Sometimes, you can do almost everything right in a championship game, but fate decides it’s just not your time yet to feel the glory.
The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton boys’ basketball team was on the wrong side of fate on Saturday, February 24, as they traveled to Blooming Prairie in their first conference championship game since 2006. With a considerable lead, it looked likely that they would win their first championship since 1998. But with a dry spell in the second half, a bit of hard luck, a loud crowd in a hostile environment, and an Awesome Blossoms team that would not quit, they lost 59-61.
“It was a tough loss for our boys tonight,” said Head Coach Nick James. “They proved that they deserved to be here. It’s something they worked hard for. Of course, there’s some disappointment on how that went down the stretch. But the season’s still going, so it’s not the end of the world.”
The last time the JWP Bulldogs faced Blooming Prairie, it was a similar result: a 54-57 loss. This time, though, things were different. Blooming Prairie was state-ranked in Class A, while the Bulldogs had a much better offense than when they faced the Awesome Blossoms, which they proved most of the night.
The first half was competitive, as both teams struggled offensively. However, senior Memphis James led the way. Both teams traded leads. JWP took a 15-12 lead midway through the first half. Then the Blossoms took it back 18-17.
The game leaned JWP’s way near the end, going from 26-26 to a 35-26 halftime lead. It was a much better first half for the Bulldogs than the last time they faced the Blossoms.
Things continued going their way at the start of the second half. JWP took their largest lead midway into the half when it was 54-39. But then, they stopped scoring and hit one of their driest spells this season. They only scored five points in the latter five points of the second half. Blooming Prairie used their height to bear down on them and shut down most scoring chances. And whatever got past the Blossoms usually didn’t go in, including a free throw or two.
“We really hit a cold spot in the middle of that second half, and that cost us,” Coach James shared. “They have a lot of tall guys on their team, and they were able to use their height against us in that second half.”
The roar of the crowd was deafening the entire night, and it only grew as the Blossoms attempted the ultimate comeback. It played a factor in the dry spell JWP hit, as there were a few instances where they lost track of the shot clock and either had to force shots from bad angles or ran out of time.
The crowd’s loudness hit its climax as Blooming Prairie crawled out of its 16-point deficit in the final seconds, hitting one last shot in the paint to all but seal it. Sophomore Daulton Bauer took one last desperate shot from near half-court, but it sadly had no chance of making it.
What looked like another massive victory in an already historic season for JWP turned into a loss for the good guys. Instead, Blooming Prairie took the conference championship hardware and fortified its status as one of the top teams in the state.
Despite the comeback, James didn’t blame the loss on a lack of defense in the second half. “Our guys defended well out there,” he said. “We did well guarding all of their good players.”
It was simply height and Blooming Prairie’s sudden accuracy in the second half that put the Bulldogs in trouble. “They’re so tall and long that they hit shots even with our guys guarding them as well as they did. They just rose over them.”
It’s hard to describe how much this loss hurt, but James tried his best. “It’s something you want for the kids. They worked hard for this moment. It’s a tough loss, but you still got to hang your head high.”
As much as they want to turn back time and redo a layup shot here or a three-pointer there, what’s done is done. All they can do now is focus on the section playoffs and play like they have nothing to lose.
“We just have to put this loss behind us, focus on practice this week, and make sure we’re ready for the first game of sections,” James shared.
The boys hold the #2 seed in Subsection 2AA South, where they will likely stay as other teams within their section wrap up their games; Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial is the first seed.
They are in a position to take on Blue Earth Area in the first round of the playoffs on March 5. It’s also possible they could face WEM a third time if they lose to BEA and drop in the section standings.
