It is deja vu in Suring Thursday night as Gibraltar and Three Lakes meet again in the WIAA Division 5 sectional semifinal.
The Vikings cruised through their first week of the tournament, beating Wausaukee, Florence, and Oneida Nation by a combined 92 points and limiting them to less than 40 points in each contest. The winning streak combined strong team defense with standout individual performances by Carl Burgess (21 points vs. Florence) and Jake Schar (30 points vs. Oneida Nation). Saturday's win over the Thunderhawks marked the second straight regional title and the third since 2019 for the Vikings.
The Blue Jays also went 3-0 last week, securing a blowout victory over Gillett before earning two closer victories against Elcho (48-42) and Gillett (62-54). Jared Kaufman leads the Blue Jays with nearly a double-double a game at 16 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Toby Volkmann (12.4 ppg) and Josh Cogar (10.4 ppg) complement Kaufman offensively. Saturday's win was the Blue Jays' second regional title in as many years after going over a decade without making it to the second weekend of the playoffs.
The Vikings and the Blue Jays faced off against each other in Elcho last year with Gibraltar clinching the sectional final appearance with a 58-40 victory. Both teams graduated their top performers from that matchup as Gibraltar's Sam Lindenberg (27 points) and Three Lakes' Sam Eppler (17 points) led their respective squads in scoring. The first half was a back-and-forth affair with the Lindenberg and Eppler going nearly point for point. The Vikings were able to go on a small run to end the half to take a 22-20 lead into the break. The Vikings started strong in the second half scoring the first six points. A run midway through the second half would see the Vikings doubling their lead and never let it get below six points for the rest of the game. The defense would tighten up on Eppler who scored only three of his 15 points after the break. Lindenberg would go on to score a game-high of 27 points. Braden Sitte added eight points and Trevor Ash chipped in five points with a dunk to cap off the scoring.
Tim Kowols and Bryan Mazur will have the call from Suring on 105.1 The GOAT and NEWRadioSportsNetwork.com beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the pregame show followed by the tip-off at 7 p.m. The winner will head to Rhinelander for the sectional final against either Stevens Point Pacelli or Wausau Newman Catholic. The tip-off would be at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Click here for the full interview with head coach Travis Ward
