Pacelli boys stun A-F in Sentry Classic, 46-35 By DON FRIDAY Special to The Gazette Composure with the pressure on, outstanding work on the boards and clutch free throw shooting with the game on the line enabled the Pacelli High boys basketball team to turn in one of the major upsets in the state this season here on Tuesday night. The Cardinals (2-6) stunned defending WIAA Division 2 state runner-up Adams-Friendship, 46-35, in the final game of the opening day in the 28th annual Sentry Holiday Classic at Quandt Fieldhouse. The Green Devils, with three starters and seven players back from the 26-1 team whose only loss came in the state title game at the hands of New London last season, came into action with an 8-0 record and a ranking in the top three in the state, both by the Wisconsin Men's Basketball Yearbook and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel weekly poll. Pacelli, however, was not awed by A-F's impressive credentials. The Cardinals beat the Green Devils at their own came by playing patient offense and a tenacious zone defense which forced A-F to shoot mainly from the perimeter. Trailing 18-15 at halftime, the Cardinals of coach Steve Newcomer surged into a 26-20 lead after three quarters, then outscored A-F down the stretch, 20-15. A 3-point jumper from the left angle by 6-2 senior Nate Swenson put Pacelli in front to stay, 35-33, with 2:22 remaining. The Cardinals then sealed the victory by converting nine of 12 free throws in the final 1:49, including the last six in a row-four by 5-7 freshman Ahern Cashin and two by 6-7 sophomore Kyle Corrigan. The Cardinals hit 13 of 17 free throws all told while the Green Devils sank just 7 of 15. Although Pacelli turned the ball over 16 times against a trapping zone employed by A-F, the Cardinals broke the pressure enough times to set up easy goals underneath by 6-3 senior Jim Czlapinski and Corrigan. Pacelli also shot 44 percent from the field while limiting A-F to a frigid 27 percent and dominated the boards against a bigger opponent, 41-23. The Green Devils were just 2 of 21 from 3-point range. Lead guard Josh Owens turned in a superb all-around performance, particularly handling the ball against pressure. The 6-0 senior tallied 11 points, handed out five assists and grabbed four rebounds. Czlapinski added 10 points and led a balanced rebounding effort by pulling down nine. Corrigan had eight points and six boards while Swenson was credited with seven points and eight rebounds. A-F was led by 6-2 junior Jered Masson and 6-0 junior Ben Hickethier with 10 points each. Pacelli held 6-3 senior post player Alex Heitman, who had 11 rebounds, to four points. SPASH 45, Nekoosa 35 The Stevens Point Area Senior High girls basketball team's defense did the job again Tuesday afternoon, as the Panthers downed Nekoosa 45-35 in the opener of the Sentry Classic. SPASH (6-1) used a 10-1 run in the first quarter to take an early 16-6 lead and kept the defense going in the second quarter. The Panthers held the Papermakers (5-3) to just one field goal in the final 13:25 of the first half and entered the locker room leading 27-12. Nekoosa outscored SPASH 23-18 in the second half, including a 15-9 margin in a sloppy fourth quarter. Janel McCarville paced the Panthers with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting. She also had nine rebounds and two blocks. Steph Karaliunas scored 10 points and had six steals. SPASH connected on 17-of-36 from the field (47 percent) while Nekoosa hit just 11-of-31 (36 percent). Mosinee 73, Pacelli 26 The Division 2 Mosinee High School girls basketball team came out with its guns blazing and took it to Pacelli Tuesday night, 73-26 in the Sentry Classic. The Indians (8-0) hit their first nine shots and shutout the Cardinals (3-6) in the first 4:20 to take a 21-0 lead. Mosinee continued to frustrate Pacelli's offense and held the Cardinals to just 1-of-12 shooting in the first half (eight percent) and held a 46-7 halftime advantage. Mosinee is ranked No.1 the state in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Division 2 poll. Becky Stieber, a 6-0 senior center, had her way in the middle for Mosinee, scoring 23 points while she grabbed seven rebounds and had seven steals. Guard Jenny Lau added 14 points and Amanda Nechuta had 10 points and six steals. Lindsey Radomski was the lone Pacelli player in double figures, scoring 11 points. Kristin Mitchell had nine.