Blue Dukes' Sectional Hopes Dashed in Nail-Biter

After leading Milwaukee Washington all game, the Whitefish Bay Blue Dukes started to see its sectional hopes in jeopardy when the Purgolders tied up the game halfway through the fourth quarter.

A tense Whitefish Bay fan section watched as Washington stole a ball in backcourt and electrified their home crowd with a dunk. Down by one point, the Blue Dukes tied the game with a free throw with 24 seconds remaining on the clock. The Purgolders then drew a foul with three seconds remaining.

The resulting free throw shot put an end to the Blue Dukes' 17-7 season. 

"We played hard, but a couple bounces didn't go our way and we couldn't quite come up with enough to pull it off at the end," Whitefish Bay coach Kevin Lazovik said.

Lazovik said they came into the Washington gymnasium ready to battle, as they knew the second-seeded Washington team was going to put pressure on them. Whitefish Bay was seeded third in the same sectional bracket.

Despite the painful last-minute loss, Lazovik said he was proud to see his boys improve and grow as players over the course of the season.

"We played hard all year, and we got better, which is what we wanted to do," Lazovik said. "I couldn't be happier with the effort we put in. Now hopefully we can build from that and get better."