Photo Credit - Reedsville Athletic Association
It was 1946 when the Reedsville Panther boys’ basketball team last made it to state. They won it all but have not been back since.
It’s been 80 long years, and at 9:05 a.m. Friday (tomorrow), the Panthers will battle the Sheboygan Lutheran Crusaders in a WIAA Division Five State Semifinal at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Reedsville punched its ticket last Saturday with a come-from-behind 56- 45 victory over Tigerton in a Division Five Sectional Final played at Oconto Falls High School. Panthers Head Coach Ron Prochnow tells seehafernews.com that his phone “blew up” minutes after the win.
” I have a friend from Georgia who’s reached out. A lot of people from the other side of the state have also reached out, where I coached at the beginning of my career, along with, of course, a lot of people from Reedsville. It’s really been quite the ride, and I couldn’t be prouder of these guys.”
Guys who have been ranked number one in the state for a majority of the season and earned the number one seed at state.
Senior guard Ben Prochnow averages better than 21 points per game, while seniors Arden Strenn and Jack Schwann each average better than 17 and 12 points per game, respectively.
Jack Schwann led Reedsville with 21 points in Saturday’s win over Tigerton, including five of seven from three-point range.
His season high is 10 threes in a victory over Chilton, and it says that a lot that hard work has paid off.
” Just constantly getting a lot of shots up, day in and day out. I struggled a bit at the beginning and towards the end of the season, but I’ve found my groove again, and I’m grateful that my teammates trust me to get me the ball to take and make shots that truly matter to help us win games.”
(Ben) Prochnow is a four-year starter for the Panthers who became the school’s all-time leading scorer this season and was deservedly named the Big East North Division Player of the year.
He also leads the team with assists (299) and steals (83) while shooting 52 percent from the field, 38 percent from three-point range, and 78 percent from the line.
Prochnow says this has been a total team effort in getting to the “Big Dance.”
” Preparing for every situation physically and mentally has toughened us up for every possible game situation.” Prochnow adds—
“We’ve been put in many uncomfortable situations in practice to test our will. Each game has its own ebb and flow and is not perfect. Knowing that helps us to adjust and attack, giving us the best chance to win.”
The Panthers will have their hands full with a very talented Sheboygan Lutheran team led by senior forward Brennen Hackbarth. He averages 22 points per game and lives in the paint, where he has taken 500 of his 540 shots this season.
McCoy Micheal, Oliver Leipham, and Zack Leonard, who’s back after missing 20 games due to injury, also score in double figures on average.
They also have plenty of state tournament experience and are led by head coach Nick Verhagen. He has 297 career victories and saw his team finish runner-up in D-5 last season.
(Ron) Prochnow on what it’ll take to play for a gold ball Saturday morning.
” We’re picking them up full court to slow them down. If we don’t do that, they’re going to get out fast, and we can’t let them do that. Offensively, we’re going to push the ball up the court to get some good looks and attack before they (the Crusaders) get set. We’re going to keep the ball in Ben’s (Prochnow’s) hands and be true to who we are in this game.”
Coverage on 980 WCUB and cubradio.com begins at 8:30 a.m. Friday (tomorrow) morning.
