Posen?s perfect at districts, looking to advance to regional title game

Posen won its first boys? basketball district title since 2000 on Friday, eliminating a frustrated Atlanta Huskie squad, 73-61, at Johannesburg-Lewiston High School. The final score wasn?t nearly as close at the beginning of the fourth quarter when the Vikings (19-3) enjoyed a 24-point advantage. It was a jubilant group of young men hoisting a district championship trophy in the air. ?It feels really good,? said junior forward Matt Ponik, who remembered getting bounced from the tournament the last two years. ?It?s once-in-a-lifetime. It?s awesome,? said senior point guard Luke Hentkowski. ?I hope we can keep this going.?

PONIK AND senior Ron Kroll scored 25 points each and were red hot from outside. The two combined for nine three-pointers, with six coming off the hands of Kroll. ?We knew that Ronnie Kroll and Matt Ponik could shoot the threes, and we knew someday that the two of them were going to be on fire. It had never happened together (but) it happened together today,? said coach Ron Misiak, winner of his first district title in four tries with Posen (19-3). Joburg High School has been good to the Posen basketball teams, as the girls won a district trophy in the same gym last fall.

The Vikings were to play in the regional semifinal against Rapid River Wednesday (past press time) at Newberry High School. Results of the game were to be posted at PIAdvance.com as soon as possible. The winner will play Harbor Light Christian, which defeated Brimley in overtime Tuesday, 79-72. With a win Posen would advance to a regional championship game and would have a chance to tie a school record for wins set by the 2000 team, which went 21-4. The Vikings couldn?t get past 22-1 Bellaire in the regional championship game that year. POSEN BLEW Friday?s game wide-open by playing stingy defense. The Vikings contested the Atlanta ball handlers every trip down the floor. With Posen on top 27-20 near the halfway mark of the second period, the first of two technical fouls was called on a shooting foul on Ponik. He drained four consecutive shots from the charity stripe and was fouled again. Ponik made both shots for a six point play.

Minutes later the Atlanta coach was called for a technical and Ponik went to the line and made four more, giving him 10 consecutive free throws. When the dust settled, the Vikings were in control 37-20.

?I think it was a big factor at that point,? said Misiak. In the second half, Ponik and Kroll put on a three point shooting show, which helped the red and white build a 24-point lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, 59-35.

THE

LEAD was 20 before the Huskies made a respectable 10-0 run with less than three minutes to go. Junior Aaron Hincka had 13 points and 17 rebounds. Ponik had seven assists, while Hentkowski had three blocks. Allen Cunningham for Atlanta had 25 points. Posen again used stifling defense in shutting down the Hillman Tigers at the Class D district semifinal game March 10, 64-31, and advanced to the district championship. Both sides started slow, with the first points not getting scored until the game was three minutes old, on a pair of free throws by Ponik. The first field goal came about a minute later from Hillman.

The Vikings (18-3) got rolling and never looked back, outscoring the Tigers through the rest of the first quarter, 11-1. Posen held Hillman to single digit point totals in the first (three) and third (four) quarters. ?That?s great defense,? said Misiak. ?Everybody from the starters to the guys on the bench did just great. Ponik and Tom Woloszyk did a great job in the middle.? Kroll had a game-high 16 points, while Ponik added 15.