End of the road

Frustration. Aggravation. Disappointment. Sauk Prairie’s boys basketball team felt them all on Feb. 27. The Eagles suffered a 76-65 loss to Portage in a WIAA Division 2 regional quarterfinal. Sauk Prairie, which had defeated the Warriors in their previous two meetings, finished the year 12-13. “We see it every March, but teams that aren’t “supposed to win” do,” Sauk Prairie coach Sean McGann said. “And we learned that the hard way.” Portage senior guard Johnathan Stout was an Eagles’ killer on this night. Stout, who averaged 9.0 points per game on the season, hit eight 3-pointers and erupted for 30 points. “We tried four different guys on him and we couldn’t run him off the line,” McGann said of Stout. “It’s a frustrating end to the season, but we struggled with hot performances all year.” Senior guard Tristan Kerska led the Eagles with 18 points, while senior guard Breyton Wardrop added 15 points. Senior forward Ben Henderson added 12 points. Sauk Prairie used an early 10-0 run to take a 20-15 lead midway through the first half. But the Warriors countered with a 13-4 burst and claimed a 28-24 lead. By halftime, though, the Eagles had surged back in front, 36-34. The second half was tight throughout and Portage held a 59-57 lead with 4 minutes remaining. But the Warriors went on a 7-0 run and stretched their advantage to 66-57 with 2:40 to play. Sauk Prairie pulled back within 69-65 with 1:40 left. But Portage made its free throws down the stretch and finished the game on a 7-0 run to prevail. That capped an up and down season in which the Eagles never won or lost more than three straight games and lingered around the .500 mark most of the year. “We never really established an identity and it felt like when we got it going, we had some injuries and it hurt our momentum,” McGann said. “We really struggled on the defensive end, which is frustrating because I’m a big believer that defense travels.  “For me, I learned this season that I need to take big strides in developing leadership skills in players. The winter season is such a long one, so it requires players to have more of a voice rather than listening to the coach talk all the time.” Considering the Eagles were picked to finish last in the Badger Small Conference — and wound up third — McGann knew there was plenty to be proud of. “We clawed our way to a third place finish and that is something we can be very proud of,” he said. “We also had the privilege of working with six seniors who grew a lot on and off the floor, and they will do some awesome things in the world.” The Eagles will graduate seniors Kerska, Wardrop, Henderson, Connor Breunig, Jackson Breunig and Ben Janquart. But McGann is optimistic his 2024-25 group can have a big season. “2024-25 is a big unknown at this point,” McGann said. “We lose six seniors and five rotational players, but I know we have some pieces that can fill those roles.  “No doubt about it, we need to have a great summer and I believe we have the kids who will not shy away from that. I think we have a group who will use this past year as a way to learn how we can be better next year.”