Falcons regional title hopes doused

Fort Atkinson ends Falcons’ season

By Jason Arndt
STAFF WRITER

In a stunning upset, top-seeded Westosha Central High School lost 43-31 to visiting Fort Atkinson in Saturday’s WIAA Division 2 regional title game, courtesy of a cold shooting night for the Falcons.

The Falcons, who scored 40 first half points on Friday, could only muster eight against the No. 4 seeded Fort Atkinson.

“We had a lot of good looks, we just went cold from the outside,” said Falcons coach James Hyllberg.

“We hold a team to 43 points and we only had eight turnovers, you would think that would be a game you’d win,” Hyllberg added. “They had 16 turnovers.”

Westosha Central’s only lead came after 5-foot-11 junior Tre Williams and 6-4 senior James Manring sparked a 4-0 run to start the game.

However, Fort Atkinson 6-foot-5 senior Tristan Shoup started two key rallies, a 7-0 run, followed by another 12-0 run to put Westosha Central in a 21-8 hole entering halftime.

Shoup finished with a game-high 25 points and went 9-for-9 from the free throw line.

Ron Hall scored a team-leading eight points for Westosha Central.

“When I saw film, it was just about keeping them out of the paint and forcing them to the outside,” said coach Mike Hintz of Fort Akinson, whose team improved to 12-12.

In the second half, the Falcons trimmed the deficit to 29-25 after rallies of 8-0 and 9-2.

But, Shoup continued to draw contact, which led to eight free throws and three buckets.

“They are very methodical on offense, they are very patient and slowed the pace down,” Hyllberg said.

The Blackhawks went 15-for-20 from the free-throw line, compared to Westosha Central’s 4-6.

Despite the loss, Hyllberg told the team to hold their heads high, noting a Southern Lakes Conference title at 11-3, compared to last year when they finished with a 4-10 record to take seventh.

Overall, the Falcons notched a 16-8 record, compared to 11-14 a year earlier.

“I was proud of these boys, to get to know their strengths, their weaknesses and see them come together as a team,” Hyllberg said. “They did get conference for the first time in 18 years, it will always be up there, and it is something to be proud of.”


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