Dvorak for the tie, Warriors for the win over rival

The Ozaukee boys had a chance. A back-and-forth second half with intense defense discombobulating Cedar Grove-Belgium’s potent offense had the Warriors’ high school basketball team trailing by three with 6.4 seconds left in Fredonia last Thursday.

The Rockets’ second-leading scorer Carter Schmitz made one of two free throws, enough to make it difficult but keep the Warriors one shot away. Ozaukee junior guard CJ Dvorak dribbled slowly as he neared the left wing behind the three-point line, had a good look and fired.

The ball bounced off the backboard and off the rim a couple of times before falling at the buzzer.

The Fredonia fans went into a frenzy, sounding much louder than the number in attendance. The Warriors were still alive and heading into overtime with momentum.

“I came down the court. I looked up at the clock. There were just a few seconds left. I was like, I gotta shoot it,” Dvorak said. “So I put it up. I was like, it could go off the backboard. It just went in. OK, now we go to overtime and we finish this game.”

The Rockets remained cold in the four-minute extra period, and the Warriors did enough, going 15-for-24 on free throws but making the final six in the last 41 seconds, to pull out an 84-76 win, halting the Rockets’ 10-game winning streak.

Ozaukee coach Bob Domach said the final play call was for one of two players to shoot before the Rockets could foul.

“It was either (Dvorak) or Braydon Lawrence-Eischen to come down and jack it up. Just take it and go,” he said.

Cedar Grove-Belgium coach Jack Hock said he didn’t tell his team to foul.

“Looking back, I had to have them foul, but you can’t change it,” he said.

“That’s a great shot on a low-percentage shot — in transition, a bank shot from the volleyball line, good for him. That’s a cool moment for him.”

Lowrance-Eischen led all scorers with 28 points on 9-for-12 shooting, and he had seven rebounds.

“It was very exciting. It was really loud in here. It was kinda crazy,” he said.

Ozaukee’s Chase Mills had 20 points on 9-for-16 shooting, along with 10 rebounds before fouling out with 13 seconds left in regulation.

Griffin Knight scored 26 points to lead the Rockets on 8-for-13 shooting. He went 9-for-11 on free throws and he had nine rebounds. He put the team’s offense on his back for part of the second half as the rest of the Rockets were either cold, in foul trouble or stymied by the Warriors’ defense.

Owen Gulke had 20 points on 5-for-13 shooting and went 8-for-11 on free throws for the Rockets. Carter Schmitz came out hot early and had 17 points but only shot 6-for-24, in part due to the defense of Nick Schubert.

“Carter’s a really, really good player. We struggled a little bit in the beginning, but then we challenged Nick during a timeout, and Nick took that challenge,” Domach said.

“Carter hit some tough shots, but Nick was on him the whole time. He cooled off, and I think part of that was the tenacity Nick was playing with.”

The Rockets’ post players, Thomas Wiesner and Noah Lukens, were in foul trouble for much of the night. Wiesner had eight points and Lukens didn’t score.

The Rockets started the game strong and took a double-digit lead with three and a half minutes to play in the first half. The Warriors closed to 38-32 at the break.

“We just had to keep our composure, stay together, not get on each other and always pick each other up, work together,” Lowrance-Eischen said.

Domach echoed those thoughts.

“At any time in the game we didn’t fall apart. We stayed connected as a team and as a coach, that’s what you want to see,” Domach said. “It was a tough battle. They’re a really good team. Jake is a great coach. It’s just amazing our resiliency and how we never gave up.”

Hock also praised his counterpart.

“He’s such a great coach. He made some adjustments that really were next-level stuff. I think that’s a game that he won as a coach,” he said. “They did a great job on defense. Carter and Owen really got shut down in the second half. They really had a good scheme against them.”

Hock said he liked his seniors’ attitude heading into overtime after the buzzer-beater.

“They were all positive. You can’t teach that. That’s a big thing with our culture, that next step moment,” he said.

While they didn’t win, Hock said the game could be an educational tool.

“If there’s such a thing as a great loss, that’s it, in terms of it’s a good reality check for all of us, myself included. It hits the reset button,” he said.

Schmitz said the team has been off the past few games.

“We’re 12 -2 and we needed a little kick in the teeth. We haven’t really been playing well lately,” he said.

Knight said, “We played pretty bad all around and you can’t rely on other things.”

Hock, who relishes the atmosphere of high school  basketball, loved the environment in Ozaukee’s tight gym.

“It’s a great high school gym because it’s so loud and the walls are in. It feels like you’re kinda in a little cage. It’s such a great home court advantage for them,” he said.

“I hate playing here because I love how awesome it is. It is always just a boxing match in here because of the atmosphere and they’re so well coached.”

Domach was happy with how his team bounced back from a 61-49 loss at 2-12 West Bend East on Jan. 27. The Warriors shot 15-for-57 (26%) from the field. Mills had 20 points and seven rebounds and Lowrance-Eischen had 14 points and six rebounds.

“We had a horrible game at West Bend East. We got on them a little bit at practice. We challenged them and they rose to the occasion,” Domach said.

The Rockets came off an 83-49 win over Campbellsport, their second straight 20-point-plus victory.

Gulke had 20 points on 9-for-15 shooting. Schmitz had 18 on 7-for-11 shooting. Knight scored 11 on 5-for-7 shooting. Sawyer Knutson had 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting and Wiesner had eight points on 4-for-6 shooting, along with eight assists. The Rockets shot 34-for-53 (64%) from the field and went 10-for-20 on three-pointers.

The Rockets, 12-3 overall, 4-3 in the Big East Conference South and tied for third with Kohler, were to host Oostburg in a girls-boys doubleheader on Tuesday, Feb. 3. They play at Mayville on Friday, Feb. 6, and host Kohler on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

Ozaukee, 6-8 overall and 2-5 in the Big East South, was to host rival Random Lake on Tuesday, Feb. 3. The Warriors host Hilbert on Thursday, Feb. 5, play at Oostburg on Friday, Feb. 6, at St. Lawrence Seminary on Saturday, Feb. 7, and at Sheboygan Christian on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

Regardless of what happens the rest of the season, Dvorak has a highlight that ranks above a late clutch shot in youth ball.

“In third grade I hit a game-winning layup and that was it. I’ll take this one over that any day,” he said.