By Murray Gleffe
Correspondent
GREEN BAY – Ashwaubenon and Notre Dame Academy both entered round two of their Fox River Classic Conference (FRCC) boys’ basketball matchup with one conference loss.
The game didn’t disappoint.
Behind Marcus Tomashek’s 26 points and Matt Imig’s 23, the Jaguars defeated the Tritons 75-65 Jan. 25 at Notre Dame.
“It was a physical game and tough atmosphere to play in,” Ashwaubenon Head Coach Mark Tomashek said. “We had guys step up and do their jobs. It’s great to get out of here with a win not being 100%.”
On a night when the Jaguars, ranked No. 6 in Division 2, went seven deep because of injuries and COVID-19 protocols, the unsung hero was perhaps Marcus’s younger brother, Drew Tomashek.
The sophomore guard, who sees limited action, pumped in 11 points off the bench, hitting three late triples when the Tritons were making a push.
“It was crazy,” Drew Tomashek said. “It was one of the most intense games I’ve ever played.”
Keegan King led Notre Dame with 22 points, while Chris Mitchell added 18.
After burning an early timeout, Ashwaubenon settled in and took its first lead of the game, 16-15, when Imig drained a 23-footer from the left wing.
With about seven minutes remaining in the first half, the Tritons added to their woes on defense, as King and Ethan Wall-Atim both went to the bench with two fouls.
“It’s always tough when you play a bunch of games and you have guys that have to sit,” Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Bobinski said. “(Wall-Atim) did a nice job on Marcus (Tomashek) with his length and height. It’s the nature of the sport. Sometimes you get the calls, and sometimes you don’t. You have to manage those situations and not get rattled.”
Ashwaubenon (13-1 overall, 9-1 FRCC) scored 12 of the final 14 points of the half to take a 33-22 lead into intermission.
Jayden Schoen hit a contested triple in the opening moments of the second half to give the Jaguars their biggest lead of the night at 38-25.
Notre Dame (11-4, 7-2) wasn’t about to go quietly into the night behind a near-capacity crowd.
The Tritons brought the deficit under double digits, and then, after Emmett Lawton connected on an elbow jumper and King a layup off the glass, the home team was within 50-49 with 8:30 remaining.
“I was proud of the fightback in the second half,” Bobinski said. “Our attacking offense was good. We brought it almost back.”
Minutes later, Drew Tomashek silenced the home crowd with a dagger from beyond the arc and then hit another 3 to put Ashwaubenon up 64-58.
“It was time I came into a bigger role,” Drew Tomashek said. “It’s cool to hit a few shots and get the result tonight.”
Down the stretch, when Notre Dame needed a basket, it couldn’t find the bottom of the net, as the Jaguars hit seven of eight from the free-throw line to seal the victory.
With the FRCC win, Ashwaubenon kept pace with De Pere (14-1, 9-1), which beat Pulaski, 81-48.
Notre Dame fell a game and a half behind in the standings.
“Our zone was excellent in the first half,” Coach Tomashek said. “We had some defensive breakdowns in the second half with guys playing different spots that maybe they’re not accustomed to playing. Our conference is hard. You can flub up at any time. We’re going to keep playing one game at a time and see where it takes us.”