Knights Clinch Conference Championship

Photo courtesy of Travis Sysko
Front Row (L-R): Zach Feller, Dishawn Gale, Jaden Kreklow, Patrick Craker, Cullen Brooks, Christian Arnett, Andrew Nimtz. Back Row (L-R): Coach Ron Roesslein, Coach Rudi Feller, Wyatt Taylor, Jesse Tetner, Jacob Tetner, Trevor Gassman, Cole Runde, Mike Nelson, Noah Zimmerman, Coach Travis Sysko, Coach Brian Siegenthaler.
The Knights hosted the Wildcats on February 14th. Like their game earlier in the season, the Knights held a commanding lead over the Belleville team at halftime.
"I thought we started the game offensively executing really well. Unfortunately we weren't able to build a lead because we didn't get stops. Then we hit a cold stretch where we were still getting good looks but they weren't going down," said Belleville's Coach Jarod Wichser.
"I thought tonight was a typical New Glarus vs Belleville game," said New Glarus Coach Travis Sysko. "Both teams played a hard, physical game. We knew a win meant we could win the conference title outright for the 1st time since 1994. It was also Senior Night - so we got to honor Christian Arnett and Jacob Tetner. We had plenty to play for and I was happy with our effort."
The Wildcats outscored the Knights in the second half, but the Knights emerged victorious. The final score was New Glarus 63, Belleville 49.
"After a while we panicked which caused lapses in execution. They built a big lead by halftime but we were able to cut it down to 8," continued Wichser. "They then reached the paint, kicked, and knocked down three straight threes to put them back up for good."
Jaden Kreklow led the Knights with 21 points, and two assists. Cullen Brooks scored 10 points and had two assists, two steals and seven blocks. Zach Feller and Christian Arnett both ended the game with nine points. Arnett had one steal while Feller had three assists and one steal.
Leading the Wildcats was Drew Shrader, with 17 points. Brock Kelly added 12 points to the scoreboard while Dalton Fahey scored 6 points.
On February 17th, the team played at Marshall. Up by 7 at the half, they outscored Marshall in the second to win the game. The final score was New Glarus 82, Marshall 67.
"This was another hard fought conference win. We overcame some early foul trouble and some hot shooting by Marshall to pull out the win," said Sysko. "I'm very proud of what this team accomplished this season."
Leading the Knights in scoring was Zach Feller, who poured in 27 points, and had three assists. Jaden Kreklow put 23 points on the board and had seven assists and one steal and Cullen Brooks scored 18 points and had two steals, five assists and four blocks.
The team played at Poynette on February 20th, and will play at Lake Mills on February 23rd. They ended their season with a 10-0 conference record in the Capitol South. They've earned a #2 seed in the upcoming WIAA Regional tournament. They will play the winner of the February 28th Cuba City vs Belleville game on March 3rd.