Third Time Proves to be the Charm for Ashland-Greenwood: Bluejays Achieve Upset Against Warriors in First Round of State Tournament
Warriors 2006-2007 Season Comes to a Painful End with 45-62 Loss; 22-2 Record
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WHS Senior Ben Shanahan (Photo by Joe Vculek)Ashland-Greenwood (State Tournament 1st Round 3/8/07):
The Wahoo Warriors met the Ashland-Greenwood Bluejays for the third time this season in the first round of the Boys Class C-1 State Tournament, and the Bluejays defeated the Warriors 62-45.
The Warriors jumped out to a 7-2 lead. Back-to-back treys from Brett Sapp and Chris Spargen gave the Bluejays the lead to 8-7. Ashland would lead 10-9 after one quarter. Ben Shanahan scored 8 of the 9 points in the quarter for the Warriors.
Ashland stretched the lead to as much as 6 in the second quarter at 20-14. A Shanahan offensive rebound and put-back cut the lead to 22-18 at halftime.
The third quarter would not be kind to the Warriors. The Bluejays scored the first 6 points of the quarter to extend the lead to 28-18, and would stretch the lead out throughout the quarter to lead 45-30 after three quarters. The Bluejays were 10-15 from the floor in the quarter.
The Warriors were not able to cut into the Bluejay lead in the fourth quarter, and Ashland would go on to the 62-45 win.
"You have to give all the credit to Ashland. They played extremely well. We did not play well, but Ashland had a lot to do with that. They defended us extremely well. The third quarter was kind of like a bad dream that we could not wake up from. They could not miss in the third quarter, and the game just got away from us so fast," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
"I am so proud of our kids and what they accomplished this season. This is a very bitter way to end our season, but in time hopefully the kids will be very proud of what they have accomplished," Scheef added.
Shanahan had a huge game for the Warriors as he had 26 points on 13-15 shooting from the field, 16 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Greg Sohl added 12 points.
Wahoo finishes its season at 22-2.
SEASON GAME SUMMARIES
Boys Town (District Final @ Midland Lutheran College 2/26/07):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the Boys Town Cowboys 58-57, in a thrilling District Final at Midland College in Fremont. Boys Town missed a free throw with 4.7 seconds left and a 6-foot jump shot in the closing seconds to allow the Warriors to escape.
Wahoo had trouble finding the mark in the opening minutes of the game, as they missed their first 7 shots from the field. Ben Shanahan finally scored to put Wahoo up 2-0. After another Shanahan basket put the Warriors up 8-4, Boys Town scored the next 6 points of the quarter to lead 10-8 after one period.
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Senior Justin Barry (Photo by Joe Vculek)The lead changed hands six times in the second quarter. The Cowboys heated up, and hit seven consecutive shots in the period. Two Taylor Murren baskets, and a trey and conventional 3-point play from Justin Barry put Wahoo up 24-23 with 2 minutes left in the half. Boys Town led 29-26 at the half after a Mike Connors put-back.
Boys Town extended the lead early in the third quarter. Two Isiah Gandy baskets put the Cowboys up 9 at 39-30. One free throw from Greg Sohl and from Shanahan cut the lead to 39-32. A steal from Jake Wiebold gave the Warriors the ball back, and a spectacular follow up dunk from Shanahan was disallowed after offensive goal tending was called. Another basket from Gandy pushed the Cowboy lead back to 9 at 41-32. That is when the Warriors would make their push to get back in the game. A Murren bucket, one free throw from Wiebold, and back-to-back buckets from Shanahan cut the Cowboy lead to 41-39. A basket from Jay Battle gave Boys Town a 43-39 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
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Sophomore Taylor Murren (Photo by Joe Vculek)The Cowboys missed a 15 foot shot with 15 seconds left, but got the offensive rebound and missed a trey with 7 seconds left. Battle got the offensive rebound and was fouled on his put-back attempt with 4.7 seconds left. Battle made the first free throw to make it 58-57. Following a Warrior time-out, Battle missed the second attempt. The Cowboys, however, got the offensive rebound, missed a short follow up jump shot, got another offensive rebound, but the rebounder lost his balance, the ball rolled away, and time ran out, before the Cowboys could get another shot up.
"It was an incredible high school game. I am so proud of our kids and their efforts. Things did not look good midway through the third quarter, but our kids did not panic, and made the plays that got them back in the game. Every one of our players made some huge plays tonight. Jake's put-back in the last two minutes was huge. Taylor's free throws were huge. Justin had a great night shooting the ball for us. His 9 consecutive points in the fourth quarter were so important. Ben had some tough points inside. It was a great team effort," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
Barry led the Warriors with 18 points on 4-8 shooting from behind the arc. Shanahan added 14 points, 10 boards, and 4 blocks. Murren added 8 points on 3-3 shooting from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Pacas led Wahoo with 11 boards and 4 steals. Greg Sohl had 6 assists to go with 7 points.
Wahoo improves to 22-1 and will face Ashland-Greenwood next Thursday in the first round of the State Tournament in Lincoln. Boys Town ends its season at 17-6.
Bishop Neumann (Sub-District Finals @ Lincoln North Star 2/22/07):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the Bishop Neumann Cavaliers 54-39 in the Sub-District Finals at Lincoln North Star High School on Thursday night.
The Warriors never trailed in the game as some hot shooting early on got Wahoo off to a good start. Senior Justin Barry hit two treys in the first quarter, as did Sophomore Taylor Murren. Wahoo led 11-9, when Murren hit his second trey, and a steal and lay up by Tyler Pacas put the Warriors up 16-9. Wahoo led 18-14 after one quarter.
Wahoo led 24-18 early in the second, when they went on a 10-0 run. A Jake Wiebold basket, a Pacas 3-point play, another Pacas basket, and Barry's third trey of the half, put the Warriors up 34-18. Wahoo would go into the half with a 38-26 lead.
The third quarter was a low scoring affair. Both sides scored just 6 points and after 3 quarters, the lead was 44-32.
Barry started off the fourth quarter with his fourth trey of the night to extend the Warrior lead to 47-32. Baskets from Brandon Mach and Jordan Morrissey cut the lead to 47-36, but Pacas would score the next 7 points in the game to seal the game for Wahoo to put them up 54-36, and the final score would be 54-39.
"If you had told me before the game that our two leading scorers, Greg Sohl and Ben Shanahan, would combine for just 11 points, I would have thought we were in a lot of trouble. Justin Barry had a great game for us, as did Taylor Murren and Jake Wiebold. Tyler Pacas has played two great games for us at Districts. Neumann was really trying to take away Greg, and they did that, but we had other kids really step up and do a great job for us," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
Wahoo was led by Pacas with 19 points on 6-8 shooting from the floor and 6-9 shooting from the line. Barry had 12 points on 4-7 shooting from behind the arc. Shanahan, Wiebold, and Murren all had 6 points, and Sohl 5.
Wahoo had just 9 turnovers compared to 15 for Bishop Neumann. The Warriors shot 59 percent from the floor, including 8-13 shooting from behind the arc, and the Cavaliers shot 40 percent. Neumann out-rebounded Wahoo 20-15.
Wahoo improves to 21-1, and will face Boys Town on Monday night, February 26, at Midland Lutheran College in Fremont at 7:00 p.m. Bishop Neumann ends its season at 14-8.
Raymond Central (Sub-Districts @ Lincoln North Star 2/20/07):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the Raymond Central Mustangs in Sub-District action on Tuesday night, February 20, at Lincoln North Star High School.
Wahoo led 7-5 midway through the first quarter, when they went on a 10-0 run that extended into the second quarter to go up 17-5. The Warriors would go into halftime up 28-17.
The Warriors extended the lead to 32-17 early in the third quarter on buckets from Tyler Pacas and Ben Shanahan. Wahoo led after three quarters 41-31.
The Warriors would again strike first in the final period. A Pacas basket and 2 free throws from Taylor Murren put Wahoo up 45-31 early in the fourth. Wahoo would go 11-16 from the line in the fourth quarter to put the game away to win 56-43.
"Our 10-0 run was big in the first quarter. It gave us a little breathing room and forced Central to play catch-up all night. I thought our kids did a great job of answering every run that Central had, and we never really gave them a chance to get back in the game," commented Head Coach Kevin Scheef. "Tyler Pacas had a great night for us. He really made some big hustle plays throughout the game."
Pacas led the Warriors with 18 points on 6-9 shooting from the field, and 6-6 from the line. He also added 6 boards and 4 steals. Ben Shanahan added 14 points, 6 boards, and 4 blocks. Greg Sohl added 14 points and 6 boards. Justin Barry contributed 7 points and 4 steals, and Jake Wiebold had 7 boards.
Wahoo improves to 20-1 and will face Bishop Neumann in the Sub-District Final on Thursday, February 22. Raymond Central finishes its season at 11-9.
North Bend Central (2/17/07):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the North Bend Tigers 89-64 in the final regular season game that was rescheduled from Tuesday.
North Bend jumped out to a quick lead on the Warriors. After a Jordan Emanuel trey, North Bend led 13-8 midway through the first quarter. The Warriors then went on a 21-0 run over the next five minutes. A Tyler Pacas bucket early in the second quarter put Wahoo up 29-13. The Warriors stretched the lead to 42-23 after a Greg Sohl bucket with 1:10 left in the half. North Bend responded with a 9-0 run in the last 70 seconds capped by a Drew Hines trey with 2 seconds left to cut the Wahoo lead to 42-32 at the half.
The Warrior lead was still 10 at 50-40 with 5 minutes to go, when Wahoo took advantage of a 6-point possession. Justin Barry nailed a trey, at the same time a North Bend player was called for a push. Wahoo got the ball back and Shanahan converted a three-point play to put the Warriors up 56-40. North Bend then cut the lead back to 12 at 58-46, and with 2:10 left in the third, Wahoo had 3 starters on the bench with 4 fouls. Without the three starters, the Warriors made a strong 9-2 run to finish the quarter. Taylor Murren hit 2 free throws, Sohl converted a 3-point play, and Murren scored on an offensive rebound. Wahoo led 67-49 after three quarters.
The Warriors extended the lead in the fourth quarter and reserves played out the final 4 minutes as Wahoo went on to the 89-64 win.
"North Bend's 9-0 run in the final 70 seconds of the first half was big. We had control of the game to that point, and all of the sudden, they were back in the game. Things were not looking real good, when we had 3 starters on the bench with 4 fouls in the third quarter, but our bench did a good job the last 3 minutes of the quarter. Austin Watton got a big steal for us. Grant Anderson took a charge, and Taylor and Greg both made a couple of key baskets for us," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
Ben Shanahan scored a career high 30 points on 11-17 shooting from the field, and 8-9 from the line. Shanahan added 12 boards, 6 blocks and 4 steals. Greg Sohl added 27 points on 7-9 shooting from the field and 12-12 from the line. Sohl added 5 assists and 3 steals.
"Justin Barry played a great game for us. He really shot it well from the 3 point line," Scheef added.
Barry had 12 points on 4-6 shooting from the 3 point line. Taylor Murren had a game-high 7 assists.
"We did a lot of things well offensively. Greg and Ben both had big nights offensively. We will need to do a better job defensively and on the glass next week as we start district play," Scheef concluded.
Wahoo will face the winner of Raymond Central and David City on Tuesday night at 5:15 at Lincoln North Star High School. Wahoo improved to 19-1, while North Bend dropped to 10-10.
Schuyler (2/16/07):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the Schuyler Warriors 65-57 on Friday night, February 16. Senior Ben Shanahan had a huge game for the Warriors as he had 23 points, and a career-high 26 rebounds and 6 blocks. Shanahan had a double double, just 5 minutes into the game as he had 10 points and 10 rebounds with 3 minutes left in the first quarter. He finished the half with 18 points and 17 rebounds.
Schuyler jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead, before Wahoo answered with the next 14 points of the game, 8 of those coming from Shanahan. Wahoo led after one quarter 19-12.
Wahoo extended the lead to 16, 33-17 after a Greg Sohl trey. Schuyler scored the next 5 points to cut the lead to 33-22. Wahoo then went on an 8-0 run to end the half to take a halftime lead of 41-22.
Schuyler cut into the lead a little bit in the third quarter, but after three quarters, Wahoo was up 53-39.
The fourth quarter would be a stressful one for Wahoo. Wahoo led 55-41 after a Shanahan basket with 5 minutes to play, but Schuyler would go on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 55-51 with 1:50 left after a Derek Hull basket. Wahoo was plagued by turnovers and missed free throws during the Schuyler run. Wahoo finally ended the run with 2 Sohl free throws, to push the lead to 6 at 57-51. Two more free throws from Taylor Murren and Sohl extended the Wahoo lead to 61-51 with 1:05 left, and Wahoo survived the Schuyler rally, and ended with a 65-57 win.
"Ben Shanahan was flat out dominant tonight. He had a great game and just controlled the glass at both ends. He played a great game," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef. "Our first half was very good. The second half was not so good. We didn't handle the ball like we need to, and we could have saved ourselves some stress by knocking down some free throws earlier in the fourth. It was good to see us hit 6 straight free throws though, after they had cut the lead to 4 late in the game."
Sohl added 17 points for Wahoo, and Tyler Pacas added 12 points and 7 boards. Murren contributed 5 steals. Schuyler was led by Derek Hull with 21 points.
Wahoo improved to 18-1, while Schuyler dropped to 9-10. Wahoo takes on North Bend on February 17 in a rescheduled game from Tuesday. The Warriors will take on the winner of the Raymond Central-David City game on Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. at Lincoln North Star High School.
Ashland-Greenwood (2/10/07):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the Ashland-Greenwood Bluejays 47-35 on Saturday night, February 10. The win gave the Warriors the Capitol Conference regular season Championship.
The Warriors jumped out to an early 9-4 lead after a Justin Barry trey. The Bluejays then scored the next 6 points to take a 10-9 lead after one quarter.
The second quarter was a defensive battle, and the Warriors went to the halftime break with a 16-15 lead.
Wahoo led 18-17 early in the third quarter when they broke the game open. Taylor Murren hit a trey, then made a big steal and fed Greg Sohl, who knocked down the trey to put Wahoo up 24-17. After a Sohl steal and lay up, and a Tyler Pacas lay up, the Warriors led 28-18. Another Murren steal and lay up and a Barry trey put Wahoo up 33-18. A Sohl jumper at the end of the quarter, closed out a 19-4 quarter, and put Wahoo up 35-19 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Warriors led 37-21 after a Ben Shanahan basket with 6:00 minutes left to play. The Bluejays then scored the next 8 points to cut the lead to 37-29, with 2:01 left. Jake Wiebold then hit two free throws to push the lead back to 10 at 39-29. Pacas then hit 8 consecutive free throws to close out the win for the Warriors.
"Our kids gave a great effort tonight, and this was a big win for us. Taylor really broke the game open for us with his trey and steal. Jake's two free throws were big for us, after they had cut the lead down to 8 in the fourth quarter, and Tyler did a great job at the line, putting the game away for us with his 8 consecutive free throws," commented Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
Pacas led the Warriors with 16 points on 8-8 free throws, and 8 rebounds. Shanahan had another double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
"Ben did a great job on the glass for us and also really controlled the paint defensively for us. His presence kept Ashland from attacking the basket, and forced them to shoot a lot of perimeter jump shots." Scheef added.
Wahoo improved to 17-1, while Ashland-Greenwood fell to 12-6.
Wahoo will travel to North Bend on Tuesday and to Schuyler on Friday to close out the regular season.
Mount Michael (2/6/07):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the Mount Michael Knights 63-45 on Tuesday night.
Wahoo jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead behind Greg Sohl's opening trey and Ben Shanahan's putback. The quarter ended with Wahoo up 13-12.
In the second quarter, the score was tied at 15 with 5:20 left, when the Warriors went on a 11-0 run. Sohl hit two treys, Jake Wiebold scored 3 points, and Shanahan added a bucket to put Wahoo up 26-15. The Knights would outscore the Warriors 7-2 to end the quarter to close the gap to 28-22 at halftime.
A 10-1 run to open the third quarter gave Wahoo a little breathing room. Tyler Pacas scored the first two baskets of the half. Shanahan added 3 free throws, and Sohl hit another trey to put Wahoo up 38-23 with 3 minutes left in the third. Mount Michael quickly answered though as back-to-back treys from Nick Hall and Jake Ridder cut the lead to 38-29. A Sohl trey to close the quarter left Wahoo up 43-32 after three quarters.
Sohl hit two more treys early in the fourth quarter to put Wahoo up 49-36. A Taylor Murren trey, steal and lay up gave the Warriors a 54-39 lead with 3:30 left, and Wahoo went on to the 63-45 win.
"This was a nice win for us. We had to really battle to get the job done. This is a tough place to play, and I thought our kids really competed and gave a great effort," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef. "Taylor Murren made some great hustle plays for us last night. He really gave us a spark. Greg Sohl made big shot after big shot. He seemed to answer each run they made. Ben Shanahan did a great job on the glass, getting us some put-backs and keeping the ball out of the paint with his shot blocking ability."
Sohl hit 7-10 from beyond the arc for his game high 22 points. Shanahan added 17 points, 10 boards, and 6 blocks. Pacas added 12 points and 6 assists. Murren had a game high 6 steals.
The Warriors forced 22 Mount Michael turnovers, and shot 49% from the floor, compared to 35% for the Knights.
Wahoo improves to 16-1 and will travel to Ashland to take on the Bluejays on Saturday night in the final Capitol Conference game of the year.
Arlington (2/2/07):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the Arlington Eagles 63-28 on Senior Night in the last home game of the year for the Warriors, last Friday, February 2.
Wahoo jumped out to a 14-2 lead to start the game. Back-to-back baskets from Justin Barry and a Jake Wiebold lay up gave Wahoo the early 12-point lead. Wahoo ended the quarter up 17-6.
A Taylor Murren trey put Wahoo up 27-11, and another basket from Barry put Wahoo up 29-13 at halftime.
Two straight baskets from Wiebold extended the halftime lead to 33-13, and the Warriors would lead 46-18 after three quarters. Reserves would play the fourth quarter and finish up the 63-28 win.
The Warriors forced Arlington into 26 turnovers and limited the Eagles to just 9-38 (24%) shooting from the field.
"I thought defensively we did a great job. Any time that you can hold a team to 28 points, you have to feel good about the effort. Offensively, we had too many unforced turnovers. We just were never in sync offensively. It was good to see Justin Barry have a real good night offensively," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
Barry led the Warriors with 14 points. Wiebold and Murren added 10. Ben Shanahan led Wahoo with 12 boards and 5 blocks. Tyler Pacas added 8 boards. Wahoo out-rebounded the Eagles 42-23.
Wahoo improves to 15-1, while Arlington drops to 4-11. Wahoo travels to Mount Michael on Tuesday night.
Ashland-Greenwood (Conference Tournament Finals 1/27/07):
For the second consecutive game, Wahoo had to have some late game heroics to escape with the Capitol Conference Championship over Ashland-Greenwood 75-68 in overtime.
The game was close early. A Greg Sohl bucket to end the first quarter gave the Warriors a 14-14 tie.
Ashland-Greenwood opened up an 8-point lead early in the second quarter behind back-to-back treys from Brian Romans and Brett Sapp, to take a 26-18 lead. The lead grew to 9 at 31-22 after a Bryan York trey. Seven consecutive points from Sohl cut the lead to 31-29. Another Sohl trey cut the Bluejay lead to 37-34 with 5 seconds left, but Sapp banked in a shot from over half court at the buzzer to put the Bluejays up 40-34 at halftime.
The third quarter saw Ashland maintain a 4 to 6 point lead for most of the quarter. Two Sohl free throws to end the period cut Ashland's lead to 51-47 after three quarters.
A Sohl trey to open the quarter cut the Bluejay lead to one at 51-50. Ashland stretched the lead back out and after a Romans offensive rebound and putback, Ashland led 63-56 with 2:20 to play. A Sohl bucket, steal and trey cut the lead to 63-61 with 50 seconds left. Both teams missed shots on their next possession. Sohl misfired with 18 seconds left, but Tyler Pacas got the offensive rebound and was fouled. Pacas stepped to the line and hit both shots with 16.9 seconds left to tie the game at 63. Ashland then missed two shots to win the game in the final 6 seconds. Ben Shanahan's rebound with 1 second left sent the game to overtime.
A Pacas offensive rebound and assist to Sohl for a trey, put Wahoo up 66-63 early in the overtime. Following a Bluejay miss, Pacas drove the lane and banked in a driving lay up to put Wahoo up 68-63. A basket from York cut the lead to 68-65. With 1:21 left, Sohl was fouled and hit both free throws to make it 70-65. Two free throws from Pacas made it 72-65 with 40 seconds left. A Sapp trey cut the lead to 72-68, but Taylor Murren iced the game for the Warriors with 3 free throws in the last 30 seconds to give the Warriors the 7 point overtime win at 75-68.
Wahoo missed their first free throw and their last, but hit 23 straight free throws in between to finish at 23-25, 92 percent for the game.
"This was a great win for our team. Our kids showed great courage and poise to come back for a second straight night when things were looking pretty bleak. To come back from a 7-point deficit in the last two minutes says a lot about the character of our kids. With the game on the line and having to have both free throws, Tyler Pacas stepped up to the line and hit them both tonight, as Greg Sohl did for us on Thursday night," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
The Bluejays shot the ball extremely well in the first half. They were 6-6 from behind the arc in the second quarter, and 8-11 in the first half. They cooled off to hit just 1-10 from behind the arc the rest of the way.
Ben Shanahan was one block away from recording a triple double. Shanahan scored 13 points, had 15 rebounds and 9 blocked shots, despite limited playing time in the second half, due to foul trouble.
Greg Sohl led the Warriors with a career high 35 points on 5-7 shooting from behind the arc, and 8-8 from the free throw line. Tyler Pacas added 19 points on 9-9 shooting from the line and added 9 boards. Justin Barry added 6 boards for the Warriors.
"Greg had a tremendous night tonight. He hit big shot after big shot. Ben was terrific on the glass and the defensive end, and Tyler made some huge plays for us as well. It was a great team win," Scheef added.
The Warriors improved to 14-1 on the year, while Ashland-Greenwood drops to 10-5. Wahoo will host Arlington on Friday night in their last home game.
Bennington (Conference Tournament Semi-Finals 1/25/07):
With Wahoo down 55-51 with 14 seconds left, Senior Greg Sohl scored the game's final 5 points, including 2 free throws with 2.9 seconds left to give the Warriors the exciting win. Sohl drained a trey with 13.4 seconds left. Following a time-out, Bennington was fouled and missed the front end of a one and one. Ben Shanahan got the rebound and passed to Sohl. Sohl drove up the left side of the floor and was fouled as he put up a 15 ft. jump shot with 2.9 seconds left. Sohl calmly stepped to the line and nailed both free throws. Bennington's 30-foot shot at the buzzer was off the mark and the Warriors prevailed.
Bennington jumped on Wahoo early. The Badgers led 11-3 following a Tyler Byrd trey with 1:30 left in the first quarter. The Warriors were just 1-10 from the field to start the game. A Taylor Murren trey cut the lead to 13-6, and the quarter ended with Bennington up 15-10.
Bennington led 17-10 early in the second when Sohl's bucket followed by his trey cut the lead to 17-15. A Sohl free throw with 6 seconds left gave Wahoo its first lead of the game at 28-27, but the Badgers' Chris Lantz banked in a trey at the buzzer to give Bennington a 30-28 half-time lead.
The Badgers went on an 8-2 run to start the third quarter and Wahoo found itself down 38-30 with 4:30 left in the third. Wahoo would then go on a 10-0 run, capped by two Tyler Pacas free throws to put the Warriors back on top 40-38. A Sohl basket with 3 seconds left in the quarter gave Wahoo a 42-40 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The game was tied at 44 with 6 minutes left when Bennington scored 5 straight points to take a 49-44 lead. The score was 51-46 with 2:45 left, when Sohl hit a trey to cut the lead to 51-49. A Dexter Higgins bucket put Bennington back up by 4 at 53-49. An offensive rebound and put-back from Pacas made it 53-51 with one minute left. Two free throws from Denver Klaus put Bennington up 55-51 with 42 seconds left. Following a Wahoo turnover with 35 seconds left, Bennington missed a front end of a one and one to set up the exciting finish.
"You have to give Bennington a lot of credit for their effort and the way they played. They out-hustled us for most of the game. I am proud of our kids for finding a way to win on a night that we did not play very well," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
"Greg Sohl really came up big at the end of the game. He showed a lot of courage stepping up and knocking down the trey and then the free throws in the last 14 seconds," Scheef added.
Sohl led the Warriors with 26 points. Pacas added 13 points and 8 boards.
Wahoo improves to 13-1 and will face Ashland-Greenwood in the Finals of the Conference Tournament on Saturday. Bennington falls to 10-4, and will face Syracuse in the Consolation game on Saturday.
Arlington (1st Round Conference Tournament 1/22/07):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the Arlington Eagles in the First Round of the Capitol Conference Tournament on Monday night 74-40.
Wahoo jumped out to an 18-2 lead to start the game, and was never threatened. The Warriors led 20-8 after one quarter and stretched the lead to 45-22 at halftime. At the end of three quarters, Wahoo led 59-27, and reserves played the fourth quarter, to finish the 74-40 victory.
Ben Shanahan led Wahoo with 23 points on 9-11 shooting from the floor, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. Greg Sohl added 15 points, and a career high 9 assists, all of which came in the first half, and 4 steals. Tyler Pacas contributed 11 points.
The Warriors forced Arlington into 33 turnovers, while committing just 13.
"Our kids did a nice job. I was worried about this game, coming off of such an emotional win against Norfolk Catholic, but our kids came out focused and played well. Our defense in the half court was very solid," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
"Ben really did a nice job on the glass, and really finished his shots off strong. His teammates did a very nice job of finding him when he was open. Greg had 9 assists to just 1 turnover in the first half, which is a great half of basketball for him," added Scheef.
Wahoo improves to 12-1 and will now face Bennington at Bennington on Thursday night in the Semi-Finals of the tournament.
Norfolk Catholic (1/19/07):
Three big steals from Sophomore Taylor Murren in the game's final 2 minutes allowed the 3rd ranked Wahoo Warriors to defeat the 6th ranked Norfolk Catholic Knights 63-60 on Friday night.
The Warriors jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start the game behind a trey and a basket from Senior Greg Sohl. Wahoo led 9-4 after two Ben Shanahan free throws, but the Knights then went on a 8-0 run capped by treys from Ben LaCrosse and Justin Heng to take a 12-9 lead. A Sohl basket with three seconds left in the quarter put Wahoo up 18-14 after one quarter.
A Murren assist to Tyler Pacas gave Wahoo it's biggest lead of the game at 24-17. Norfolk Catholic quickly scored the next 6 points to cut the lead to 24-23. The Knights took the lead late in the second quarter and led 31-28 before another Sohl bucket at the end of the quarter, made it 31-30 at half.
A Heng trey and two free throws from Keaton Knake gave Norfolk Catholic it's largest lead of the game at 36-30. A Pacas bucket, a Sohl steal and assist to Jake Wiebold and another Greg Sohl free throw cut the lead to 36-35. Catholic would lead 46-43 late in the third, when a Sohl trey followed by a steal and lay up from Sohl made it 48-46 after three quarters.
The Warriors pushed the lead back to 5 after a Justin Barry bucket, made it 56-51 with 4:00 minutes left. LaCrosse answered with a trey to cut it to 56-54. Following a Pacas free throw, that made it 57-54, LaCrosse hit another trey to tie it at 57 with 2:20 left. Tyler Arens made a steal and was heading for a lay-up that would have given the Knights the lead, when Taylor Murren made a great steal in the open floor, then found Shanahan ahead of the pack. Shanahan put down a monsterous dunk that gave the Warriors a 59-57 lead, and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Murren made another steal on the next possession, but the Warriors were not able to convert. The Knights' Heng then missed the front end of two one and one's. Pacas was then fouled with 28.9 seconds left and hit both free throws to put Wahoo up 61-57. A third steal followed by Murren, which he went the length of the court to lay in gave Wahoo a 63-57 lead with 17 seconds left. The Knights were not through though. A Heng trey from deep in the corner with 6.8 seconds left cut the lead to 63-60. The Warriors missed the front end of a one and one with 5.8, and the Knights got a time-out with 4.8. The Knights threw the ball the length of the court, but desparation three was off the mark, and the Warriors escaped with a thrilling 63-60 victory.
"I thought it was just a tremendous high school game, with two good teams going after each other and competing very hard. The game went back and forth, with a number of momentum swings, but our kids kept their poise and made some big plays down the stretch," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
"You can't say enough about the three defensive plays that Taylor Murren made in the last two minutes. We don't get the win without those. He came up huge. Greg Sohl made some huge shots throughout the game for us, and Ben Shanahan really came alive in the second half and became a force," Scheef added.
Justin Heng scored a game high 31 points to lead the Knights on 6 treys. Four of his treys came from beyond 25 feet away. Heng had scored 43 and 36 in his two previous games and came into the contest averaging 26 points a game. Ben LaCrosse added 15 points.
"Heng is a tremendous player with tremendous range. He had a great night," Scheef added.
The Warriors committed just 13 turnovers compared to 23 for Norfolk Catholic, but were outrebounded by the Knights 37-27. Wahoo also made just 2-13 from the beyond the arc, while the Knights were 9-19 on treys.
Sohl led the Warriors with 21 points and 6 steals. Shanahan added 17 points, 11 boards, and 6 blocks. Pacas added 13 points and 8 boards. Barry added 8 points and Wiebold contributed 4 steals.
The Warriors improved to 11-1 and will now take on Arlington in the first round of the Capitol Conference Tournament. Norfolk Catholic drops to 9-4.
Raymond Central (1/16/07):
The Wahoo Warriors traveled to Raymond Central on Tuesday night and defeated the Mustangs 61-47.
The Mustangs jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead behind two baskets from Nate Bloch. The Warriors quickly made up the deficit with a 13-2 run to take a 15-8 lead with two minutes left in the quarter. Greg Sohl and Ben Shanahan combined for 14 of the 15 points. Wahoo led 15-12 after one quarter.
Wahoo led 19-14 in the second quarter, when Sohl nailed a trey, and then made a steal and a lay up to put the lead at 10 at 24-14. The Warriors would go into the halftime break with a 35-29 lead.
The Warriors opened the third quarter with a 9-0 run to take a 44-29 lead. Tyler Pacas started the run with a three-point play, followed by a basket and two free throws from Shanahan and capped by a Jake Wiebold bucket. A Sohl basket at the end of the quarter put Wahoo up 52-38 entering the fourth quarter.
Two Taylor Murren free throws gave Wahoo its biggest lead at 56-41 with 5 minutes left. The Warriors would go 7-8 from the line in the fourth quarter to put the game away, 61-47.
"This was a good win for us. Central is a good team that plays very hard, and nothing came easy for us tonight. We had to work for everything, and I thought our kids competed very well tonight. Greg Sohl had a great game for us. Jake Wiebold was terrific defensively for us, and it was great to see us shoot so well from the free throw line," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
The Warriors were 17-20 (85%) from the line, and forced the Mustangs into 23 turnovers. Sohl led the Warriors with 23 points, 19 coming in the first half, on 7-12 shooting from the floor and 8-8 from the free throw line. Sohl added 5 assists and 4 steals.
Shanahan added 12 points, 8 boards and 3 blocks. Pacas had 10 points and 7 rebounds. Wiebold had 7 steals to go with 7 boards and 5 points. Justin Barry added 7 points.
Wahoo improves to 10-1, while Raymond Central drops to 7-5. The Warriors will face highly touted Norfolk Catholic on Friday night at home.
D. C. West (1/13/07):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated Capitol Conference foe D.C. West 69-57 on Saturday night.
The Warriors jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the game's first 5 minutes. D.C West would respond by scoring the next 9 points to cut the lead to 10-9. Tyler Pacas would score the final 4 points of the quarter, and Wahoo led after one quarter 14-9.
Wahoo increased its lead to 14 midway through the second quarter after a Greg Sohl bucket, to make it 28-14. D.C. West's Trevor Egbarts responded by hitting treys on each of the Falcons' next three possessions to cut Wahoo's lead to 30-23. A Sohl trey made it 33-23, but D.C. West would score the final 5 points of the quarter to make it 33-28 at halftime.
The Falcons scored the first points of the third quarter, four of them from Erik Dodge to tie the game at 33. Sohl answered with a trey as the Warriors would go on a 9-2 run capped by a bucket from Jake Wiebold to make it 42-35. Wahoo would lead 52-42 after three quarters.
Two free throws from Sohl and a Pacas basket made it 56-42 and the Warriors would go onto the 69-57 victory. The Warriors were able to get the victory despite having Senior Ben Shanahan on the bench for almost all of the second half. Shanahan played 1:23 in the third quarter before picking up his fourth foul, and 9 seconds in the fourth quarter before fouling out.
"This game was not one of our better performances. We had chances to take control of the game early, but 9 first quarter turnovers kept D.C. West in it and gave them confidence. We did not defend like we needed to, but you have to give D.C. some credit for shooting the ball well from the perimeter," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
Sohl led the Warriors with 24 points and the point guard led Wahoo in rebounding with 7 and assists with 4. Pacas added 14 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists. Wiebold had 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals. Justin Barry added 7 points and 5 boards.
Wahoo improves to 9-1 on the year, while D.C. West drops to 4-6.
David City Aquinas (1/6/07):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the David City Aquinas Monarchs 65-38 on Saturday night.
The Warriors led 22-13 after one quarter of play behind 8 first quarter points from Senior Justin Barry. After Aquinas’ Jake Miriovsky hit a trey to open the second quarter, Wahoo went on a 13-0 with Ben Shanahan scoring 8 of those points, and Jake Wiebold scoring the other 5 to go up 35-16. Wahoo led 42-18 at halftime.
Wahoo increased the lead to 59-30 after three quarters of play. Reserves played the final quarter, and finished up a 65-38 win.
Shanahan led the Warriors with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. Wiebold contributed a career-high 13 points, and Tyler Pacas added 10 points. Barry had 6 steals along with his 8 points. Taylor Murren contributed 5 assists, with 0 turnovers.
Wahoo forced 25 Aquinas turnovers and held the Monarchs to 28% shooting from the floor (10-36).
"Aquinas attacked our 1-3-1 well early in the game. We went to man-to-man defense to get them out of their rhythm, and I was really pleased with the job that our kids did with our man-to-man. I thought Justin Barry and Jake Wiebold played very well for us tonight, and Ben Shanahan had another big night," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
Wahoo improves to 8-1 with the victory and will host D.C. West on Saturday night.
Syracuse (1/4/07):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the Syracuse Rockets 58-45 in Capitol Conference action on Thursday night, January 4.
Wahoo scored the first six points of the game, all by Senior Ben Shanahan. The Rockets scored the next five points, and the first quarter ended with Wahoo up 12-10.
A three-point play by Tyler Pacas gave the Warriors a 19-12 lead midway through the second quarter, and at half-time, it was Wahoo up 26-21.
Wahoo was up 28-23 midway through the third quarter, when a 6-0 run gave Wahoo a little breathing room. Baskets by Jake Wiebold, Pacas, and Shanahan pushed the Warrior lead to 34-23. Wahoo took its biggest lead of the night at 13, after a Shanahan rebound and putback to make it 37-24. The third quarter ended with Wahoo up 38-28.
In the fourth quarter, Syracuse cut it to 6 after an Austin Landwehr 3-point play to make it 40-34. Greg Sohl responded for the Warriors with a trey to push the lead back to 9, but on the next possession, the Rockets' Scott Hrabik hit a trey to cut the lead to 43-37 with 5:33 left. Another Hrabik trey cut the Warrior lead to 5 at 48-43 with 3:20 left, but two Wiebold free throws, and three free throws from Pacas on the next two possessions increased the Warrior lead to 53-43 with 1:18 left, and some free throws would make the final score 58-45.
Pacas scored a career high 23 on 8-10 shooting from the floor, 7-10 from the free throw line, and added 6 boards. Shanahan scored 19 points on 8-10 shooting from the floor, had 13 rebounds and 7 blocked shots.
"Ben is playing terrific basketball for us right now. He has really taken his game to a new level, and is playing great defensively. Tyler also had a great game. He takes the ball to the hole so strong. Jake may have had his best game of the year as well. Each game he seems to come up with a couple of key steals and he does a great job of getting the ball inside to Ben," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
"Syracuse was paying a lot of attention defensively to Greg Sohl. He was not getting many open looks. Even though he did not shoot it real well, he did a great job of not forcing the ball and really ran the team well from the point guard spot," Scheef added.
Sohl ended up with 6 assists vs. just 2 turnovers, and also had 4 steals, 5 boards, and 7 points.
"Every time that Syracuse made a run in the second half, we answered. We did not lose our poise or get rattled and that is directly attributed to having great Senior leadership out on the floor," Scheef commented.
Wahoo shot 70.4% from 2-point range, and 54.1% from the floor for the game, while Syracuse shot 30.8% from the floor.
Wahoo improves to 7-1 while Syracuse slips to 7-2. Wahoo hosts Aquinas on Saturday night.
Bishop Neumann (Final Round Holiday Tournament):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the Bishop Neumann Cavaliers 50-37 in the Finals of the Holiday Tournament.
The first quarter saw the lead change a number of times. A 3-point field goal from Justin Barry would give the Warriors a 12-10 lead that they would not relinquish again. A Ben Shanahan field goal gave the Warriors a 14-10 lead after one quarter.
The Cavaliers' Brandon Mach made 2 free throws with 5:10 left in the half to cut the Warrior lead to 14-12, but they would be the only Cavalier points of the quarter. Wahoo would score the final 11 points of the half, capped off by a Greg Sohl trey to put Wahoo up 25-12 at halftime.
The Warriors had a shaky start to the third quarter. Four straight turnovers prevented Wahoo from scoring in the first 4 minutes of the third quarter. a Jake Wiebold steal and free throw put Wahoo up 26-14. An Alex Kuhfahl trey cut the lead to 26-17. a Sohl 3-point play pushed the lead back to 12 at 29-17, but Jordan Morrissey and Kuhfahl hit back-to-back treys to cut the Warrior lead to 29-23, with 2:18 left in the period. Sohl again answered with a field goal to make it 31-23. A Mach free throw made it 31-24. A Shanahan 12-foot jumper from the baseline and a Barry trey with 3 seconds left in the period pushed the lead back to 12 at 36-24 at the end of three periods.
The Warrior lead was still 12 at 39-27, when Sohl converted a 3-point play, and Tyler Pacas followed a missed shot with a putback to put the Warriors up 44-27 with 4:39 left. A Shanahan dunk with 1:30 left put Wahoo up 46-30, and the Warriors closed out their scoring with free throws to record the 50-37 win.
"The second quarter was big for us, as we were able to hold them to 2 points and stretch the lead out a little bit. I thought our kids showed a lot of poise in the third quarter after their back-to-back treys cut the lead to 6 points. Our kids didn't panic and made some plays to get the lead back to 12 going into the fourth quarter," commented Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
Shanahan led the Warriors with 16 points, 11 boards and 8 blocks.
"Ben had a great night and a great tournament. Ben had 20 rebounds and 17 blocks in the tournament. He makes us so much better defensively because of the number of shots he is rejecting, and the number of shots he is making the team think about taking," Scheef added.
"You have to take your hat off to Brandon Mach. For a right-handed shooter to step up to the free throw line and make 10-12 shooting them left-handed, is amazing. Brandon is a great player, and will have a tremendous year as he gets the use back in his right hand," Scheef said.
Sohl added 15 points despite a diamond and 1 defense being played on him for much of the night. Pacas added 11.
"Greg did a great job with all of the attention being paid to him. He didn't force things offensively, yet was still able to make some very big plays for us and hit some huge shots. All of our kids that played made some big plays for us. Justin Barry hit a couple of big treys. Jake Wiebold made a couple of big steals. Taylor Murren gave us some great minutes, and Tyler Pacas is our leader and the heart and soul of our team," Scheef concluded.
Wahoo improves to 6-1, and will now face perennial Conference power Syracuse (also 6-1) on Thursday night at home.
Lincoln Christian (1st Round Holiday Tournament):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the Lincoln Christian Crusaders 63-41 in the first round of the Wahoo Holiday Tournament.
Both teams struggled to score in the first quarter. A Jake Wiebold steal and lay up at the end of the quarter, gave Wahoo a 10-5 lead after one period.
The Warriors were up 16-15 with 3 minutes left in the half, when a Justin Barry lay up followed by a Taylor Murren trey, put Wahoo up six at 21-15. A Ben Shanahan field goal gave Wahoo an eight-point lead at 28-20 at halftime.
Wahoo was still up 8 at 32-24 with 5:25 left in the third period, when they would break the game open. A Shanahan putback, followed by a Greg Sohl trey started a 14-2 to close out the quarter. Wahoo would lead after three quarters 46-26.
A grant Anderson field goal with 3:01 left gave Wahoo its biggest lead at 59-31, before finishing with a 63-41 win.
The Warriors had great balance offensively as 4 players finished in double figures. Tyler Pacas scored 13, Shanahan had 12, Sohl had 11, and Barry added 10.
Shanahan was 1 rebound and 1 block away from a triple double as he added 9 boards and 9 blocks to go with his 12 points on 6-7 shooting from the field. Pacas added 9 boards and 4 assists. Wiebold had 8 points and 8 rebounds. Murren provided 6 steals, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds off the bench.
"I thought Ben Shanahan played very well for us tonight. He was very active defensively. Nine blocks is potentially erasing 18 points for them, which is huge," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
Wahoo out-rebounded Lincoln Christian 42-29.
"The first half, we did not play real well, but I thought we were much better the second half. We really controlled the boards, which was a big factor for us," Scheef added.
Fort Calhoun (12/15/06):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated Capitol Conference Fort Calhoun on Friday night 64-51.
Senior Greg Sohl got the Warriors off to a great start. Sohl scored 15 of his game-high 31 points in the first quarter, as the Warriors led 19-12 after one quarter.
Wahoo opened the game up in the second quarter outscoring the Pioneers 16-4. Sohl hit a trey as the second quarter came to a close to put Wahoo up 35-16 heading into the locker room.
The Warriors quickly pushed the lead to 23 at 39-16, behind baskets from Tyler Pacas and Ben Shanahan. The Pioneers would cut the Warrior lead to 44-31 after a Ryan Nieto trey, but two buckets from Sohl and a Pacas lay up after a Jake Wiebold steal, pushed the lead back to 19 at 50-31 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fort Calhoun scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 50-37. Two Pacas free throws with 3:01 left put the Warriors up 54-39. Things would then get a little tense for the Warriors. Fort Calhoun went on a 10-2 run, capped by a Nieto trey with 1:40 left, to cut the Warrior lead to 56-49. Terrific free throw shooting by the Warriors down the stretch would allow Wahoo to escape. Four straight free throws from Pacas, three from Taylor Murren and one from Sohl, ended the game at 64-51.
Wahoo was 12-15 from the line in the fourth quarter, and 20-27 for the game.
"I was very pleased with our play in the first half. Fort Calhoun is a much improved team, and we played very well, and played terrific defense in the first half. It was disappointing in that we were not able to put them away in the second half. We didn't play with the same intensity that we did in the first half. Fort Calhoun got the momentum in that second half, and we didn't get them stopped until it was almost too late," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
"Greg Sohl played a terrific game, especially for someone who had the flu and was not feeling well. He showed a lot of courage. Tyler Pacas hit some really big free throws, and Taylor Murren played very well off the bench for us, and gave us some great minutes," Scheef added.
Sohl had his second game of the season in which he has scored over 30 points. Pacas added 17 points on 11-12 shooting from the line. Shanahan added 9 points to go with 11 rebounds and 5 blocks. Murren scored 5 points and had 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.
Wahoo improved to 4-1 heading into the Christmas break, while Fort Calhoun drops to 2-2.
Grand Island Central Catholic (12/9/06):
The Wahoo Warriors were defeated by the 5th ranked Grand Island Central Catholic Crusaders 57-55 on a three point shot at the buzzer by CC's Jake Johnson. After the opening minutes of the game, the Warriors led the rest of the way until the final buzzer.
The first quarter was tight and ended tied at 11. The second quarter saw the Warriors go up 16-11 on a Tyler Pacas free throw. The half ended with Wahoo leading 22-19.
In the third quarter, the game stayed close. A Greg Sohl trey to end the quarter put Wahoo up 35-31 entering the final quarter.
A Pacas basket with 3:58 left in the fourth gave Wahoo its biggest lead of the game at 48-41. A crucial play followed, as the Crusaders' Jake Johnson drove the lane and picked up the 5th foul of the game on the Warriors' Ben Shanahan. Johnson completed the 3-point play, and on the ensuing Crusaders possession, Spencer Fahey hit a trey from the corner to cut the Warrior lead to 48-47.
A Justin Barry basket with 1:39 left put the Warriors up 53-49. After a Jake Johnson miss, Jake Wiebold converted one of two free throws to extend the Warrior lead to 54-49 with 1:05 left. A 17-foot shot from Brad Kulus made it 54-51. On the Warriors' next possession, Pacas went in for the lay-up, but the Crusaders' Joe Partington made a great block on the play with 33 seconds left, and GICC got the rebound. Spencer Fahey hit a trey with 20 seconds left that bounced around on the rim three times, before falling in to tie it up at 54. Following a Warrior time-out with 16 seconds left, Sohl drove the lane and made a great pass to Barry under the basket. Barry was fouled and went to the line with 6.3 seconds left. Barry made the first before missing the second. The Crusaders' Johnson got the rebound, drove the length of the floor, and put up a 23 ft. shot at the buzzer with a defender right in his face, that swished through the hoop as time expired.
"It was a great game, well played by both teams. They just made the last play. I am very proud of the effort our kids gave. GICC plays with such great intensity. Every possession is a war. Our kids really battled. There were times we were on the verge of taking control of the game, but we could just not get much separation from them, and they really heated up in the fourth quarter. You have to give them credit, they really hit some huge shots down the stretch, with the game on the line," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
GICC was 2-17 from behind the arc the first three quarters, but was 6-10 in the fourth quarter.
Shanahan led three Warriors in scoring with 17 points in spite of playing just 18 minutes because of foul trouble. Shanahan also had 9 boards and 3 blocks. Sohl had 14 points, and Pacas added 13.
The Warriors out-rebounded the Crusaders 33-23, behind Shanahan's 9 boards, and Wiebold's 9 rebounds. Barry added 7 rebounds.
Wahoo will host fellow Capitol Conference foe Fort Calhoun on Friday night, December 15.
Conestoga (12/8/06):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the host Conestoga Cougars 97-40 on Friday night behind Senior Greg Sohl's career high 34 points. Eleven different Warriors scored in the win.
The game was close for one quarter, as Wahoo led 21-16 at the end of the first quarter.
Wahoo took control in the second quarter, and went into the halftime break up 48-24. Sohl had 24 of his 34 points in the first half. Justin Barry had 16 of his 18 points in the first half as well. The duo combined for 40 of Wahoo's 48 first half points.
Wahoo would lead 78-34 after three quarters before going on to the win.
"What I like about this group, is that after 3 games, we have had 4 different guys score 18 or more points. We are playing very unselfishly and getting the ball to the guy with the hot hand," commented Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
The Warriors were 12-19 from behind the arc, led by Sohl's 7-10 three point shooting.
"In the first two games we struggled with our three point shooting and at the free throw line, so it was good to see us shoot it better," Scheef added.
Ben Shanahan added 10 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Wahoo out-rebounded Conestoga 45-32, and forced the Cougars into 26 turnovers.
Seward (12/2/06):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the Seward Bluejays 68-41 on Saturday night in their home opener.
Wahoo raced out to a 15-6 lead midway through the first quarter and led 19-11 after one quarter behind 8 points from Tyler Pacas.
With 6 minutes left in the half, Wahoo led 19-15. The Warriors then went on a 11-0 run to stretch the lead to 30-15. Seward would score the last 5 points of the quarter to make it 30-20 at halftime.
Wahoo led by 9 at 34-25, when it broke the game open. Wahoo would go on a 18-3 run to end the quarter, to lead 52-28 after three quarters of play. The reserves played much of the fourth quarter, and the final score would be 68-41.
Ben Shanahan led Wahoo with 21 points on 9-13 shooting from the floor, 7 boards and 7 blocked shots. Pacas added a career high 20 points and a team high 8 rebounds. Greg Sohl added 10 points and 5 assists.
The Warriors shot 56 percent from the floor while holding Seward to 29 percent from the floor, and forced the Bluejays into 20 turnovers. Wahoo also out-rebounded Seward 33-24.
"I was really pleased with this win. Our pressure got to them in the second half, and we were able to bust open a tight game. Through two games, we have done a nice job on the boards, and really competed hard. The kids have really played unselfishly," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
Jake Wiebold added 7 boards and 4 assists.
Bennington (11/30/06):
The Wahoo Warriors defeated the host Bennington Badgers 66-48 in the season opener for both teams on Thursday night, November 30.
Wahoo opened up a 17-11 lead after one period of play behind 8 first quarter points from Greg Sohl.
A sluggish second quarter found Wahoo up by just 4 at 20-16 with 2 minutes left in the half. The Warriors went on a 10-2 run to close the half, capped off by a Justin Barry jumper at the buzzer that put Wahoo up 30-18 at half-time.
The Warriors took control in the third quarter. Tyler Pacas scored 6 of his 12 points in the third, and Greg Sohl had 7 of his game high 16 in the third quarter, as Wahoo led 51-30 at the end of three.
Wahoo's lead would grow to as much as 28 at 64-36 with 3:30 left in the game, before finishing with the 66-48 win.
Wahoo had 4 players in double figures, led by Sohl's 16 points. Pacas and Ben Shanahan had 12, and Barry added 10.
The Warriors shot 55 percent from the floor and out rebounded the Badgers 35-27. Shanahan led Wahoo with 8 boards and added 6 blocked shots. Pacas had 7 boards and Jake Wiebold contributed 6. Sohl had 7 assists to go with his 16 points and 5 steals.
"It was a solid opening win for us. The effort was good. We have to make better decisions with the basketball. Twenty-two turnovers is too many, but overall it was a good win. Justin Barry played really well for us tonight. He was very active defensively, and got his hands on a number of passes," said Head Coach Kevin Scheef.
2006-2007 Wahoo High School Varsity Basketball Team