The 2025 boys' basketball Gopher Conference champions, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton. Front row: Seth Dahlberg, Jaxon Wolff, Jaxon Miller, Tyson Kronbach, and Manager AJ Radunz. Back row: Assistant Coach Connor Morton, Isaiah Berndt, Zander Terbeest, Parker Geariety, Gavin Weedman, Gavin Bauer, Caleb Quast, Daulton Bauer, Landon Johnson, Ethan Born, Jeffrey Simonson, and Head Coach Nick James.
It’s not that often that two varsity basketball teams from the same school make history by winning a conference championship.
But after the girls showed them how it’s done, the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton boys’ basketball team defeated Triton 86-68 for their first conference championship since the 2006-07 season. This game marked their second consecutive championship berth and the second time JWP and Triton faced off this season. And this time, the good guys won.
“We had the intensity we needed to win this game,” Head Coach Nick James said. “We knew they were good, and we did what we needed to on both sides of the ball.”
Ethan Born and Landon Johnson (hidden behind Born) receive the Gopher Conference title together from JWP Activities Director Nicci Malecha. 
The Bulldog Five – Captains Daulton Bauer, Ethan Born, Caleb Quast, and Landon Johnson are joined by leading scorer Gavin Bauer as they celebrate their title victory. 
Ethan Born lifts the title over his head and leads the team in a celebratory chant with a Bulldog student section. 
The 2025 boys’ basketball Gopher Conference champions, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton. Front row: Seth Dahlberg, Jaxon Wolff, Jaxon Miller, Tyson Kronbach, and Manager AJ Radunz. Back row: Assistant Coach Connor Morton, Isaiah Berndt, Zander Terbeest, Parker Geariety, Gavin Weedman, Gavin Bauer, Caleb Quast, Daulton Bauer, Landon Johnson, Ethan Born, Jeffrey Simonson, and Head Coach Nick James. 
Daulton Bauer, second-leading scorer in this game 
Daulton Bauer on the jump shot 
Daulton Bauer pushing through the paint for a layup opportunity 
Daulton Bauer really worked for this one. 
Leading scorer Gavin Bauer cashing in on a fast break 
Gavin to Gavin – Gavin Weedman congratulates G. Bauer after he forced a foul and made the shot anyway. 
Gavin Bauer passing the ball to the corner to set up a three-point opportunity 
Caleb Quast defending Triton’s lead scorer Pierce Petersohn. 
Caleb Quast preparing to shoot 
Landon Johnson on a layup shot. He contributed 17 points in arguably the best game of his career while supplying a trio of steals.
The last time the two teams faced off, JWP had home-court advantage and a steady lead in the second half. Triton hit a last-second three-point shot to force overtime, and with the momentum on their side, they won 70-65. Part of it was their will to pull off the comeback; the other part was JWP letting them back into it by backing off a bit too early.
This time, these boys came to play. Although Triton scored the first pair of points in the game, a three-pointer by Gavin Bauer and a Caleb Quast two-pointer in the paint put JWP ahead. From there, both teams traded blows, with Triton taking back the lead briefly for the second and final time before the Bauer brothers worked their magic on the court. Gavin was especially on fire as he kept hitting shots into the basket while Daulton directed traffic and kept faking shots in the key only to pass it to an open man for a clean three-point attempt from the corners.
Triton suddenly found themselves behind 32-21. However, their timeout didn’t help, as JWP jumped to a 46-33 lead at halftime.
One player that JWP had to look out for was Cobra junior Pierce Petersohn, who was single-handedly keeping his team in the game. He also broke a school record during the last time JWP faced them. “He’ll probably be one of the best players we face this season,” Coach James said. “I’m proud of how the boys defended him.”
Senior Landon Johnson opened the scoring in the second half with a free throw. He found his groove and had one of his best games in the season, faking out Cobra players throwing themselves at him to prevent layup shots. The Bulldogs seemed to be running on all cylinders as they netted 40 points to Triton’s 35 in the second half, and much of Triton’s scoring came in garbage time, more notably a chunk of Petersohn’s 37-point night against JWP. At one point, the Bulldogs had an over 20-point lead.
It was quite the celebration when the home team defeated the only conference foe that prevented them from achieving a perfect conference record. But the revenge was sweet, and the history made was savory. Seeing senior captain Ethan Born lift the Gopher Conference trophy above his head and lead the chant, “I believe that we just won,” as the student section stormed across the court was a moment this editor will not forget.
What was different this year? What was different from last year when Blooming Prairie stole a victory from JWP? What was different about this matchup against Triton compared to last time?
James’s answer? Defense.
“Our defense this year is a different element to our game,” he elaborated. “All five guys on the court can get out, guard a three, and get more active. They just make it harder for other teams.”
When everyone contributes, this team can be dangerous. This game featured one of their best offensive performances, especially from the captains. Gavin Bauer had 27 points and 9 rebounds, Daulton Bauer had 21 points and 8 assists, Landon Johnson had arguably the best game of the season with 17 points and 3 steals, Caleb Quast had 13 points, and Ethan Born earned 10 well-earned rebounds and a layup shot for 2 points.
“When everyone’s playing well, it makes us harder to defend,” James said. “This doesn’t happen without LJ. We don’t do this without Caleb stepping up. It can’t always be the Bauers. We beat really good teams when we get all four of our main guys going. And Gavin Weedman coming off the bench, and Parker Geariety hitting big shots tonight…they know that’s what they’re there to do.”
We had a chance to talk to the captains – seniors Ethan Born and Landon Johnson, and juniors Daulton Bauer and Caleb Quast – about the win. When asked their initial thoughts, well…let’s just say they were pumped.
“The whole game was awesome,” Bauer said. “I got a little nervous at halftime since we’ve been in that position before. I got flashbacks from the last game. We came in hot and put them away. It was a good challenge, and I felt we performed well as a team.”
Johnson was the first to respond when asked what had changed from the last time they played Triton. “We knew we were the better team, and that confidence helped us,” he said.
“We didn’t want them to win,” Born added. “That’s why we came out swinging.”
This game may have given this team some dangerous confidence. “I think we can beat anyone when we play like that,” Bauer said. “When we share the ball and have equal scoring…that’s tough to beat.”
Everyone agreed that this win gave them a nice boost for the playoffs. “We play Albert Lea and then get a bit of a break. If we can keep the intensity up, we will go pretty far this year.”
As Bauer mentioned, JWP has one last regular season game on its docket. They will face Albert Lea on Monday, Feb. 24. Although the game doesn’t have much of an effect on standings, it will be a nice gauge on how JWP stacks up against a team from the Big 9 Conference.
