Wisconsin Heights drops playoff opener

Nolan Krentz had seen this movie before. And he was hoping for a different ending. Krentz, Wisconsin Heights’ boys basketball coach, watched his team play well in stretches all season. Then, his Vanguards had moments where they struggled immensely. That scenario unfolded again on Feb. 27 when Brodhead defeated Heights, 81-57, in a WIAA Division 4 regional quarterfinal. The 10th-seeded Vanguards had periods where they outplayed the seventh-seeded Cardinals. But Heights also had its share of costly droughts which led to its season coming to an end. “This game was a microcosm of our season,” said Krentz, who just wrapped up his first season at Heights. “We played well and competitive for stretches, but when Brodhead turned up its defensive intensity, we struggled mightily.  When we were able to take care of the ball and get into our offense, we were able to get the shot we wanted and were very effective.” Heights finished the year 8-17, while Brodhead ended its season 13-13 after losing to Darlington in a regional semifinal Friday. Junior Reed Adler led Heights with a career-high 21 points and added three steals. Senior Jon Vosburg closed his career with 20 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Junior Mike Fanscali added eight points and five rebounds, while junior Logan Duhr had four assists. Brodhead standout Cullen Walker went wild and led all scorers with 40 points. “We could not contain Walker,” Krentz said. “We tried man, different zones, face-guarding him, but none of it worked.   “Walker was “in the zone” and whenever he touched the ball, it seemed like he could not miss. I was pleased with our effort, but unfortunately it was not enough against a solid Brodhead team.” Heights trailed 11-7 early on when Brodhead embarked on a 20-7 run and stretched its lead to 31-14. The Vanguards finished the first half on a 13-5 burst and closed within 36-27 at the break. Brodhead’s lead was 57-45 with 10 minutes left, but the Cardinals finished the game on a 24-12 blitz and pulled away. “This season was definitely one of growth and learning for our program,” Krentz said. “A lot of things we did were new this year, but I think our players did a good job with what we introduced as the season went along.   “While this season had its ups and downs, we got better as a team, even if it did not always show in wins and losses. Heading into the season, we were a very inexperienced team, with only two players back with any sort of substantial varsity experience.  “It was certainly a learning curve for many of our players as the speed of the varsity game is much faster than JV.  While we will definitely miss our two seniors, Devan Buckeridge and Jon Vosburg, next season, we will be returning much of our rotation and hopefully, the experience they gained playing varsity this year will benefit them in the long run.” Heights will return a solid core next season. And after going winless in the Capitol Conference, the Vanguards should be poised for bigger and better in 2024-25. “The Capitol South will be extremely competitive once again next year with both Marshall and Cambridge returning nearly their entire lineups while Belleville and New Glarus have strong programs and will reload despite graduation losses,” Krentz said. “In order to be competitive in conference play as well as our sectional, we will need all of our returning players to put in work this spring and summer to improving their games.  Our focus this offseason program-wide will be 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 work on developing players that can handle the ball and get to the rim against pressure. We struggled shooting throughout much of this season, as well, and need to each player to commit to working on their form and getting up as many shots as possible to improve as shooters.  We need to get into the weight room, too, on a regular basis this offseason as the difference in speed and physicality of the game at the Varsity level was very evident, especially in conference play.   “While this season just came to a close, I am excited for next year already and what the future holds.  I am confident if our returning players commit to working on their games this summer, we will be much improved as a team next year and more than just competitive in the Capitol South.”