Hugh Gnatzig grudgingly gave in to playing at Greendale's methodic pace here Thursday night.
Whitewater High's boys basketball coach even succumbed to running a stall in the fourth quarter and foregoing the Whippets' typical high-flying offense.
But it all worked out in the end as Whitewater pulled away from Greendale with an 11-4 fourth-quarter run to secure the 45-40 victory in a WIAA Division 2 sectional semifinal game at Janesville Parker.
The Whippets (19-4) play Monroe for a berth in the state tournament at 7 p.m. Saturday at Sun Prairie. The eighth-ranked Cheesemakers (20-4) defeated River Valley, 55-45, at Waunakee in the other semifinal game.
Whitewater High's Grant Bughman and Greendales's Alex Merg collide in mid-air while going for a rebound.
Al Hoch/Gazette Staff
"They got us into their game," Gnatzig said of the Panthers (12-12). "We kind of got into our game, but didn't convert on some lay-ups.
"We went to their game at the end, with Michael Zweifel holding the ball. We took care of the ball real well and made some free throws, and I think that was the difference."
It also didn't hurt that Whitewater underclassmen Miles Hookstead and Tony Bilderback stepped up in the fourth quarter to hold off the Panthers.
After Jake Neustedter's lay-up pulled Greendale within 32-31, Bilderback drained a three-pointer from the corner while being fouled. The freshman made the free throw to complete the four-point play and give Whitewater a 36-31 lead with 5:12 remaining.
Whitewater's Luke Buchholz encounters Greendale's Jake Neustedter near the basket.
Al Hoch/Gazette Staff
"That was a huge shot," Gnatzig said. "Tony is a shooter. He plays like a sophomore or a junior."
Whitewater then turned to its stall, until Hookstead got loose and delivered a lay-up after up-and-under move. That gave the Whippets a 38-32 lead with 2:13 left.
Hookstead had eight of his game-high 14 points in the fourth quarter, which included making all 10 of his free throws.
Alex Merg, who had 10 points, made a NBA-range three-pointer to cut Whitewater's lead to 39-35 with 30 seconds left, but Hookstead and Bilderback each made both ends of their free throws to hold off a late rally.
"It was like an empty gym," Hookstead said his late-game free throws. "It's like no one is even watching. You just shoot them. It was my best game ever."
The Whippets needed every point in a game with 11 lead changes and eight ties. Zweifel broke the final tie with a three-pointer to give Whitewater a 27-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Even with the slow pace, Whitewater frustrated the Panthers into 17 turnovers and still made six three-pointers.
"Without a doubt, the turnovers hurt," Greendale coach Paul Krajewski said. "That's been kind of our Achilles' heel all year. We knew they were quick.
"You eliminate five or six of those turnovers and get shots, make two or three, and the score could have been 46-45."
Instead, the Whippets have a shot at their first state-tournament berth in history.
Monroe 55, River Valley 45-A fourth-quarter outburst carried the Cheesemakers to the Division 2 sectional semifinal victory over River Valley (20-3) at Waunakee.
With the game tied, Monroe (20-4) rolled up a 21-11 in the final period to pull away. The Cheesemakers made 15 of 21 free throws in the fourth to advance to Saturday's sectional final against Whitewater (19-4) at Sun Prairie.
Tony Kates led a balanced Monroe attack with 16 points. Brock Bidlingmaier added 14, and Mitch Tordoff had 11.
Luke Baryenbruch paced River Valley with 14 points. The Blackhawks led 23-20 at halftime but saw the Cheesemakers tie the game with a 14-11 edge in the third quarter.
River Valley (45)-Baryenbruch, 4-5-14; Liengel, 2-3-7; Gorman, 3-0-7; Manske, 3-0-8; Gruber, 2-3-7; Peck, 1-0-2. Totals: 15-14-45.
Monroe 13 7 14 21-55
River Valley 9 14 11 11-45
Three-point goals-Monroe 4 (Bidlingmaier 2, Tordoff, Stangel), River Valley 4 (Manske 2, Baryenbruch, Gorman). Free throws missed-Monroe 7, River Valley 3. Total fouls-Monroe 15, River Valley 24. Fouled out-Liengel.
Division 3 Racine St. Catherine's defending Division 3 champions moved within one game of a third straight appearance to the state tournament.
The eighth-ranked Angels, who finished second in the Lakeshore Conference, used a 12-2 advantage in the third quarter to eliminate Capitol South champion Marshall, 47-32, in a Division 3 sectional semifinal game Thursday night at Elkhorn.
St. Catherine's (20-4) plays sixth-ranked Whitefish Bay Dominican (21-3) for the sectional title at 4 p.m. Saturday at West Allis Central.
James Harsma had 13 points to lead the Angels past Marshall. Nick Krull, a 6-6 senior, had 17 points for the Cardinals (18-6).
