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Threes take down Craig

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Lake Geneva Badger’s Jimmy Merritt found his way around the court during the Badgers’ 65-62 victory over Janesville Craig in a WIAA Division 1 boys sectional semifinal Friday night. Merritt hit the game-winning three-pointer with just 4 seconds left and finished with 24 points to help send the Badgers into today’s final against Verona.

FORT ATKINSON — There’s not a worse feeling in the world than knowing something is about to happen and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

No one knows that better than Janesville Craig High School’s boys basketball team.

After watching Lake Geneva Badger put up 31 three-point shots, the Cougars knew No. 32 was coming with the game tied and time running down. And that’s exactly what happened as Jimmy Merritt drained Badger’s 15th three-pointer of the game with four seconds left to secure a 65-62 win over a stunned Craig team in the WIAA Division 1 sectional semifinals here Friday night.

The Cougars had one last chance to tie, but Cooper Cullen’s off-balance three-pointer from the right corner hit the back rim and fell harmlessly out of bounds as time expired.

With the win, Badger (17-5) advances to tonight’s 7 o’clock sectional final game against Verona (18-4) at Elkhorn. The winner qualifies for the state tournament.

Despite leading for all but 20 seconds of the entire game, Craig (17-6) was left wondering what happened.

“We talked all week about stopping the penetration and dish because that’s what Badger likes to do,” Craig coach Bob Suter said. “I thought our defense was good on the last play because we denied the penetration, but then Merritt steps back and hits a really tough shot with a hand in his face.

“They remind me of some of the teams I’ve had in the past, the way they shoot the ball,” Suter said of the Badgers. “And we knew that coming in. We knew we had to stop 20 (Braden Tice) and 22 (Merritt), but that’s easier said than done.”

Craig seemed to be in control late in the fourth quarter after Cooper Cullen’s driving layup gave the Cougars a 62-58 lead with just less than three minutes left. Unfortunately for the Cougars, those were their final points of the season.

Badger scored the last seven points—all by Merritt. That included a three-pointer to tie the game at 62-62 with 1:43 left.

After JoJo Pregont missed a pair of free throws for Craig with 1:27, Badger held the ball for the last shot, rather than take a timeout. The strategy worked as Merritt broke free at the top of the key and calmly swished the game-winner.

Merritt finished with 24 points, including six three-pointers, while Tice added six threes and finished with 20. Tice hit four from beyond the arc in the third quarter—two from NBA range—to pull the Badgers even at 48-48 heading into the final period.

Badger coach Forrest Larson knew his undersized team would have to shoot well from the perimeter to have a chance.

“Obviously, if we only make five threes tonight, we’re not having this conversation,” Larson said afterward. “Craig made it difficult to run our offense, and we had some ugly possessions.

“We were hanging around and hanging around, and then when we got an opening at the end, Jimmy hit a big shot for us.”

Senior Lucas Burns led the Cougars with 21 points, while Cullen added 20 and Pregont had 16.

Craig took advantage of its size advantage in the first half as the 6-foot-6 Pregont scored 13 points, and the 6-5 Burns added 11. The Cougars couldn’t sustain the strong post play after Badger made a couple of adjustments at halftime.

Burns, who will play next school year for Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn., said the Cougars simply ran into a hot-shooting team.

“It’s really disappointing because you try to close out on the three-point shooters, and they still hit shots,” Burns said. “We did what we could, but they just played a little bit better than us.

“They were a little bit quicker than we thought, and their guards did a nice job of running the court.

“It hurts, because every time we’d make a run, they would come right back and hit a three. They can shoot.”

BADGER 65, CRAIG 62

Craig (62)—Cullen, 8-4-20; Goike, 1-0-3; Burns, 8-4-21; Pregont, 7-2-16; Kennedy, 1-0-2. Totals: 25-10-62.

Badger (65)—Chironis, 1-0-2; Tice, 7-0-20; Merritt, 7-4-24; Lorenzi, 1-0-2; Weters, 4-0-8; Adams, 3-0-9. Totals: 23-4-65.

Janesville Craig 21 14 13 14—62

Lake Geneva Badger 13 18 17 17—65

Three-point goals—Craig 2 (Burns, Goike), Badger 15 (Tice 6, Merritt 6, Adams 3). Free throws missed—Craig 8, Badger 2. Total fouls—Craig 13, Badger 14.