By MMC staff

MARSHFIELD – For the third time in as many meetings this season, the Marshfield Tigers boys basketball team on March 6 beat the Stevens Point Panthers. For the first time, however, the Tigers had to overcome a halftime deficit to do so.

Marshfield withstood a late charge from SPASH to hang on for a 64-60 win in a Division 1 regional semifinal at the Marshfield High School fieldhouse. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead after a 6-0 run to start the game.

The Panthers then used a 10-2 run a few minutes later to grab an 18-15 lead. SPASH extended that lead to six by halftime, leading the Tigers 32-26 at the break, after shooting 13-for-19 from the floor.

Marshfield’s Sam Hinson goes high against SPASH’s Nate Streveler in the regional game on March 6 at Marshfield High School. HCT Staff photo.

Marshfield then began blistering the nets in the second half, mainly from the paint, once the SPASH defense took away the Marshfield three-point shooters. The Tigers grabbed a one-point lead with just over two minutes to go, and hung on from there.

Anthony Posteluk led Marshfield with 18 points. Joey Goettl added 14 points, while Sam Hinson and Kyle Tremelling each dropped in 12.

Evan Vollendorf and James Jacobs led the Panthers with 16 points each. Nate Streveler added 15 points. Stevens Point ended its season at 13-10.

The Tigers, meanwhile, ended their season the way it began — with a loss to Neenah. After holding off Stevens Point the night before, the Tigers dropped a Division 1 regional title contest to the Rockets 63-49 on March 7 in Neenah.

That score is not indicative of how close the game was, though. The Tigers and Rockets were tied at nine after the first six minutes, before Marshfield took a 27-26 lead late in the first half. An 8-3 run by the Rockets put them ahead 34-30 at the halftime break.

Marshfield had cut Neenah’s lead to one with just over seven minutes remaining. The Rockets built the lead back up to five with just over three minutes left, thanks in large to the efforts of Max Klesmit, who scored on a couple of three-point plays down the stretch.

Klesmit led all scorers with 32 points. Posteluk led Marshfield with 19 points; Joey Goettl added 11. The Tigers were 19-for-38 from the floor, or 50 percent.They shot the same percentage from three-point range (8-for-16) and two-point range (11-for-22), and they were 50 percent from the free throw line as well (3-for-6). Marshfield ends its season 15-9.