By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

Castlewood lost to Viborg-Hurley (23-3) in the regular season, 49-44, at the Hanson Classic. The rematch was hyped up as a Warrior vs. Warrior affair, as Raasch and Viborg-Hurley coach Shane Warwick are Castlewood High School graduates. 

On the court, Castlewood played nearly flawless and seized the momentum early to cap off the championship season. 

“I am just trying to take it all in,” said Castlewood senior Luke Baumberger, who finished with 12 points and six rebounds. “It’s such a great feeling. We just put in so much work and we knew that we could do it. We were on a mission all year and we just accomplished it. 

Laue, a 6-foot-9 senior center, matched up against Viborg-Hurley’s Nick Hanson, a 6-foot-7 senior center. Hanson finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. 

Laue regularly drew multiple defenders, and finished 4-of-7 from the field and 5-of-7 at the free-throw line. 

“They were helping off a lot,” Laue said. “So it’s kind of tough to get shots up, and get the ball entered in the post. But I got a few offensive rebounds and got some points off that. But it was a tough battle.”

In the first quarter, Castlewood jumped out to a 14-3 lead after shooting 6-of-9 from the field. Viborg-Hurley, meanwhile, struggled out of the gates and shot 1-of-11 from the field in the first quarter. 

The Warriors stretched their advantage to 19-3 on a Luke Baumberger field goal at the 7:10 mark of the second quarter. 

“If somebody would have said we were going to be up 19-3, I would have said no way,” Raasch said.  

But Brady Schroedermeier keyed an 11-0 Cougar run, notching two field goals and multiple steals to help get Viborg-Hurley within striking distance. The Cougars sliced the deficit to 19-14 on a Schroedermeier field goal. Castlewood took a 21-14 lead into halftime, but the Warriors were still confident going into the locker room. 

“We played our game,” said junior Brody Bass, who tallied 11 points and seven rebounds. “We didn’t let the crowd get to us, the outside elements. We came out and had fun, focused on what we do best and in the end it just played out.”

In the third quarter, the Cougars continued to chip away and cut into Castlewood’s lead, 27-23. But Brody Bass, Kamden Keszler and Luke Baumberger sparked an 11-0 surge. The trio each hit 3-pointers in a two-minute stretch, pushing Castlewood’s lead to 38-26 after the third quarter. 

“Basketball is a game of runs,” Baumberger said. “They went on a run in the second quarter, but we just came back and got another run. That’s just how it goes. It was huge.” 

The Warriors closed it out in the fourth quarter, putting an exclamation point on the state championship. 

“Our kids were poised all year,” Raasch said. “They were on a mission, locked in on a goal and they weren’t going to be denied tonight.”