Sports

Lutheran beats Hustisford, needs one more win to reach state

One more win.

Sheboygan Lutheran needs that to reach the Division 5 boys state basketball tournament after edging Hustisford, 76-64, in overtime in a sectional semifinal in Fond du Lac Thursday.

“Being one win away is a great feeling, but we need to get the job done Saturday to get there,” Crusader Jacob Ognacevic said.

Top-seeded Lutheran, ranked second in the state, will face second-seeded and 10th-ranked Rio at 1 p.m. Saturday at West Bend East. The Vikings eliminated top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Randolph, 46-43 on Thursday.

Lutheran was led by Ognavevic’s 28 points and 14 rebounds, and Delvin Barnstable contributed 26 points.

“Barnstable stepped up big offensively in moments we really needed a bucket,” Lutheran coach Nick Verhagen said. “And the bench gave us great minutes defensively.”

Second-seeded and seventh-ranked Hustisford got 28 points from Justin Kuehl and 19 from Dylan Kuehl.

“The Kuehl boys were dominant,” Verhagen said.

The Crusaders had the ball last in regulation but missed a shot at the buzzer.

They then outscored the Falcons, 16-4, in overtime to improve to 24-2.

“The difference was our defense,” Ognacevic said. “We got key stops and that led to us scoring.”

In the game, Lutheran was 19 for 24 from the free-throw line while Hustisford was just 1 for 3. The contest was also filled with several runs back and forth, according to Ognacevic.

“It was all about keeping our composure and staying calm,” he said.

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