Heights hoping for a playoff surprise

They’ve picked the worst time of the year to go ice cold. But Wisconsin Heights’ boys basketball team is hoping there’s still time to heat back up. The 10th-seeded Vanguards began the postseason Tuesday night at seventh-seeded Brodhead in a WIAA Division 4 regional quarterfinal. Although Heights had lost four games in a row and 10 of 11 overall, the Vanguards believed they were more than capable of pulling off an upset. “If we do the little things like taking care of the ball, finishing inside and at the free throw line, and rebounding, I think we will have the opportunity to be more than just competitive with them on Tuesday,” Heights coach Nolan Krentz said. Heights (8-16) finished the regular season on a low note Feb. 22, falling to host Marshall, 80-41. The Cardinals built a 41-17 halftime lead, then continued to pull away in the second half. Junior Mike Fanscali had 11 of his 13 points after halftime, when he knocked down three 3-pointers. Senior Jon Vosburg added 11 points and sophomore Nathan Pietrzykowski added five assists, but it wasn’t nearly enough. “Marshall controlled the game from start to finish,” Krentz said. “They got after us defensively in the first half and used their depth to wear us out, as 10 players scored for them. We did have a few bright spots in the second half, as we took care of the ball much better and were able to get into our offense.” Heights was hopeful that many of those positives would carry over into its game with Brodhead. Brodhead went 12-12 during the regular season and 8-7 in the Rock Valley Conference. The Cardinals had three players averaging in double figures, including junior guard Cullen Walker (19.4) and senior guard Jaxon Doley (14.4). If Heights could pull off the upset, it would travel to second-seeded Darlington for a regional semifinal Friday at 7 p.m. “Brodhead will be a tough test for us,” Krentz said before the matchup. “They have shown the ability to compete with some of the best teams with a win over a very talented Beloit Turner squad and close games with some of the best teams in both the Capitol and Rock Valley conferences. While they do not have a lot of height, they have some physical players that can cause some matchup problems.”