Wisconsin Lutheran tops Arrowhead to headline Viking Classic

WAUWATOSA - Three area boys basketball programs were in action Friday night at Wisconsin Lutheran College, as Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Arrowhead and Wisconsin Lutheran took part in intriguing early-season nonconference matchups at the Viking Classic. Wisconsin Lutheran (2-0) picked up an 82-67 win over Arrowhead (0-1), while Kettle Moraine Lutheran (1-2) fell 67-63 to Fox Valley Lutheran (3-0). Here are capsules from each game:

Knueppel vs. Basich headlines physical Vikings win

The finale Friday night pitted the hosting D2 powerhouse Vikings against an Arrowhead Warhawks team making its 2023-2024 season debut after a trip to the WIAA Division 1 state title game last March.

The game took a strikingly different, physical tone in comparison to the Kettle Moraine Lutheran vs. Fox Valley Lutheran game that preceded it. Wisco surged out to an 11-2 lead on three pointers from seniors Trey Raabe and Kon Knueppel, as well as junior Isaiah Mellock. Arrowhead answered with an 11-2 run of its own before the Vikings broke away to a 33-23 lead at half.

A strong start to the second half helped Wisco hold off a late Arrowhead rally to within 64-57 with five minutes left. Foul trouble had the Vikings shifting their defensive rotations throughout, but WL head coach Ryan Walz was happy with how his team responded, particularly on the boards. The Vikings out-rebounded Arrowhead 45-26.

"When we had scrimmages earlier this year, we felt that one of the games we scrimmaged we got beat up pretty good. We challenged the guys that we have to play a lot more physically, and this was the response," Walz said.

That physicality cut both ways, as Knueppel found himself in early foul trouble while filling in at center for a starter out due to illness. The positional switch put him against Iowa State football commit Jace Gilbert early, which led to Knueppel picking up a pair of first-half fouls.

Walz switched the Duke-recruit Knueppel off Gilbert to UW-Green Bay commit Bennett Basich, which was already shaping up to be the matchup of the night when the Vikings had the ball. Both college prospects had their moments throughout Friday's game, highlighted perhaps in the first half by Basich swatting a Knueppel jumper.

The state's top 2024 recruit went on a tear in the second half with 22 points to bring his total for the night to a team-leading 35. Knueppel regretted the foul trouble that got him off his original assignment, but enjoyed going up against a familiar opponent in Basich.

"We thought it was gonna be a dog fight. Arrowhead’s a good team, they play really physical, so we expected that. I'm proud of our guys and how we fought," Knueppel said. "I know Bennett, I play AAU with him, so it’s good to see him again and play against him."

Logan Rindfleisch followed among Vikings scoring leaders with 16 points, with Raabe also reaching double-digits with 12. Arrowhead's scoring leaders included 24 points from Basich, 17 from Gilbert and 10 from junior AJ Ohrmundt.

Walz said the Vikings consistently try to schedule the best nonconference opponents it can find early in the season, and was encouraged by how games like Friday's can bring a team along.

"We’re not trying to duck anybody, we’re trying to play as tough of games as we can," Walz said. "A team like Arrowhead with their physicality, their athleticism, the way they can get up and down the floor. Absolutely early in the season it pushes you ahead, gets you ahead of schedule where you’d normally be early in the season."

Kettle Moraine Lutheran shows depth in narrow loss to FVL

The Viking Classic opened with a closely-contested affair between KML and Fox Valley Lutheran that showed off a young Chargers squad.

KML grabbed a 31-21 first half lead over Fox Valley, but saw that advantage dwindle down the stretch. Chargers senior Garrett Murphy, who eclipsed 1,000 career points last Saturday, twice converted go-ahead free throw opportunities in the final six minutes.

Fox Valley Lutheran kept pace at the line and converted a go-ahead layup with 40 seconds remaining. A Chargers turnover on the ensuing possession and a rebound gathered out of bounds off a Foxes free throw that followed allowed the game to slip just out of KML's grasp. Chargers coach Josh Lindner was nevertheless proud of the fight shown throughout.

"Fox Valley has a very reputable program, and hats off to coach Jay (Wendland) over there," Lindner said. "I thought we battled from beginning to end. We made some mistakes, and that’s the way it goes some times."

A KML roster with four juniors, four sophomores and just Murphy and Samuel Ehlke in the senior class saw 10 total players get game action on Friday. Last season's East Central Conference-winning team graduated seven seniors, opening up a variety of roles in the starting lineup as well as off the bench.

"Just trying to see who’s hot at the right moment, giving everybody a chance right now," Lindner said of his early-season approach. "We are so young. We don’t return many starters or varsity players from last year, so trying to give everybody a chance at this point."

For a Chargers lineup replacing four of its top six leading scorers from a season ago, junior Jordan Wagner has been a bright spot in the early going this season. He followed up a 30-point outing in Saturday's win over Watertown with 14 points on Friday, demonstrating his ability to attack the rim and convert free throw opportunities when fouled.

"He had a great summer and fall, and he mentally prepared himself to be our number two guy right now, and he’s definitely working through his growing pains too, but he’s done a lot of great things for us already," Lindner said.

Murphy added 14 points of his own, while sophomore Nathan Kabelowsky was the third-leading scorer with nine points off the bench. In order for KML to make a strong bid for a third-consecutive East Central title, the Chargers will be relying on leadership from the seniors and valuable contributions from the underclassmen.

"(Garrett and Sam) are great role models, great leaders. They work their butts off every day, and I hope our younger guys can take that model and run with it," Lindner said.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Lutheran tops Arrowhead to headline Viking Classic