Iowa-Grant ends Heights’ year

Wisconsin Heights’ boys basketball team played 25 games this season. Perhaps the Vanguards’ 75-46 loss to Iowa-Grant in a WIAA Division 4 regional quarterfinal on March 4 summed up their season better than any other contest. Ninth-seeded Heights played well in stretches, but lacked consistency for a full 36 minutes. The end result was a loss to the eighth-seeded Panthers and a quick exit from the postseason. “This game was a microcosm of our season,” said Heights coach Nolan Krentz, whose team finished the year 8-17. “We played well for stretches and competed with some really talented teams, but struggled when teams increased their intensity on both offense and defense.  “We did make significant strides as a team this season, even if our record did not always indicate that playing in the difficult Capitol South conference.” Reed Adler led the Vanguards with 14 points against Iowa-Grant, while Mike Fancsali added 11 points, six rebounds and two steals. Logan Duhr had seven assists and two steals, Lukas Lemke had seven rebounds and Brayden Van Riper added four blocks. Heights started the game extremely well, racing to a 26-23 lead with seven minutes remaining in the first half. The Panthers heated up, though, and finished the half on a 19-3 run to take a 42-29 lead at the break. Iowa-Grant made 12-of-23 3-pointers in the first half (52.2%) while surging to a 13-point halftime advantage. “We could not keep pace as our offense stagnated against their packed in 1-3-1 zone,” Krentz said.   Heights pulled within 44-35 to begin the second half. But the Panthers answered with a 22-3 burst that put the contest away. Iowa-Grant finished the game 17-of-35 from 3-point range (48.6%), while the Vanguards were 6-of-24 (25.0%) from behind the arc. “Heading into the game, we knew Iowa-Grant would present many challenges for us, namely their ability to get hot on three’s and the multiple defenses they play,” Krentz said. “We struggled communicating in transition and finding shooters.   “In the first half, we did a decent job on offense, but settled for way too many three-point shots when they switched to zone. Then in the second half, we struggled both inside and outside the arc.” Heights says goodbye to a 10-person senior class that included Adler, Duhr, Fancsali, Lemke, Van Riper, Devin Kempton, Ethan Myers, Manyon Parman, Trey Theobald and Connor Valenta. “Their efforts were very much appreciated both on and off the court this season and they will definitely be missed next year,” Krentz said. Cambridge, Marshall, and New Glarus should be strong next season, while Waterloo could make a move up the league standings. Heights will face the challenge of replacing roughly 90.0% of its points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. “We will need our returning varsity players and newcomers off our JV team to put in work this spring and summer to be competitive in both our conference and sectional next year,” Krentz said. “We need to focus this offseason on skill development, shooting, and getting bigger, faster, and stronger in the weight room.   “Basketball is such a skill-based game and we need to develop as many players as possible that can handle the ball, get to the rim, and knock down shots in pressure situations. We need to get in the weight room, too, on a regular basis between now and next season as the speed and physicality at the varsity level is much different than what some of our younger players have seen.   “While one season just came to a close, I am excited for next year and am confident if our returning players commit to working on their games this offseason, we can surprise some teams next year in our conference.”