Home court doesn’t help Thunderbirds

Iola Scandinavia had plenty in common with its first opponent in the WIAA state boys’ basketball tournament tournament.

The Thunderbirds and Algoma headed into their Division 4 regional semifinal at Iola-Scandinavia High School March 7 with identical 18-5 overall records and a second-place finish in their respective conference.

Although Iola-Scandinavia held the Wolves to 22 points in the first half, Algoma scored 49 in the second half and returned home with a 71-58 win that ended the Thunderbirds’ season.

A No. 3 seed gave the Thunderbirds a bye in the first round of the tournament, which kicked off March 4, while the sixth-seeded Wolves advanced to the second round with a 67-59 win over Weyauwega-Fremont.

The Thunderbirds never trailed in the first half and took a 24-22 lead in the locker room at the break despite getting points from only three players.

Algoma took its first lead - 30-29 - early in the second half on a three-pointer from Charlie Prokash. That  basket was part of an 8-0 run that turned a five-point deficit into a three-point lead.

Iola-Scandinavia’s Landan Fuhs broke a 32-32 tie to give the Thunderbirds a two-point advantage, but it turned out to be the team’s last lead of the game. Chase Romdenne scored to give Algoma a 36-34 lead and the Wolves never trailed again.

A three-point play and three-pointer from Parker Lischka and a pair of three-pointers from Prokash helped give the Wolves a 52-42 lead. The Thunderbirds trailed by as many as 14 points down the stretch and never got any closer than nine points.

Free throws turned out to be a factor in the game. After missing four of six attempts in the first half, the Wolves connected on 16 of 19 shots in the second half and made 12 of 14 after taking their first 10-point lead.

Alex Robbins scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in the first half to lead the Thunderbirds. Fuhs, Korz Loken and Jaric Thulien added 12, 11 and 10, respectively.

Algoma also had four players in double figures, as Romdenne and Lischka led the way with 16 each, Braeden Leist scored 15 and Cody Kirchman finished with 11. The Wolves advanced to a regional final March 8 against Southern Door. Both teams compete in the Packerland Conference.