The opening night of the boy's basketball playoffs concluded Tuesday night, with winners moving on to regional semifinal games on Friday night.
Division 1
(15) Madison La Follette 78, (18) Janesville Parker 61: The Lancers trailed 28-22, but poured it on the rest of the way in advancing to Friday night's regional semifinal against the second-seeded Madison Memorial Spartans.
Division 2
(8) Monroe 54, (9) Oregon 42: Oregon led 19-13 just before halftime but the Cheesemakers rallied for the win. Monroe will face (1) Waunakee on Friday night.
(6) Portage 64, (11) Reedsburg 55: Portage will play (3) Monona Grove Friday night.
(7) Sauk Prairie 66, (10) Baraboo 60: Levi Massey's crew will be at (2) Stoughton Friday night.
Division 3
(6) Lodi blew out (11) Wautoma 75-38. Lodi will face (3) Wisconsin Dells Friday night.
(3) Turner 60, (14) Palmyra-Eagle 46: Recap below
(4) Edgewood 69, (13) Brodhead 51: Brodhead kept it within 5, trailing 27-22 at the half, but Edgewood pulled away for the win. Edgewood will play (5) Lakeside Lutheran (winners over (12) St. John's NW Military 86-58) at home on Friday night.
(8) Whitewater 56, (9) Marshall 54: The Whippets sank two free throws with 0.3 seconds to play to clinch the win. Whitewater gets (1) Lake Mills on Friday night.
(6) East Troy 72, (11) Big Foot 45: East Troy will play Turner Friday night.
(7) Edgerton 78, (10) Clinton 60: Edgerton will head down Highway 59 to play (2) Evansville on Friday night.
(4) Columbus 86, (13) North Fond du Lac 56: Columbus will get (5) Berlin at home on Friday night.
Division 4
(5) Wisconsin Heights 69, (12) Waterloo 50: The Vanguards will play at (4) Mineral Point on Friday night.
GAME RECAP: Beloit Turner 60, Palmyra-Eagle 46
In what will probably be the last meeting between the schools for some time as Palmyra-Eagle moves to the Trailways Conference next year, Beloit Turner scored its third win in two months over the Panthers, 60-46 in the regional basketball opener.
Turner jumped out to a double-digit lead early in the game, as Alex Fruin paced the Trojans all game long, scoring 16 of his game-high 33 points in the first half as Turner led by as many as 14. Palmyra-Eagle missed seven shots in the paint in the first half, helping the Panthers to find an 11-point deficit going into halftime.
"We were looking for a spark with our varsity unit," said Palmyra-Eagle coach Mike Meracle. "Morgan Carpenter and Revin Schneider played JV all year, so we were hoping they'd provide a spark for us here." Carpenter, the younger brother of Panthers senior Simon Carpenter, scored nine points, while Schneider tossed in 10 playing off the bench.
The Panthers, however, couldn't get enough shots to fall from in the lane. On one possession early in the second half, Palmyra-Eagle missed three straight shots from right in front of the hoop, and the Trojans hit a three in transition the other way to swing the game five points when the Panthers were trailing by just nine.
Brady Olson wrapped up his Panthers career leading the team in scoring with 16. Seven seniors graduate from the Panthers.
"All seven of these guys, they've been the key to rebuilding since they were seventh graders," said Palmyra-Eagle coach Mike Meracle. "This season might not have gone as we would have liked, but they've set a great example for the young guys."
Next year, the Panthers drop down to Division 4 along with their move to the Trailways Conference.
Turner used a pair of scoring bursts just before the midway point of each half to stay in control throughout the game. After their lead hit 17-7 five minutes in, they never led by fewer than nine points and led by as many as 14 the rest of the way, including the final margin.
In addition to Alec Fruin's 33 points, Ethan Burns hit a pair of three-pointers to go with his ten points, and Jordan Majeed knocked in nine off the bench. Nacio Villarreal, who was held well below his season scoring total in two earlier games with Palmyra-Eagle, only had two points, but he played facilitator most of the night.
"This is my team. The guys look to me to lead and I'm glad I could get them a win," said Turner senior Alec Fruin after the game.
"Alec knows his role. We'll get his points, but we have to shore up our defense for the next game," said Turner coach Ken Watkins.
Turner will face East Troy on Friday night at home. On January 17, Turner beat East Troy 99-84, the highest scoring total (and most points allowed by Turner). Alec Fruin scored 46 in the win, his season high.
"We've got a game plan ready. We'll have a light practice the next two nights and get after it Friday," added Watkins.