Pirates win first postseason game since 2021

A season filled with accolades for the Waterloo boys basketball program added another notch in the belt on Tuesday, Feb. 27. This season alone, the Pirates won their most Capitol - South conference games since 2014-15 with four and won their most regular season games since 2010-11 with eight. Now, they've won their first Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) state tournament game since 2020-21.

Waterloo, the No. 7 seed in Sectional 3 of Division 4, welcomed in No. 10 seed Westfield on Tuesday. The host Pirates sent them packing with a 64-48 victory.

Only five Pirates scored in the victory, but they all made significant contributions. Seniors Cam Tschanz and Benny Marshall led the charge with 17 points each. Marshall did most of his damage from the free throw line with eight makes. Tschanz had a varied attack plan as hit hit four shots from two point range and two more from three. Additionally, senior Theo Schofield scored 16, junior Bryce Aubart put up seven, and sophomore Ryder Jaehnke contributed six. Westfield junior Sam Berruecos led the game in scoring with 21 points.

Next up, Waterloo will test its luck in a WIAA regional title matchup with No. 2 seed Randolph. Following Waterloo's last postseason win back in 2020-21, these same Rockets of Randolph knocked the Pirates out in the next game by a score of 90-51.

This season's edition of Randolph earned the No. 2 seed in Sectional 3 thanks to an 18-6 overall record. The Rockets tied for first place in the Trailways - West conference with Pardeeville, the No. 1 seed in the bracket, with a 12-2 record. As the No. 2 seed, Randolph got a first round bye.

Waterloo and Randolph have a handful of shared opponents from the regular season. Both programs beat Dodgeland, Randolph 55-46 and Waterloo 85-76. Both teams also lost to Poynette, Randolph 49-42 and Waterloo 73-68. Additionally, Randolph scored a tight 56-55 win over Cambridge, a Capitol - South conference rival of Waterloo's. The Pirates split their regular season series with the Blue Jays, losing the first 62-45 before winning the rematch 69-60.