SECTION 7A BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: Fond du Lac gets defensive in win over South Ridge

By Jon Nowacki

March 07, 2014 at 7:51 PM

Fond du Lac didn't put up the kind of offensive numbers it is used to, but the Ogichidaa got more than enough offense and defense in rolling to a 77-60 victory over South Ridge in the Section 7A boys basketball championship game tonight before a capacity crowd of more than 2,000 at Duluth Denfeld.

Junior guard Davonte Williamson scored 26 points and junior forward Cameron Thompson added 20 as Fond du Lac (24-3) broke from a 28-26 halftime lead to earn its first state tournament berth. It was only the fourth time the Ogichidaa have been held under 80 points in a game this season, including two of their losses.

With a roster of only 10 players and a limited bench, Fond du Lac could be a factor at next week's state tournament if the Ogichidaa avoid foul trouble and keep using their defense to create baskets in transition, as they did in the second half against South Ridge.

Senior forwards Dominic Janke and Colton Peterson had 14 points apiece to lead South Ridge (23-4), while senior guard Kody Karppinen added 13 points. Janke scored his 1,000 career point late in the contest.

By Jon Nowacki

Jon Nowacki joined the News Tribune in August 1998 as a sports reporter. He grew up in Stephen, Minnesota, in the northwest corner of the state, where he was actively involved in school and sports and was a proud member of the Tigers’ 1992 state championship nine-man football team.

After graduating in 1993, Nowacki majored in print journalism at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, serving as editor of the college paper, “The Aquin,” and graduating with honors in December 1997. He worked with the Associated Press during the “tobacco trial” of 1998, leading to the industry’s historic $206 billion settlement, before moving to Duluth.

Nowacki started as a prep reporter for the News Tribune before moving onto the college ranks, with an emphasis on Minnesota Duluth football, including coverage of the Bulldogs’ NCAA Division II championships in 2008 and 2010.

Nowacki continues to focus on college sports while filling in as a backup on preps, especially at tournament time. He covers the Duluth Huskies baseball team and auto racing in the summer. When time allows, he also writes an offbeat and lighthearted food column entitled “The Taco Stand,” a reference to the “Taco Jon” nickname given to him by his older brother when he was a teenager that stuck with him through college. He has a teenage daughter, Emma.

Nowacki can be reached at jnowacki@duluthnews.com or (218) 380-7027. Follow him on Twitter @TacoJon1.

SECTION 7A BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: Fond du Lac gets defensive in win over South Ridge

Fond du Lac didn't put up the kind of offensive numbers it is used to, but the Ogichidaa got more than enough offense and defense in rolling to a 77-60 victory over South Ridge in the Section 7A boys basketball championship game tonight before a ...