Ashwaubenon assails Marine boys in District semifinals

ASHWAUBENON, Wis. — Fresh off of a thrilling one-point victory over West Bend East, the Marinette boys basketball team aimed to keep its season alive in the semifinals of the WIAA Division 2 Regional playoffs.

Instead, the No.8-seeded Marines ran into the buzzsaw that is Ashwaubenon, as the No. 1-seeded Jaguars mauled Marinette 85-32 on Friday.

Marinette finishes the 2023-24 season with an overall record of 5-21, a five-win improvement from their mark a season ago. The Marines finished eighth out of 10 teams in the North Eastern Conference at 3-15.

Ashwaubenon (16-2 Bay Conference, 22-4 overall) played every bit like a No.1 seed on Friday, running a huge lead to kick off a running clock with nine minutes left to play.

Ashwaubenon made nearly as many field goals as the Marines attempted on Friday, with the Jaguars going 32-of-53 (60 percent) from the floor and a sizzling 13-20 from 3-point land.

The Jaguars were especially locked in in the second half, knocking down 13 of their 18 shots after halftime.

Conversely, Marinette’s offense struggled to find its rhythm, going 11-34 from the field and 6-19 from long range.

Ashwaubenon also controlled the glass, owning a 30-14 margin in the rebounding category. Marinette corralled only three rebounds the entire second half.

Turnovers also plagued the Marines, with Marinette coughing up the rock 18 times compared to just eight for the Jaguars.

Marinette’s 32 points were its lowest output of the season.

Jordan Race was Marinette’s leading scorer with 11 points. Sam Sommerfeldt added eight.

Drew Tomashek led all scorers with a game-high 24 points.

Ashwaubenon claimed the Division 2 Regional title on Saturday after zipping past No. 5 Pulaski 77-59.

Ashwaubenon 85-Marinette 32

Ashwaubenon: Drew Tomashek 24, AJ Uhl 12, Elijah Fenner 10, Jayden Schoen 8, Connor Jackson 7, Carson Dorgu 6, Avery Pagel 5, Ayden Vang 3, Preston Pagel 2, Cody Mispagel 2; FTs: 8-11

Marinette: Race 11, Sommerfeldt 8, Chase MacGregor 4, Lukas Peterson 3, Max Jacobson 3, Bell 2; FTs: 4-8