Rocky start, missed chances end Royall boys basketball's run in state semifinal

Making the program’s second WIAA state appearance and first since 2010, Scott Uppena could sense the nerves flowing through the Royall boys basketball team Friday morning.

“There was nervous energy in the locker room, there was nervous energy when they took the floor and sometimes all it takes is a couple baskets,” Uppena said.

A slow start offensively and an inability to capitalize on chances late proved to be too much for the fourth-seeded Panthers as top-seeded Wausau Newman Catholic held on for a 52-42 win in a Division 5 semifinal at the Kohl Center. 

“I’m extremely proud of this group of young men,” Uppena said. “The one thing I promised everybody that reached out to me over the week was that we’d play hard, and we did that today.”

Senior Isaac Seidel scored a game-high 25 points, sinking 10 of 11 free throws in the second half, to help the Fighting Cardinals turn back a number of comeback attempts and reach their first state championship game.

Those makes at the charity stripe were crucial as Newman Catholic (26-4) held off a feisty Panthers team that rallied from 14 points down early on.

Royall (22-8), which shot 1 of 13 to open the game, trailed 17-3 after a layup by Cardinals senior Mason Prey with 11 minutes, 55 seconds left in the first half. The Panthers found their footing after the rough start, answering with a 10-0 run to pull within four.

Sophomore Carter Uppena sparked the run with a pull-up jumper while senior Bryce Olson’s triple at 6:58 made it a two-score game.

“Through the course of a basketball game you have two and three-minute spurts of ups and downs, and one of the things we try to do is be consistent throughout those ebbs and flows,” Scott Uppena said. “If you get too high or get too low, that’s when trouble happens. They stayed solid.”

Newman's lead ballooned back to double digits and the Panthers went into the break trailing 27-18 after a Carter Uppena layup off a steal before the buzzer. That fueled Royall’s second-half comeback attempt as it pulled within as few as four points multiple times.

A second-chance jumper by Gabe Keenan with 7:39 left to play made it 35-31, but the Panthers were never able to get over the hump as the Fighting Cardinals continued to counterpunch at every turn.

Newman senior Jackson Pfender immediately answered the Keenan bucket with a 3-pointer to stretch the Cardinals' lead to seven and it never shrunk under five the rest of the way.

Another Keenan jumper at 5:21 made it 40-35, but Royall failed to seize on the momentum, with the Panthers missing a couple of shots and committing a pair of turnovers that took the wind out of their sails.

“When you’re down 14 or 15 and expend that amount of energy, it’s tough to maintain that after that," Scott Uppena said. "They hit some shots, hit some free throws and put it away in the end."

Said Newman Catholic coach Jeff Waldvogel: “That was the key to the game. The moments that weren’t so well, these guys pulled together on defense and put in the extra effort.”

Despite going the final 5-plus minutes without a field goal, Newman Catholic made 12 of 14 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

“That’s what we do every day in practice; work on free throws and do some punishments, so if you miss some, maybe run a ladder or two after that,” Seidel said. “Everyday shooting in practice got us prepared for that.”

Carter Uppena paced the Panthers with 14 points while Keenan added eight and Olson chipped in seven. Royall finished with 17 points off turnovers to just five for the Cardinals while also forcing 10 steals, but uncharacteristically struggled inside.

The Panthers made just 13 of their 40 attempts from inside the arc, shooting 32.5% from 2-point range against a Newman Catholic team that provided a level of size Royall hadn't regularly seen during the season.

“You could tell they’ve spent four years in the weight room,” Carter Uppena said. “They’ve been playing with each other for a long time, they’re big kids, they’re talented kids.”

Senior Conner Krach tacked on 11 points and senior Mason Prey added eight for the Fighting Cardinals, who went on to defeat Chippewa Falls McDonell Central Catholic 66-54 on Saturday to win the state title. The second-seeded Macks outlasted Fall River 66-62 in Friday's other Division 5 semifinal.

It’s a difficult end for the Panthers, who snapped a 13-year state drought after finishing third in the Scenic Bluffs Conference. With a large community turnout, and with being able to see his team remain resolute in its effort, Scott Uppena knows the Panthers have nothing to be ashamed of.

“The kids bought into something a little bit bigger than themselves. I asked them to do that at the start of the season and that’s what you saw today,” he said. “A young group of guys, who have no egos; we don’t have superstars, and they got here collectively.”