Horicon Boys Basketball Makes Comeback in Overtime Victory

While Poynette (5-20, 0-8), the eleventh seed in the Division 4 WIAA Boys Basketball Tournament, Sectional 3, looked like they might cause an upset in the first-round regional against Horicon, the sixth seed, they underestimated the Marshmen’s perseverance in challenging games.
The Pumas started the game on Tuesday night, March 4, strong with a three-point make.
After Jay Graven assisted Quinten Brown for two, the game was 6-5 early on in favor of Poynette.
Logan Robenhorst scored on a rebound putback later in the first half to make the score 14-10 in favor of the Pumas.
On a pass in from the Pumas, Quin Jackl intercepted the ball and tossed it over to Carter Schwartz who took it up to the basket for two.

Before the first half ended with the scoreboard reading 22-15 in favor of Poynette, Barrett Meyer had a trip to the free-throw line where he made both attempts.
Poynette had three straight possessions ruined by the Marshmen, highlighted by two steals from Graven, to start the second half.
Once a timeout was called at 13:51, Horicon was trailing Poynette 30-17.
Beginning the comeback for the Marshmen was Brown who scored three around 11:35 to cut the Pumas lead to 32-22.
With less than ten minutes to go, Brown got a steal and scored on the fast break layup to make the score 37-26 in favor of the Pumas.
Meyer got a hand on the Pumas’ ball and was able to throw it down to Jackl who put it in and made the score 51-42, still in favor of Poynette.
With no time to spare, Horicon entered into a three-point frenzy with two makes each from Brown and Jackl and one from Graven. Once tallied, Horicon was only down by two, 66-64, with less than 30 seconds left in the game.
Two missed free throws allowed Horicon to easily tie things up or end the game early.
Whether intentional or unintentional, Poynette fouled Graven earning him a trip to the line. Despite the Pumas' efforts to distract the junior by taking a timeout, Graven handled the pressure with ease and made both free throws to tie the game up at 66.
“It was fitting for Jay to be at the free-throw line at the end of the game, again, knocking down huge shots,” said Head Coach Jay Wald. “He’s done that for us a lot down the stretch.”
With three seconds left, Poynette attempted a shot from around half-court but it hit the rafters. The refs put half a second on the clock, but the ball was given to Horicon who did not score, leading to overtime.
The Marshmen held on through overtime and won the game against the surprisingly tough Pumas, 80-72.
At Westfield
With the win, they moved on to the regional final at Westfield, the three-seed, on Friday, March 7.
Wald says the game didn’t go as planned, especially because the team was fighting through illness over the week before.
Horicon trailed 27-18 at halftime and ended up losing 64-46, ending their playoff run.
“The kids played hard but just didn’t have their best.” Wald added, “Also have to give Westfield a ton of credit. They were a solid team and played well at home.”
Wald wants to thank the seniors, Brown, Owen Muche, and Laytin Krueger, as their final season comes to a close. “They accomplished a lot in their careers at Horicon.”
To the rest of the team, he says, “I also give the players a ton of credit for all their hard work and improvements this season. They grew a ton and should be fun to watch next season.”

Game Summary

Horicon, 80 vs Poynette, 72
Tuesday, March 4
Points: Brown 27, Graven 19, Meyer 14, Jackl 10, Robenhorst 8, Schwartz 2.
Rebounds: Meyer 11, Graven 10, Brown 7, Jackl 4, Robenhorst 3, Schwartz 2, Vorlob 1.
Assists: Graven 5, Vorlob 3, Brown 3, Schwartz 2, Meyer 2, Jackl 1.
Steals: Graven 7, Brown 3, Meyer 2, Jackl 1, Robenhorst 1.
3pt: Brown 3, Jackl 2, Graven 1.
FT: 16-38
Fouls: 27

Horicon, 46 at Westfield, 64

Friday, March 7
Points: Meyer 18, Brown 8, Graven 6, Jackl 5, Krueger 4, Schwartz 3, Vorlob 2.
Rebounds: Meyer 8, Graven 8, Krueger 3, Brown 2, Jackl 2, Robenhorst 2.
Assists: Schwartz 4, Graven 2, Meyer 2, Jackl 2, Brown 1, Robenhorst 1, Vorlob 1.
Steals: Graven 2, Meyer 2, Schwartz 2.
3pt: Meyer 5, Brown 2, Schwartz 1, Jackl 1.
FT: 3-4
Fouls: 15