Heiligenthal’s big night helps knock off state’s 10th-ranked team
By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
Could the stars really be aligning for the Catholic Central boys basketball team?
Call it coincidence, but it’s more than a tad strange, in a good way, that senior forward broke the school’s all-time scoring record last weekend, surpassing 2001 state champion Ryan Gehring.
Gehring was on the same team as current Toppers coach Kyle Scott.
With a dynamic, multi-faceted scorer and a strong supporting cast, are the Toppers shaping up to be only the second squad to reach a sectional final in five years, or maybe even reach state after a 15-year hiatus?
Scott isn’t making any guarantees, but he said Tuesday night he’s “very lucky” to coach this team.
His sentiment isn’t surprising, considering Catholic Central won on a Heiligenthal buzzer-beater Friday night to knock off visiting Sheboygan Lutheran. The next night, Heiligenthal went off for 37 of the Toppers’ 70 points in a 70-64 road victory at Milwaukee Academy of Science, which was ranked No. 10 in the state in Division 5.
Catholic Central is the only Division 5 school in the Metro Classic Conference, which includes D3 perennial power and multiple state champion Racine St. Cat’s and four-time defending D4 state champion Whitefish Bay Dominican, which features 6-foot-11 future NBA prospect Kostas Antetokounmpo, the younger brother of Milwaukee Bucks’ superstar Giannis.
“We play Division 1 and 2 teams non-conference on purpose,” Scott said. “We were picked to finish eighth in our league, and finished second. We’ve been on a good run. The boys are playing hard.”
The Toppers have won 10 of their last 12 games, with the only losses coming in triple overtime to Milwaukee St. Thomas More and a 67-42 road defeat to Dominican, which is 23-1 and won the MCC with a 16-0 mark.
The Toppers are 16-9 after a 6-7 start to the season.
Heiligenthal leading by example
Scott said Heiligenthal has stepped up his game as a leader and a scorer.
Heiligenthal, who led the conference in scoring at 22.3 points per game in the regular season, is on another level this postseason, which has been three games in a span of five days.
He’s scored 30 points per game and grabbed nearly 10 rebounds per contest in three Toppers wins.
With the game tied and 10 seconds left Friday night at home against Lutheran, Heiligenthal got the rebound, drove the length of the floor, made the hoop and added a free throw with 2 seconds on the clock, which resulted in a 56-53 victory.
The three-point play pushed Heiligenthal’s career scoring total past Gehring’s, which stood in school annals for 15 years at 1,357 points.
After Heiligenthal’s epic performance Saturday, he sits at 1,391 points with the potential for four more games.
“It couldn’t have happened to a better, more hard-working kid,” Scott said about Heiligenthal. “He puts in so much work and is a student of the game.”
“In crunch time, guys look to Ben for a calming influence and guidance. That is his best quality. It will help him in life.”
Catholic Central, a No. 3 seed, gears up to face No. 4 Sheboygan County Christian (16-9) Thursday night at Brown Deer High School.
SCC split its season series with conference foe Sheboygan Lutheran.
“Everyone’s tough at this point,” Scott said. “They have a nice shooter, a nice point guard and a nice big man. We’ll have to bring our ‘A’ game.”
Jacob Stecker leads Sheboygan with 16 points per game, and Brayden Van Ess adds 15. Both are guards. The team also featues two 6-foot-5 seniors.
Scott said it hasn’t only been Heiligenthal that’s been stepping up the past month.
Brandon Vandehei, Frank Koehnke, Aaron Rueber and Cole Pankau have all played supporting roles to perfection.
Vandehei and Koehnke each average nine points per game, and Rueber controls the offense and doesn’t commit turnovers, often beating full-court pressure by himself.
Pankau is a wild card that can erupt for double digits any given night. He contributed seven points and a triple in the Lutheran game.
Koehnke is averaging 13 over the last two games, and Vandehei added 11 in Saturday’s win.
“Everyone’s attention to detail is better,” Scott said. “Everyone is more focused.”
Follow playoff basketball live on Twitter, Facebook
The Catholic Central boys (16-9), a No. 3 seed in the WIAA Division 5 playoffs, travel to Brown Deer High School Thursday night at 7 p.m. to face fourth-seeded Sheboygan County Christian (17-7).
In Division 2, No. 2 Burlington (15-9) faces No. 4 Fort Atkinson (12-12), which shocked top-seeded Westosha Central, 43-31, on Saturday. The game is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Wilmot High School.
Follow Sports Editor Mike Ramczyk live at the Toppers’ game on Twitter @mikeramczyk17 and on Facebook at SLN Racine County.
Also, follow live updates @mikeramczyk17 on Twitter from sports correspondent Chris Bennett, who will be covering the Burlington-Fort game.
After the games Thursday night, around 10:30 p.m., tune into www.myracinecounty.com for stories, photos, video and more.
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