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It’s been quite the year for the senior-laden Spring Valley boys basketball team and it’s not over yet.

After defeating Eau Claire Regis 78-45 in the regional semifinal game on Friday, March 4, the Spring Valley boys hosted Elmwood/Plum City in the WIAA Division 4 Regional Championship game, which the Cardinals won 53-40 to advance to sectionals.

The regional championship was no ordinary game for both Spring Valley and Elmwood/Plum City. The two teams, both located in Pierce County, have one of the best rivalries in the area. Approximately 30 minutes before tip-off of the regional final game, the Spring Valley gym was packed – half Cardinals fans and half Wolves fans.

Because of the intraconference status of the two teams, they had met two times previously this season. In both instances, Spring Valley came out on top. The third meeting of the two teams was another thrilling contest.

Four minutes into the first half, senior guard Tyler Bowman picked off an errant Elmwood/Plum City pass and went coastto- coast for the layup to take a 6-3 lead. However, on the ensuing defensive possession, Spring Valley star forward Connor Ducklow picked up his second foul in four minutes.

Spring Valley head coach Rob Bosshart immediately subbed Ducklow out of the game to avoid him picking up a third foul early in the first half. To play it safe, Ducklow sat the last approximately 13 minutes of the first half. Bosshart spoke about pulling Ducklow to prevent additional foul trouble.

“Connor was lobbying to get back in during the first half, but I thought if we could maintain a lead, then we would stick it out as long as we could,” Bosshart said. “He was highly motivated at halftime to get back into the game during that second half.”

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Spring Valley only had a three-point lead when Ducklow left the game early in that first half. However, it’s a group of boys that spent a majority of the season without Ducklow on the floor because he had missed time due to an injury suffered during the football season. They were already used to playing without him and that experience unquestionably helped Spring Valley in the biggest game of its season thus far.

“We played all of before Christmas without him, he never even practiced one,” Bosshart said. “We still went 5-1. The kids didn’t blink. Charlie (Maier) is a great defender. He’s overmatched size-wise, but he’s a great defender.”

Other players stepped up in Ducklow’s absence. Throughout the first half, Spring Valley built a small two-point lead going into the halftime break. Perhaps no Cardinal stepped up more than the aforementioned Bowman, who scored 12 of Spring Valley’s 20 first-half points.

The 20-18 halftime lead was promising for Bosshart’s squad, considering Ducklow didn’t see the floor for the last 13 minutes of the half. For Bosshart, Bowman’s offensive dominance was no surprise.

“I’m not surprised, that’s what he’s capable of,” Bosshart said of Bowman. “That kid is a winner. He’s got a competitive edge and mindset. One thing I always think about him is that he’s fearless. He’s our leading rebounder for a reason. He’s not afraid to drive the lane and take a big shot when we need it.”

Six minutes into the second half, Elmwood/ Plum City had tied the game 28-28. That’s when Spring Valley sophomore Jameson Bauer made a layup to regain the lead 30-28. Elmwood/Plum City senior forward Luke Webb made his presence known.

He grabbed an offensive rebound, took a lot of contact, drew the foul, and made the shot to tie the game. He made the free throw to convert the old-fashioned three-point play, giving Elmwood/ Plum City its first lead of the game 31-30 with just over 10 minutes to go in regulation.

When the Wolves took the lead for the first time midway through that second half, it was a make-or-break moment for Spring Valley. A couple of minutes later, the Cardinals threw a haymaker by going on a 10-0 run which started with over six minutes left and ended with under four minutes to play. The run gave the Cardinals a 45-34 lead and a whole lot of momentum in the closing minutes.

The only major scoring run of the game by either team not only gave Spring Valley the lead but essentially sealed the game and forced a timeout by Elmwood/Plum City head coach Kyle Webb. Rob Bosshart spoke about that moment in the second half when the game could go either way.

“I think it’s their mentality of ‘Go win the game,’” Bosshart said of that second half 10-0 run. “They weren’t going to sit back and wait for something to happen. They went and got a loose ball, they got down the court in transition, they got a defensive rebound and got the ball out. They have that competitive mentality and when they saw daylight, they went and got it. That was the spark.”

Spring Valley rode that competitive mentality to a 53-40 victory and a regional championship. Bosshart spoke about the feeling of winning the regional title this season.

“I told the kids that I thought the game went like our season did,” Bosshart said. “We were favored being a one-seed, but I don’t know if we were that much better. We had high expectations, but it was never easy. When we got behind, it was indicative of that adversity we saw throughout the year. We never lost our composure.”

Composure, especially in the playoffs, is often demonstrated by experienced seniorladen squads like that of Spring Valley. After the game, Ducklow was quick to give credit to Bowman, who carried the scoring load while Ducklow sat on the bench in that first half.

“Well, you’re playing the game with your best friend, you’re succeeding with your best friend, and obviously, he’s a baller,” Ducklow said. “He scores whenever he wants, he gets open whenever he wants, and it’s awesome to have him there. If I’m trapped down in the post, I look for Tyler (Bowman) and my other shooters. It’s a dream come true (to play with him).”

The victory for Spring Valley ends the Wolves’ season in the regional final. Elmwood/ Plum City head coach Kyle Webb came out of the locker room after the game, spoke about the loss and reflected on the season.

“Everyone played hard, having a game last night didn’t help, we were tired, and you could tell,” Kyle Webb said after the loss. “Turnovers got us, and we didn’t capitalize on mistakes they made. There were plenty of times we got the ball on a turnover from them and then gave it right back to them.”

Basketball is often a game of inches. Sometimes a three-pointer that looks good coming off of the shooter’s hand just rattles out. A couple of those throughout a game can swing the entire contest. For Kyle Webb, that’s how he felt about the regional final loss.

“We had a lot of shots that just barely didn’t go in,” Kyle Webb said. “We had four or five three-pointers that rattled around and didn’t go in. That’s just the way it goes sometimes.”

While Elmwood/Plum City goes home, Spring Valley moves on and will play another Dunn-St. Croix Conference team, Durand, in the sectional semi-final on Thursday, March 10. Ducklow spoke about playing Durand in the sectional semi-final, a team that Spring Valley has already seen twice this year.

“In the playoffs here we’re playing two conference teams (Elmwood/Plum City and Durand),” Ducklow said. “The benefit of that is that you know them, but they also know you. We’re ready for it and we’re ready to go get Durand. We think we match up well. We’re confident in our defense and we know shots will fall. I love playing with this group of seniors and I love them.”

Spring Valley and Durand will square off in the sectional semi-final on Thursday, in a neutral site game at Menomonie. That game is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

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