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Français (Afrique)De Pere comes up short in WIAA state semifinal loss to Madison Memorial
MADISON - A big second-half surge helped lift Madison Memorial to a 75-62 win over De Pere in a WIAA Division 1 state semifinal March 20 at the Kohl Center.
Memorial (27-2) advances to play top-ranked Wisconsin Lutheran (29-0) in the WIAA D1 state title game March 21. Tip-off is scheduled 15 minutes after completion of the D2 final.
"I thought Madison Memorial played very well," De Pere coach Brian Winchester said. "They got after us on the boards – that was a factor in the game. They slowed us down with their zone a little bit. And we didn't get as many stops as we needed to, which is the bottom line."
Memorial led De Pere 33-32 after a first half that saw 14 lead changes. Memorial connected on seven 3-pointers, but De Pere stayed within striking distance.
Madison Memorial made its move midway through the second half, outscoring the Redbirds 19-5 during a nearly 8-minute stretch. That helped give the Spartans control of the game, and they outlasted De Pere (25-4) the rest of the way.
"I think we're a very unique team in the sense that we can play very fast, but we can also play very slow," Memorial coach Steve Collins said. "And that stretch, you could just feel it was clicking. Then as a coach, you got to get out of their way ... you gotta let them do what they do."
Memorial led by as many as 19 points at one point in the second half. Anthony Miller had 22 points to lead the Spartans with Caleb Liggon adding 20 points and seven rebounds. Memorial also connected on 12 3-pointers and shot 70% from beyond the arc (12-for-17).
"I think we knew they were shooting the ball well and that we had to dig on defense," De Pere senior Jack Bookter said. "We did our best and we tried to communicate through it, and they just kept hitting shots."
Said De Pere senior Noah Maniscalco: "I think they kind of outhustled us a little bit on the 50-50 balls, loose balls. We definitely could have been better there. Still proud of the guys' effort and how we played really hard."
Bookter had 19 points to lead De Pere with Will Krueger (13), Isaac Herlache (11) and Maniscalco (11) also scoring in double digits for the Redbirds.
De Pere, the No. 2 seed, was making its first state appearance since winning the D1 state title in 2023 and its eighth overall. De Pere advanced to the Kohl Center with a 97-74 win over Brookfield East in a sectional final.
"They're carriers of the culture," Winchester said. "Players before them have built this over a long period of time. And they carry the weight of a lot of expectations and they looked up to those expectations. And now they continue to pass that down."
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: De Pere falls short in WIAA state semifinal against Madison Memorial
Kalle Rovanpera’s Super Formula programme paused after medical evaluation
Toyota has announced that Kalle Rovanpera's plans to compete in this year’s Super Formula Championship have been paused following advice and medical evaluations.
Last year, Rovanpera announced bold plans to leave the World Rally Championship to pursue a career in single seaters, with the ultimate goal to compete at the highest level.
In a programme backed by Toyota, Rovanpera’s single seater journey was set to begin with a season in Japan’s Super Formula, driving for the KCMG team. After completing last month’s pre-season Super Formula test at Suzuka, and following advice and medical evaluations, a mutual decision between Toyota and Rovanpera has been made to halt the programme for now.
"I have difficult news to share. I will be stepping back from the upcoming races and my participation in this year’s Super Formula season," Rovanpera said on X (formerly Twitter).
"I’ve been working with medical issues for already a longer period, which have gotten worse this year.
"My health doesn’t allow me to continue safely at the moment. Now my first priority is to fix that. Feedback and progress this year shows that there’s good potential in this project. My chapter in circuit racing isn’t finished. I’m more than sorry for those who hoped to see me on track.
"I’m looking forward to see you all soon as possible! I’m grateful to Morizo, TGR and my partners for their care and for standing by me, and I’ll keep working hard to come back stronger. Thank you for your understanding and your continued support."
Rovanpera endured a challenging start to his switch to single-seater racing having had to pull out of December’s post-season Super Formula test after suffering from Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, which affects balance and vision through [the] inner ear.
However, in January, the 25-year-old stepped up his preparations for the new Super Formula season by competing in New Zealand’s Formula Regional Oceania Trophy with Hitech. The Finn scored five top 10 results, including an impressive first podium at Teretonga Park in race nine, on his way to 16th in the championship, before illness forced the two-time WRC champion to sit out the final meeting at Highlands Motorsport Park.
Kalle Rovanpera, Kids com Team KCMG
Rovanpera was back behind the wheel in Super Formula’s pre-season test at Suzuka last month, finishing 24th fastest. The Finn did improve his time by over a second through the test.
Toyota has confirmed that Rovanpera maintains a desire to come back stronger and continue competing in circuit racing, challenging himself at the highest level, but only when he is ready to do so. Toyota will offer its full support in helping Rovanpera return to the track in the future.
“I would like to share some difficult news: Kalle Rovanperä will be stepping back from the upcoming races,” read a statement from Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda (Morizo).
“He has poured his heart into challenging himself in formula cars, driven by a deep and unwavering desire to grow. Every time he got on track in private tests, his speed was clear to see. I watched him push harder, find something new within himself, and trim his lap times again and again.
“Yet despite that passion and progress, his body was struggling to keep up. After receiving a medical evaluation, we reached the painful conclusion that continuing to compete would not be the right choice for him.
“As Morizo, this decision weighed heavily on me. I asked myself what it truly means to let him chase speed, and what it means to protect someone you believe in. In the end, balancing those responsibilities led me to pause his participation in this year’s Super Formula season.
“To everyone involved, and to all the fans who have supported him with such warmth, I am truly sorry that we could not meet your hopes.
“But please believe this: his circuit racing challenge is far from over. His love for cars and his drive to become faster will not fade.
“As Morizo, I will continue to stay by his side — not only as a fellow driver, but as a team-mate who believes in him with all my heart. Thank you for your continued and heartfelt support."
KCMG’s reserve driver Seita Nonaka will take over the seat vacated by Rovanpera for the opening two races at Motegi from 4-5 April.
Read Also:
How did WRC champion Kalle Rovanpera’s single-seater debut go?
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South Bay Lakers recap: G League Lakers get back into the win column
The South Bay Lakers' 12-game winning streak was snapped on Tuesday when they lost 133-126 to the Rip City Remix in Portland. On Friday, they returned home to UCLA Health Training Center and looked to get back on track against the Grand Rapids Gold.
South Bay surged ahead 24-17 in the first quarter and withstood a brief run by Grand Rapids to take a double-digit lead in the second quarter. It led 86-82 going into the fourth quarter and was in danger of another loss, but its defense took care of things afterward.
The Lakers held Grand Rapids to 16 points in the fourth quarter, which allowed them to pull away for a 111-98 victory. Overall, the Lakers allowed Grand Rapids to shoot just 40.9% from the field, and no one on the Gold reached 20 points individually.
For the Lakers, reserve guard Tevian Jones scored 25 points on 10-of-17 field-goal shooting, and starting guard R.J. Davis also had 25 points. Center Malik Williams registered 22 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, and power forward Anton Watson had 11 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks.
With a 23-9 record, South Bay is on top of the G League's Western Conference and has a one-game lead over the second-place Mexico City Capitanes. The team has four games left on its regular-season schedule.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: South Bay Lakers recap: G League Lakers get back into the win column