Waupaca boys win tournament opener

By Greg Seubert

The three-point play turned out to be an effective weapon for the Freedom boys’ basketball team in its tournament game with Waupaca.

The Irish used five of them during a 25-2 run in the second half March 4 and went on to post a 66-45 win over the Comets in a Division 3 regional semifinal at Freedom High School.

Waupaca had opened tournament play March 1 with a 50-46 road win over Little Chute.

Freedom 66, Waupaca 45

Waupaca led by as many as nine points late in the first half, but the Irish closed the gap by outscoring the Comets 7-0 the rest of the half and headed to the locker room trailing 27-25.

Waupaca’s lead didn’t last long in the second half, as Freedom turned a 31-29 deficit into a 54-33 lead.

Freedom later took its biggest lead – 62-35 – with an 8-0 run that included eight free throws.

Waupaca never got any closer than 21 points the rest of the way.

Evan Bogard led Waupaca with 12 points, while Freedom’s Jace Midbon led all players with 23.

Freedom went on to hand Wrightstown a 58-39 loss March 5 in a regional final and will now face Northland Pines Thursday, March 10, in a sectional semifinal.

Waupaca 50, Little Chute 46

The Comets trailed the Mustangs 26-22 at halftime, but outscored them 28-20 in the second half as the North Eastern Conference teams met for the third time this season.

Bogard led Waupaca with 20 points and Luke Schwenn added 10.

Waupaca finished the season with an 11-15 record.