Gerrard Diaz, gdiaz@shawanoleader.com
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Community High School senior Dillon Frechette drives to the basket against Antigo’s Cameron Noskowiak during a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal game Friday in Shawano. Shawano won in overtime, 45-36.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Community High School sophomore Zeke Gueths gets ready to make a free throw in overtime against Antigo during a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal game Friday in Shawano. Shawano won, 45-36.
In a game where points were hard to come by, perhaps the most important came with 4.2 seconds left on the clock Friday.
With the Shawano Community High School boys basketball team trailing Antigo 34-32 in the WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal, Zeke Gueths went to the free-throw line with a chance to tie the game.
Facing a raucous Antigo student section, Gueths was automatic, sinking both shots and sending the game into overtime.
The top-seeded Hawks (15-8, 12-4 Bay) didn’t waste the second chance, outscoring fourth-seeded Antigo 11-4 in the extra period for a 45-36 victory.
“Don’t miss,” Gueths said when asked after the game what he was thinking at that moment. “I’ve shot so many free throws in practice. I can’t even describe it.”
Gueths, a 6-foot-6 sophomore center, went back to the line twice in the overtime period and made all four of his shots. Senior guard Garret Schlise added a pair of baskets off assists from Zack Sousek and Dillon Frechette. Sousek, a junior guard, also put in a pair of free throws.
“Zeke sat for probably a full quarter,” Shawano coach Chris Kellett said. “It’s tough to come in off the bench and knock down those shots with 4 seconds left in a game. … Can’t say enough about the character of Zeke.”
Both teams played solid defense, with most of the scoring coming outside the paint. Antigo (15-7, 7-5 Great Northern) hit five 3s in the game; Shawano hit three.
“(Antigo coach Jesse Shaw) had a game plan,” Kellett said. “They slowed it down, they spread us out. They played it at their pace, which is what they needed to do.”
Two of the Hawks’ 3s came from Frechette, a senior guard who led the team in scoring with 10 points. Gueths finished with eight points, and Sousek added nine.
Shawano led 13-12 at halftime, but Jack Lund, a 6-5 junior center, scored seven of his 14 points in the third quarter as the Red Robins took a 21-18 lead into the final period.
Shawano made 12 of 16 free throws in the second half.
Shawano will host No. 3 Waupaca (15-8, 10-6 Eastern Valley) in the Division 2 final Saturday in Shawano. The Comets upset No. 2 Hortonville (12-11, 11-5 Bay) 55-47 Friday.
Antigo (36)
Cameron Noskowiak 2 0-0 6, Below 1 0-0 3, Cassius Noskowiak 2 3-4 8, Lund 5 2-2 14, Osborne 1 3-4 5
Shawano (45)
D. Frechette 4 0-0 10, Sousek 2 5-10 9, Schlise 2 1-3 5, Lacy 1 0-0 2, Gueths 1 6-6 8, Quinn 1 2-5 4, Knueppel 2 0-0 4, Raddant 1 0-0 3
Antigo 4 8 9 13 2 — 36
Shawano 8 5 5 16 11 — 45