Heights boys land No. 9 seed

It’s going to be a long, tough road for Wisconsin Heights’ boys basketball team. But every year a Cinderella or two emerges. Maybe, just maybe … Heights received the No. 9 seed in its half of its WIAA Division 4 sectional. The Vanguards open the postseason by traveling to ninth-seeded Iowa Grant for a regional quarterfinal on March 4 at 7 p.m. If the Vanguards win there, they’d travel to top-seeded Mineral Point for a regional semifinal on March 7. The regional finals would be March 8. Heights suffered a pair of lumps last week, dropping a 72-54 decision to Belleville on Feb. 18 and falling to Marshall, 92-52, on Feb. 21. The Vanguards slipped to 7-14 overall and 2-7 in the Capitol South Conference. Here’s a recap of those games. • Belleville 72, Wisconsin Heights 54 — Reed Adler had 23 points in the loss, but it wasn’t enough. Mike Fancsali added 10 points, eight rebounds and three steals, while Lucas Lemke had five assists and a block. Heights played extremely well in the first half, building an early seven-point lead and taking a 33-31 advantage at halftime. Adler was terrific in the first half with 20 of his points, and Heights — which had lost by 30 to Belleville two weeks earlier — was pulling off a stunner. “We did a good job breaking Belleville’s press in the first half and scored many easy lay-ups as a result,” Heights coach Nolan Krentz said. The Vanguards stretched their lead to 41-35 early in the second half when Belleville went on a 23-1 run and surged ahead, 58-42. “We went ice cold for several minutes and could not get stops on the other end of the court,” Krentz said.   Belleville switched to a 2-3 zone in the second half and Heights struggled offensively, shooting 7-of-23 (30.4%) after halftime.   “We settled for three’s way too often against their zone and only attempted nine two-point field goals in the second half,” Krentz said. “Transition defense was an issue for us after halftime, as we gave up 15 points to Belleville.   “We were right there with Belleville for 20-plus minutes, which was great to see, but had too many miscues to stay with them for 36 minutes. If we can put a complete game together, I think we will surprise some teams down the stretch this season.” • Marshall 92, Wisconsin Heights 52 — The Cardinals (18-5, 8-1) showed why they’re a threat to go to the Division 4 state tournament with a lopsided win over the Vanguards. Reed Adler led Heights with 16 points and four assists, while Brayden Van Riper had 12 points and two steals. Mike Fancsali  and Jayden Starcer both had four rebounds for the Vanguards. Heights led, 12-11, early, but Marshall closed the first half on a 39-19 run and led, 50-31, at the break. Marshall’s pressure was key, as the Cardinals forced Heights into 17 first half turnovers that led to 27 points in transition. “Their relentless pressure eventually wore on us,” Krentz said. “I thought we did a pretty good job breaking their press for a few baskets early in the game, but we started to turn the ball over.” Heights tried battling back with little success, as Marshall continued to pull away in the second half. “They do a great job getting out and running after turnovers, misses, or even made baskets and several times we did not get back in transition,” Krentz said. “We got some good looks in the second half and did not settle for outside shots, but could not convert our opportunities inside.   “Marshall is extremely talented and shoots the ball really well and I expect them to make a deep run in March. They are as good as any team as we have seen all season and hopefully, we can learn from this game with postseason play right around the corner.” • On deck: Heights was at Weston Tuesday, then hosts New Glarus Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The Vanguards then head to Iowa Grant March 4 for a regional quarterfinal.