In recent seasons, the Marshall boys basketball team has made a habit of saving its best for the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) state tournament. Two seasons ago, the Cardinals went on a miraculous run that ended with a state semifinal appearance. Last season, as a No. 4 seed, the Cardinals knocked off No. 1 seed Darlington in double overtime to win a regional title.
Marshall would like to keep that trend rolling in the 2023-24 postseason. As a No. 5 seed in Sectional 3 of Division 4, things are already off to a good start. The Cardinals hosted No. 12 seed Necedah on Tuesday, Feb. 27 for their regional opener and left no doubt in a 73-24 victory.
From the opening tip, it was clear that Necedah, also nicknamed the Cardinals, was overmatched. The visiting Cardinals only hit three shots from the field in the first half, two of which were a reverse layup and heaved three pointer both within the last minute before halftime. Necedah scored only 11 first half points.
"We did a nice job of contesting jump shots and keeping the ball out of the lane," Denniston said of his team's defensive effort. "Necedah's offense kind of feeds into what we want to accomplish defensively. We've put in some extra work in practice and I'd say that paid off tonight. Hopefully we can continue playing with that amount of discipline and energy on that side of the floor."
Naturally, this defensive dominance led to some boggling scoring runs for Marshall. The host Cardinals enjoyed a scoring run of 21-0 in the first half and 20-0 in the second. The common thread among these scoring runs was the hot shooting hand of junior Carson Connelly. He knocked down six three pointers in total to lead the game in scoring with 20 points.
Connelly wasn't alone in filling up the score sheet. Brothers Kenyon (junior) and Jaylen (freshman) Miggins both scored 11 points while senior big man Karter Grossman put up eight. The host Cardinals were able to empty their bench midway through the second half, leading to 12 total players scoring in the game.
The win not only prolonged Marshall's season, but was also a milestone accomplishment for head coach Dan Denniston. It marked win No. 150 for him in his ninth season as leader of the Cardinals.
"You put in a lot of time, effort, and hard work," Denniston said of the accolade. "No one keeps track of every single one of their wins, but it's still neat. It's really more about the kids over these nine years that I was able to coach and the effort they gave. It's special. I was happy my son (Cole) could come home from school to be here. I'm proud, but I'd like to go get win number 151 now."
Denniston and his Cardinals will be up against a familiar foe in their next game, a WIAA regional final, in search of win No. 151. They'll travel to No. 4 seed Cambridge, a Capitol - South conference rival that beat them twice in the regular season. The Blue Jays, which finished tied in the final conference standings with Marshall at 5-5, never had it easy in their two wins. Cambridge muscled out a 69-60 win at home and survived a 60-58 challenge at Marshall.
Exacting revenge on a conference opponent to advance in the state tournament would be nothing new for Marshall. The Cardinals pulled off the feat in the midst of their 2021-22 state run. Back then, Capitol - South rival New Glarus had beaten Marshall twice in the regular season, 64-55 and 61-56. The two met in a WIAA sectional semifinal rematch. Marshall muscled out a 42-40 victory before marching on to win the sectional title two days later.
"It definitely gives us some confidence," Marshall head coach Dan Denniston said of the program's recent postseason success. "Let's hope the basketball gods have one more in them for us. We've seen situations in the postseason similar to what we'll face this year."
Marshall and Cambridge will clash for the third time this season on Friday, Mar. 1 at Cambridge. The winner advances to face the winner of No. 1 seed Pardeeville and No. 8 seed Poynette on Saturday, Mar. 2.
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