ONALASKA — There was nothing fancy about the play, but it was one that had to made against a very good player during a key moment of a huge MVC boys basketball game at the Chuck Deeth Fieldhouse on Friday night.
Sophomore Roman Kirchner had just give Aquinas High School a two-point lead on two free throws with 10.1 seconds left on the clock when the ball was inbounded to Onalaska sophomore Tyler Kowal.
Kowal shot up the left side of the court, and Aquinas senior Finley Strom ran with him step for step for step. He knew the threat that Kowal provided in such a situation, and he simply tried to keep him close to the sideline and nowhere near the 3-point line.
A mistimed dribble resulted in Kowal losing the ball, and Aquinas senior Logan Becker was there to pick it up and end the possession with 4.3 seconds left.
In a game with a large number of big plays, that one was as important as any as the Blugolds put away a 62-59 victory and became the first team to beat the Hilltoppers this season.
“We just wanted to keep everything in front of us,” said Strom, whose team scored eight of the final 11 points. “Tyler had a great game, but we had to try and shut him down in that situation. It’s difficult, but we’ve had to really hone in on defense this year, and our scout team is helping bring the best out of us.”
Onalaska (13-1 overall, 7-1 MVC) — ranked first in Division 2 by this week’s Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski Sports media poll — had one more chance to tie after Becker made one of two free throws. Kowal got the ball to midcourt and launched a shot that would have tied the game at the buzzer but didn’t fall.
The third-place Blugolds (15-2, 6-2) crept within a game of first place by avenging a December loss to the Hilltoppers. Aquinas is ranked fifth in Division 3 and showing much more of a team component as the season has progressed.
That was evident in the win over Onalaska, which has won all of its games by at least nine points.
Junior Calvin Bahr scored 20 points and Becker 12, but senior Ryan Johnson and sophomores Kirchner and Will Dickinson had big contributions in the win, and those kinds of things have been happening more often with each passing game.
The teams were never separated by more than eight points, and the biggest lead over the final 13 minutes, 33 seconds was Onalaska’s 54-49 advantage after junior Brendan Chenault converted a drive to the basket with 4:37 left.
Aquinas scored 13 of the final 18 points from there. The game was tied at 54 with 2:42 left and at 59 after a Kowal 3 with 37.3 seconds on the clock. The two free throws by Kirchner and one by Becker supplied all of the points for the rest of the game.
“I’m happy for our guys to go out there and play the game they are capable of playing and trying to make every possession our best,” Aquinas coach Brad Reinhart said. “I thought the guys really dialed into that on both ends of the floor, and they didn’t let the ups and downs faze them.”
Onalaska battled from behind for most of the game, and a Kowal 3-pointer that put it in front 50-47 with 7:54 remaining represented its first lead since 5-4. Kowal scored points in bunches and finished with a game-high 22.
Sophomore teammate Gavin McRoberts also had an impressive stretch near the beginning of the season half and scored eight of his 12 points then to help bring the Hilltoppers back.
The Blugolds scored several key baskets through dribble penetration and quick passes under the hoop. Bahr was also able to get to the basket consistently.
“Our matchups with them aren’t very good, and we know that,” Onalaska coach Craig Kowal said. “They are awkward matchups, and we did not do a very good of containing the dribble. Guys got straight lines to the basket too many times.”
Bahr, also a key component to last season’s WIAA Division 4 state championship season, used his offense and rebounding to keep the Blugolds in the game when Onalaska kept the pressure on in the second half.
“It’s good to get a win on the opposing court after they beat us on our court,” Bahr said. “After our Central loss (Jan. 20), we knew we had to get back and go win a big one.
“We figured we can go win any game we play, so why not make that this one?”
