MADISON – The Neenah boys basketball team is back on top.
And the Rockets left little doubt.
Neenah won its fourth state championship and the first since 1978, beating Brookfield Central 64-52 on Saturday night in the WIAA Division 1 championship game at the Kohl Center.
The Rockets’ other titles came in 1930 and 1975.
Neenah won its 27th game in a row and finishes the season with a 29-1 record. Its only loss was a 68-64 home defeat to Appleton East on Dec. 3.
Chevalier Emery Jr. scored 19 points to lead Neenah. Carter Thomas added 15 points, and JJ Paider had 14 points and 18 rebounds.
Andrew Rohde led Brookfield Central with 34 points, including 18 in the first half.
Neenah led 31-22 at halftime as Emery Jr. and Thomas both scored 10 points in the first half. Paider added eight points and nine rebounds in the first 18 minutes.
Neenah’s biggest lead in the first half was 14 points at 28-14 after a 3-pointer by Emery Jr.
Brookfield Central pulled within five points in the second half, but that’s as close as it could get.
The Rockets had only one turnover in the first half, when they outscored the Lancers 11-0 on points off turnovers.
It was Neenah’s second win over the Lancers this season after a 63-57 victory Jan. 29 on a neutral court in Germantown.
The teams also met in the 2019 state semifinals, with Brookfield Central winning 61-47.
Brookfield Central finishes the season with a 24-6 record.
Neenah’s title is the first in boys basketball for a Fox Valley Association school since Oshkosh North (Division 1) and Kaukauna (Division 2) both won in 2018.
Division 4
Roncalli 55, Milwaukee Academy of Science 45
In a matchup of No. 1 Milwaukee Academy of Science and No. 2 Roncalli, the Jets defeated the Novas to win the title.
It was Roncalli’s second trip to the state championship and second state title in nine appearances in Madison, having won the D4 title in 2018.
Luke Pautz powered the Jets offensively with 17 points and also had 12 rebounds. Reece Stangel added 11 points for the Jets.
The Jets defense stymied the Novas in the first half, forcing seven turnovers and limiting them to 36% shooting.
Roncalli shot 27% from the floor but a Reece Stangel layup right before the buzzer gave the Jets a 24-22 lead.
Stangel led Roncalli with nine points in the first half.
Academy of Science didn’t score in the second half until a pair of free throws by Devin Brown with over seven minutes gone in the half.
Division 2
Pewaukee 67, La Crosse Central 48
The Pirates repeated as Division 2 state champions with an outstanding shooting effort, making 60% of their attempts (24-for-40) from the field in routing the Riverhawks.
Pewaukee made 15 3-pointers in the game and shot 15-for-28 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Ashton Janowski and Nick Janowski both scored 19 points for Pewaukee. Milan Momcilovic added 17 points. Nick Janowski was 6-for-9 on 3-pointers and Ashton Janowski was 5-for-9.
Pewaukee led 30-25 at halftime and came out strong in the second half, pushing its lead to 16 points at 46-30 with 9:37 remaining in the game.
The Pirates finish the season with a 27-3 record, while La Crosse Central finishes 28-2.
Devon Fielding led the Riverhawks with 17 points. Nic Williams added 13 points.
Division 3
Lake Country Lutheran 67, West Salem 56
Lake Country Lutheran outscored West Salem 38-25 in the second half to pull away for the title, its first state championship.
Ben Lubbers shot 11-for-17 from the field and scored 22 points for Lake Country Lutheran. Noah Howard added 16 points and Luke Haertle scored 14. Haertle also had 11 rebounds and nine assists.
West Salem was led by Peter Lattos with 23 points. He was 5-for-9 on 3-point attempts. Tamarrein Henderson added 14 points.
Lake Country Lutheran finishes the season with a 28-2 record. West Salem finishes 27-2.
Division 5
Randolph 65, Bangor 51
Sam Grieger and Travis Alvin each scored 21 points to lead the Rockets to the championship.
Randolph, which was making its 16th state tournament appearance, won its 11th championship, the most of any WIAA membership school.
Alvin shot 10-for-13 from the field, while Grieger was 11-for-12 at the free throw line. Grieger added six rebounds and six assists.
Bangor was led by Gunner Ellenburg with 14 points and Dustin McDonald scored 13.
Randolph finishes the season with a 28-2 record, while Bangor finishes 25-5.
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