Seymour holds off SPASH boys in Sentry Classic finale, 57-52 Boys National Division Seymour 57, SPASH 52 After the two teams battled back and forth for three quarters, the Seymour High boys basketball team and its duo of Kyle Grusczynski and Chad Marks held on in the final period to top Stevens Point Area Senior High 57-52 in the final game of the Sentry Classic last Thursday. The Panthers got within a single point of the lead three different times in the fourth quarter but were never able to overcome Seymour. The Thunder jumped to a 15-6 first quarter lead but SPASH roared back, outscoring Seymour 24-9 in the second quarter to take a 30-24 halftime advantage. Seymour then outscored the Panthers 17-9 in the third for a 41-39 lead heading into the final quarter. Grusczynski (a 6-7 UW-Madison recruit) and the 6-6 Marks were a two-man wrecking crew. Marks had 22 points on 9-of-9 shooting and Grusczynski finished with 16 points to earn MVP honors. Nick Bennett paced the Panthers with 23 while Casey Taggatz had 11 and Josh Hall scored 10. SPASH 53, Chippewa Falls 30 The Panthers overcame an off night to top Chippewa Falls, 53-30, last Wednesday. SPASH trailed 10-9 after the first quarter but then exploded in the second and third quarters to take a 37-18 lead into the final period. The Cardinals struggled from the field, shooting only 13-of-48 (27 percent). SPASH, while hitting 21-of-46 overall, had trouble connecting from 3-point land (3-of-16). Hall had 12 points and nine rebounds while Derek Czaikowski added 10 in a balanced scoring attack. Boys American Division West Salem 39, Pacelli 35 One night after upsetting Adams-Friendship, Pacelli came close to pulling off another stunner in a 39-35 loss to West Salem. The Cardinals took a 31-25 lead into the fourth quarter but West Salem, led by 6-10 center Michael Southall, outscored Pacelli 14-4 in the final period. The Panthers scored seven of the quarters first eight points to pull even and held the Cardinals down the stretch. Southall, a University of Kentucky recruit, scored 19 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and had eight blocked shots. Josh Owens had a huge night for the Cardinals, pouring in 26 points on 9-of-23 shooting. He was named the Warren P. Choudoir MVP for the American Division. Jim Czlapinski, who had four points in the game, was named to the All-Sentry Classic American Division team. Girls Division Mosinee 44, SPASH 38 The Mosinee High girls basketball team opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run and turned a four-point SPASH deficit to 12 in the Indians' 44-38 win last Thursday. The Panthers were unable to score in the first five and a half minutes of the final period but mounted a comeback to cut Mosinee's lead to 38-34 with 55 seconds left. The Indians then sealed the win with a Becky Steiber layup and 4-for-4 shooting from the free throw line. Steiber, who was named MVP of the Girls Division, scored 15 points and had 12 rebounds. Amanda Nechuta scored 19 points for Mosinee. Janel McCarville led SPASH with 14 points while Steph Karaliunas added 10. McCarville and Karaliunas were named to the All-Sentry Classic girls team while point guard Emily Pliska received the Miss Hustle award. Nekoosa 49, Pacelli 35 The Papermakers jumped to a 26-11 halftime lead and didn't look back in a 49-35 victory over the Cardinals last Thursday. Pacelli hit only 3-of-20 shots from the field in the first half (15 percent) and also committed 15 turnovers. The Cardinals did bounce back in the fourth quarter to outscore Nekoosa 18-11. Laura McCorkell scored 18 points to lead Pacelli. McCorkell and Lindsey Radomski each had nine rebounds. Radomski was named to the All-Sentry Classic girls team.