Wolves edge Crandon by one point
By Holly Neumann
Crandon nearly pulled off an upset in the first round of the WIAA state boys’ basketball tournament.
Fifth-seeded Manawa edged the 12th-seeded Cardinals 59-58 Feb. 26 in a Division 4 regional quarterfinal at Little Wolf High School.
Cold shooting hurt the Wolves in the first half, as Manawa trailed 26-19 at the break after shooting only 28 percent over the first 18 minutes.
The Wolves didn’t lead in the game until Josh Griesbach hit a pair of free throws three minutes into the second half. Griesbach scored all 10 of his points in the second half as the Wolves outscored the Cardinals 40-32.
Mason Wiesner led the Wolves with 13 points, while Griesbach, Jeven Sachtjen and Ethan Wiesner chipped in with 10 each. Crandon’s Blake Weber led all scorers with 20 points.
Manawa will now hit the road for the second round of the playoffs, as the Wolves will head to Crivitz to take on the fourth-seeded Wolverines at 7 p.m. Friday, March 1. Crivitz opened tournament play Feb. 26 with an 83-45 win over Weyauwega-Fremont.
The Manawa/Crivitz winner will play for a regional championship at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at a location to be determined.