
The Redbirds lead 56-41 with 6:06 remaining in the game. Zach Kinziger hit a 3-pointer and then scored on a drive to the basket to force Arrowhead to call a timeout and push De Pere's lead to 15 points.
John Kinziger is up to 18 points, including 10 in the second half. Will Hornseth has scored 17, including 13 in the second half.
Fouls are taking a toll on Arrowhead. De Pere was already in the bonus with 9:24 remaining in the half and in the double bonus with 7:19 remaining.
De Pere makes a run
De Pere has opened the second half playing like an undefeated top seed, building a 32-22 lead with 15:39 remaining.
John Kinziger has 12 points for De Pere. Zach Kinziger has eight points.
Mac Wrecke continues to lead Arrowhead in scoring with 10 points.
De Pere leads at halftime
A late spurt to end the first half gives the Redbirds a 22-20 lead at the break.
Gabe Herman hit a pair of 3-pointers late in the first half to spark De Pere.
John Kinziger leads De Pere with eight points. Herman has six points. Will Hornseth has four points and six rebounds.
Arrowhead is led at the half by Mac Wrecke with eight points.
Points are hard to come by
Is it too soon to start researching what’s the lowest-scoring WIAA Division 1 championship game in history?
The defenses have been sticky but both teams are struggling on the offensive end.
Arrowhead leads 14-12 with 4:46 remaining in the first half.
Arrowhead is shooting 39% from the field and De Pere is shooting 31%.
Arrowhead grabs early lead
Arrowhead leads 8-3 at the first media timeout with 12:55 remaining in the first half.
Jace Gilbert with four points for Arrowhead, which has six points in the paint already.
John Kinziger has scored all three points for De Pere, which is 1-for-4 at the free throw line.
Up next: De Pere vs. Arrowhead
The final championship game of the day is the Division 1 contest.
De Pere advanced with a 55-44 victory over Kettle Moraine in Friday’s semifinals to remain unbeaten for the season.
Will Hornseth had 19 points and John Kinziger scored 15 for De Pere.
Arrowhead advanced with a 73-61 victory over Neenah.
Bennett Basich led the Warhawks with 19 points. Mac Wrecke added 17 points, Austin Villarreal scored 15 and Jace Gilbert had 12.
De Pere, the top seed, won the Class B state title in 1934. Arrowhead, the No. 2 seed, won its only championship in 2010.
Division 2 championship: By the numbers
Milan Momcilovic led Pewaukee with 29 points on 10-for-15 shooting. He also had nine rebounds.
Nick Janowski added 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Karson Osterman scored 11 points.
Whitnall was led by Jack Lutz with 17 points. Austin Herro added 11 points and six rebounds.
Pewaukee shot 51.1% from the field (23-for-45), including 50% on 3-pointers (11-for-22).
Whitnall shot 47.7% from the field (21-for-44), including 33.3% on 3-pointers (5-for-15).
Pewaukee wins state championship
The Pirates are Division 2 state champions for the third year in a row with a 71-54 victory over Whitnall.
Pewaukee finishes the season with a 27-3 record. Whitnall finishes 25-4.
Pewaukee closing in on title
The Pirates lead Whitnall 67-49 with 1:50 remaining.
Whitnall has started fouling and Pewaukee is in the bonus, so it will be a parade to the free throw line for the Pirates until the Falcons raise the white flag.
Pewaukee is 12-for-13 at the line.
Pewaukee opens up big lead
The Pirates have outscored the Falcons 18-9 in the last five minutes to build a 57-43 lead with 7:43 remaining.
Milan Momcilovic is up to 27 points for Pewaukee. Nick Janowski has 15 and Karson Osterman has scored nine, all on 3-pointers.
Whitnall is led by Jack Lutz with 12 points and Austin Herro with 11.
Shooting turns cold in second half
As well as the teams shot the ball in the first half, they’ve been that bad in the second half.
Whitnall missed its first six shots of the second half before finally converting a basket. Pewaukee is 1-for-6 to start the second half.
Pewaukee is leading 40-34 with 12:47 remaining.
Halftime leaders
Milan Momcilovic has 13 points and four rebounds for Pewaukee. Nick Janowski has 12 points and six assists.
Austin Herro and Jack Lutz each have nine points for Whitnall. Ethan Thomas has eight points.
Both teams have been good with the basketball. Pewaukee has four turnovers and Whitnall has turned it over only twice.
Pewaukee led for 14 minutes, 3 seconds of the first half. Whitnall has led for only 44 seconds.
Pewaukee leads Whitnall at halftime
The Pirates, who are playing for their third consecutive state championship, lead the Falcons 37-32 at halftime.
Both teams are long, athletic and playing solid defense. But the offensive weapons for both teams have just been that much better and the shot-making on display in the first 18 minutes has been impressive.
Pewaukee is shooting 59% from the field (13-for-22), including 62% on 3-point attempts (8-for-13).
Whitnall is shooting a blistering 63.6% from the field (14-for-22), including 57.1% on 3-point attempts (4-for-7).
Shooters setting the pace
Pewaukee leads 22-21 with 6:04 remaining in the first half. Both teams are shooting it well from long range.
Pewaukee is 6-for-10 on 3-point attempts. Whitnall is 3-for-5.
Whitnall is shooting 69.2% overall (9-for-13) and Pewaukee is shooting 53% (8-for-15).
Frantic pace early
It’s been a fast-paced start to the Division 2 championship game.
Pewaukee leads Whitnall 11-8 at the first media timeout with 13:02 remaining.
Nick Janowski, Isaiah Robinson and Luka Momcilovic each with three points for Pewaukee.
Austin Herro and Ethan Thomas with four points each for Whitnall. Thomas had a powerful two-hand slam for Whitnall’s first basket.
The Falcons have started the game with 6-foot-3 Austin Herro guarding 6-8 Milan Momcilovic of Pewaukee.
Up next: Pewaukee vs. Whitnall
Pewaukee advanced to the championship game with a 58-56 victory over Nicolet in Friday’s semifinal action.
Milan Momcilovic led Pewaukee with 32 points and 11 rebounds. Nick Janowski added 15 points.
Whitnall advanced to the title game with a 53-52 win over La Crosse Central.
Myles Herro led Whitnall with 21 points.
Pewaukee, the top seed, is going for its third state title in as many years.
Whitnall, the No. 3 seed, is at state for the first time since 2016. The Falcons won the Class B state title in 1988.
Division 3 championship: By the numbers
Jeremy Lorenz led Brillion with 26 points and 11 rebounds. He also blocked four shots.
Bennett Olson added 10 points for Brillion. Grady Geiger and Parker Braun each had eight rebounds. Owen Krepline had seven rebounds.
West Salem was led by Peter Lattos with 20 points. Tamarrein Henderson added 12 points. Carson Koepnick had 11 rebounds.
Brillion shot 37.7% from the field (20-for-53), including 2-for 11 on 3-point attempts.
West Salem shot 33.3% from the field, including 5-for-30 on 3-point attempts.
Brillion wins state championship
Brillion has won the Division 3 state championship with a 61-55 victory over West Salem.
Brillion led 54-51 with 1:08 remaining.
Owen Krepline was fouled and missed the first free throw but converted the second for a 55-51 lead.
Peter Lattos got inside for a layup for West Salem to make it 55-53.
Brillion called timeout with 28.6 seconds remaining. After the timeout, Jeremy Lorenz was fouled on the inbounds pass. He made both free throws and Brillion led 57-53 with 28.1 seconds to go.
Tamarrein Henderson made two free throws with 19 seconds remaining for West Salem.
Brillion ran the clock down to 8.3 seconds and Bennett Olson was fouled. He made both free throws and Brillion led 59-55.
West Salem’s Carson Koepnick was fouled, but he missed two free throws with 5.7 seconds remaining.
Lorenz was fouled and made two free throws with 0.9 seconds remaining for the final margin.
Brillion finishes the season with a 29-1 record. West Salem finishes 28-2.
Panthers’ shooting woes continue
West Salem’s shooting has been quite horrific today.
The Panthers are shooting 32.2% overall (19-for-59), are 17.2% on 3-point attempts (5-for-29) and are 44.4% at the free throw line (4-for-9).
Brillion leads 52-49 with 1:37 remaining. Brillion will have the ball after a timeout.
Lorenz briefly to the bench
Brillion star Jeremy Lorenz rolled his left foot and went to the bench with 3:57 remaining. A trainer quickly re-taped his foot and ankle and he checked back into the game a minute later.
Brillion leads 50-45 with 2:55 remaining.
Shooting woes for both teams
West Salem keeps launching 3-point shots, but they aren’t finding the mark. The Panthers are 5-for-27 from beyond the arc, for 18.5%.
Brillion hasn’t been any better, shooting only 20% on 2-for-10 from beyond the arc.
Shaping up for a great finish
West Salem leads Brillion 42-39 with 8:10 remaining in the game.
Peter Lattos leads the Panthers with 18 points. Jeremy Lorenz leads Brillion with 15 points.
Something to watch for West Salem down the stretch – Carson Koepnick has four fouls and Tamarrein Henderson has three fouls.
Bennett Olson has three fouls for Brillion.
Brillion defense suffocating
West Salem came into the state tournament averaging 83.8 points per game and scored 93 in its semifinal win over Milwaukee Academy of Science.
The Panthers have scored at least 90 points nine times this season and gone over 100 points twice.
They are at 29 points with 13:30 remaining in the game.
Lions come out strong
Brillion has scored the first seven points of the second half and leads 31-29 with 16:34 remaining in the game.
Lions standout Jeremy Lorenz, who will play in college at Wofford University, scored the first five points of the second half and then Bennett Olson added two free throws.
West Salem takes a timeout.
West Salem leading at halftime
West Salem leads Brillion 29-24 at halftime in the Division 3 title game.
Jeremy Lorenz has seven points, five rebounds and three blocks for Brillion. Bennett Olson and Grady Geiger each have five points.
Brillion has been hampered by nine turnovers. West Salem has turned it over four times.
West Salem is led by Peter Lattos with nine points. Tamarrein Henderson, Carson Koepnick and Kyle Hehli each have six points.
West Salem led for 9 minutes, 10 seconds and Brillion led for 4:02. West Salem’s biggest lead was seven points and Brillion’s biggest lead has been two points.
Brillion, West Salem tied
Brillion and West Salem are tied 19-19 with 6:13 remaining in the first half.
Jeremy Lorenz has seven points, five rebounds and two blocked shots for Brillion. Grady Geiger has five points.
Peter Lattos has seven points and Tamarrein Henderson has six points for West Salem.
Up next: Brillion vs. West Salem
Brillion (28-1) advanced to the Division 3 championship game with a 57-55 victory over Lakeside Lutheran on Thursday.
Jeremy Lorenz led the Lions with 25 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. Grady Geiger added 13 points.
Brillion is at state for the fifth time and is seeking its second state title after winning Division 3 in 2012.
West Salem (28-1) reached the title game with a 93-65 victory over Milwaukee Academy of Science.
Tamarrein Henderson led West Salem with 25 points. Brett McConkey had 18 points and Carson Koepnick scored 17.
West Salem is seeking its first state title. The Panthers made their first trip to state last season and lost in the championship game.
Division 4 championship: By the numbers
Logan Bahr led Luther with 28 points. Gabe Huelskamp added 11 points. They shared team-high rebounding honors with seven.
Eric Kenesie led Kenosha St. Joseph with 18 points. Peter Stapleton added 15 points. Stapleton and Dominic Santarelli both had six rebounds.
Luther shot 53.8% from the field (21-for-39). Kenosha St. Joseph shot 39.1% from the field (18-for-46).
Luther claims Division 4 title
Luther has defeated Kenosha St. Joseph 60-46 to win its first WIAA boys basketball championship. The Knights lost in the semifinals in 2021 in their only other state appearance.
Kenosha St. Joseph was also seeking its first state championship. The Lancers lost in the semifinals in 2003 and 2001.
The Lancers were also back-to-back state runners-up in Class A in 1988 and 1989 and a Division 2 runner-up in 2000 when members of WISAA.
Luther closing in on first WIAA state title
Luther leads Kenosha St. Joseph 55-41 with 2:29 remaining in the game.
Luther led 51-41 with 3:26 remaining. A driving layup by Kodi Miller pushed its lead to 12 points, then the Knights added two free throws.
Kenosha St. Joseph committed its 10th foul of the half with 2:29 remaining, so Luther will be in the double bonus for the remainder of the game and should be able to ice the victory if it can make free throws.
Bahr coming up big for Luther
Logan Bahr is carrying Luther in the second half.
The 6-foot-7 junior has 18 points in the second half and 24 for the game. He is 8-for-13 from the field for the game, including 4-for-6 on 3-point attempts in the second half.
Bahr has helped Luther to a 51-40 lead with 4:03 remaining in the game.
Luther clinging to lead
Luther leads Kenosha St. Joseph 35-28 with 10:52 remaining in the second half.
Logan Bahr leads Luther with 11 points.
Eric Kenesie and Pete Stapleton have both scored eight points for Kenosha St. Joseph, which is shooting 37.5% from the field (12-for-32).
Attendance update
The lower bowl of the Kohl Center is about 90% full for the Division 4 championship game. Just a few pockets of empty seats.
The second level is maybe 70-75% full, while the upper level is about 25-30% full.
Capacity for basketball games at the Kohl Center is just over 17,000.
A few halftime numbers
Logan Bahr and Kodi Miller lead Luther with six points apiece. Gabe Huelskamp has five rebounds.
Kenosha St. Joseph is led by Eric Kenesie with eight points. He is 3-for-9 from the field. Jamire Davis has six points.
Luther is shooting 50% from the field (11-for-22). The Lancers are shooting 43.5% (10-for-23).
Luther up at halftime
Luther leads Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic 25-22 at halftime in the Division 4 state championship game.
The Lancers pulled the ball out with just over 2 minutes remaining in the half and Luther didn’t challenge on defense, so KSJ was able to run down the clock.
Eric Kenesie missed a 3-point attempt but Luther stepped out of bounds on the rebound attempt with 1.2 seconds remaining. Kenesie got another attempt at a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded and missed again.
I couldn’t hear any fans chanting “Where’s The Shot Clock” as the Lancers ran two minutes off the clock, but their strategy will certainly spark further debate on what’s already a hot topic.
Kenesie is heating up
Eric Kenesie is heating up for the Lancers.
In case you hadn’t heard – well, of course you have by now – Kenesie set the state tournament record with 51 points in Kenosha St. Joseph’s semifinal win over St. Mary Catholic.
Kenesie missed his first three shots today, but got a steal and a layup for a basket and then made back-to-back 3-pointers. He now leads the Lancers with eight points.
Luther leads 23-22 with 5:11 remaining in the first half.
Lancers finally getting to the rim
Kenosha St. Joseph started 1-for-9 from the field but has made six in a row since, all of them shots in the paint or layups.
Jamire Davis has given the Lancers a spark off the bench. He’s gotten inside for three baskets and leads St. Joseph with six points. Pete Stapleton has four points.
Luther leads 18-14 with 8:37 remaining in the first half.
Slow start for Lancers
Luther scored the first seven points of the game and leads 7-0 at the first media timeout with 14:44 remaining in the first half.
Kenosha St. Joseph has missed its first five shots.
Eric Kenesie, who scored 51 points in Thursday’s semifinal game, missed his only shot.
Up next: Kenosha St. Joseph vs. Luther
Kenosha St. Joseph (19-10) reached the title game with an 83-72 victory over St. Mary Catholic on Thursday.
Eric Kenesie set a state tournament record for all divisions with 51 points in the semifinal win. He was 15-for-21 from the field, 16-for-19 at the free throw line and added eight assists and four steals.
Peter Stapleton added 18 points for St. Joseph.
Luther (27-2) reached the title game with a 79-51 victory over Whitehall.
Isaiah Schwichtenberg led Luther with 19 points. Logan Bahr and Kodi Miller each scored 16.
Both teams are seeking their first WIAA state title. Kenosha St. Joseph is at state for the first time since 2003. Luther is at state for the second time (2021).
Division 5 championship: By the numbers
Conner Krach led Newman Catholic with 21 points. Mason Prey added 18 points and Isaac Seidel scored 15. Krach, Prey and Seidel each pulled down eight rebounds.
Canan Huss led McDonell Central Catholic with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Eddie Mittermeyer added 17 points.
Newman Catholic led for 34 minutes, 52 seconds. McDonell never led in the game.
The Cardinals shot 47.1% from the field (24-of-51) while the Macks shot 36.5% (19-of-52).
Lucky No. 13 for Newman Catholic
Newman Catholic has won the Division 5 state title with a 66-54 victory over McDonell Central Catholic. It is the first boys basketball state title for the Cardinals.
According to WIAA records, the boys basketball title for Newman Catholic is the 13th WIAA state title for the school.
Newman has won the last two state titles in 8-player football. The girls basketball team has won three titles (2002, 2010 and 2011) and the girls volleyball team has won four titles (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016).
Other titles for Newman Catholic were in boys track and field (2006, 2007) and girls track and field (2009).
Newman Catholic hanging on
Newman Catholic leads McDonell Central 59-51 with 2:40 remaining. Conner Krach leads Newman with 19 points. Mason Prey has 15 and Isaac Seidel 13. Krach just picked up his fourth foul.
Canan Huss leads the Macks with 27 points.
McDonell making a run
The Macks are within seven points at 46-39 with 9:50 remaining in the game.
Canan Huss is up to 24 points on 10-for-12 shooting for McDonell. He has scored 15 points this half and also has 10 rebounds.
Newman Catholic up 14 at halftime
Newman Catholic has led the entire first half and leads McDonell Central Catholic 36-22 at the break.
Conner Krach has 16 points for Newman. Mason Prey has eight points and five rebounds. Jackson Pfender has four assists.
McDonell has been led by Eddie Mittermeyer, who has 11 points. Canan Huss has added nine points and has five rebounds.
Who does he look like?
Keagan Galvez, who is No. 22 for McDonell Central Catholic, bears a strong resemblance to Tyson Ritter. If you’re not sure who that is, look him up.
But let's just say if Galvez blocks a shot, you could call it an All-American Rejection.
Newman Catholic heats up
The Cardinals drilled four 3-pointers in a row – two by Conner Krach – and also got a driving layup by Mason Prey to go ahead 33-20 with 2:42 remaining in the first half and force McDonell Central coach Adam Schilling to call a timeout.
Krach has 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Prey and Isaac Seidel have both scored five points.
Krach leading Newman Catholic early
Conner Krach, who was the starting quarterback on Newman Catholic’s back-to-back 8-player state football championship teams the last two years, has been active early for the Cardinals.
He’s scored eight points, blocked two shots on defense and had an assist. He’s also vocal − as you’d expect from a quarterback − yelling out ball screens and letting his teammates know when to switch on defense. He also got poked in the eye in the opening minutes but has shaken that off.
Krach is also a standout golfer, finishing fifth in the Division 3 state meet last spring.
Newman Catholic is leading 15-9 with 9:17 remaining in the first half.
Here's a look at the Division 5 finalists
Top seed Newman Catholic (26-4) and No. 2 seed McDonell Central Catholic (29-1) have taken the court for warmups prior to the start of the Division 5 title game.
Newman Catholic advanced with a 52-42 victory over Royall in the semifinals. Isaac Seidel had 25 points for the Cardinals, including 10-for-11 at the free throw line. Conner Krach added 11 points, and Eli Gustafson had 16 rebounds.
McDonell Central Catholic beat Fall River 66-62 in the other semifinal. Canan Huss had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Eddie Mittermeyer had 19 points for the Macks.
Newman Catholic is at the WIAA state tournament for the first time. The Cardinals had two state runner-up finishes in WISAA – in Division 3 in 1993 and in Division 2 in 1999.
McDonell Central Catholic is at state for the seventh time and won the championship in 2016.
Knueppel wins 3-Point Challenge
Kon Knueppel of Wisconsin Lutheran won the 3-Point Challenge at the Kohl Center this morning.
Knueppel scored 20 points in the final round, beating Derek Shaw of Pulaski who scored 16 points.
Shaw, who chose to go first in the finals, scored 10 points on his first three racks and 6 points on his final two racks. Each rack has five balls, including a 2-point “money” ball.
Knueppel also scored 10 points on his first three racks, then made all five shots on the fourth rack for 6 points and scored 4 points on the final rack for 20.
Knueppel, Shaw in final of 3-Point Challenge
Kon Knueppel of Wisconsin Lutheran and Derek Shaw of Pulaski have advanced to the final of the 3-Point Challenge at the Kohl Center. Both scored 22 points in the semifinals.
Other semifinalists were Blake Jakobi of Columbus Catholic (18), Drew Kortz of Freedom (18), Ben Vasold of Watertown Luther Prep (16) and Mason Debbink of Sheboygan North (16).
Welcome to Championship Saturday!
It's Championship Saturday at the Kohl Center. Five state champions will be crowned today.
Up first, though, is the 3-Point Challenge. Ten of the top shooters in the state are competing on the Kohl Center court right now.
Derek Shaw of Pulaski had the top score in the first round with 19 points. He'll be joined in the semifinals by Blake Jakobi of Columbus Catholic, Mason Debbink of Sheboygan North, Kon Knueppel of Wisconsin Lutheran, Ben Vasold of Watertown Luther Prep and Drew Kortz of Freedom.
Anthony Rise of Brookfield Central, Logan Alberson of Ladysmith, Vaughn Johnson of Cumberland and William Kelley of Florence also competed but didn't advance past the first round.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Wisconsin high school boys basketball state tournament finals updates
