Ozaukee senior’s unanimous selection for first-team honor leads area players in Central Lakeshore voting
There’s no mistaking the impact Eric Hartnett had on the Ozaukee boys’ basketball team this season.
Not only did the senior lead the Warriors in points, rebounds and blocked shots, he became their all-time scoring leader.
Hartnett capped his career by being named to the All-Central Lakeshore Conference first team in a unanimous vote of coaches.
“Eric was a consistently solid player for us this year. His offense and defense were a huge component to our success,” Ozaukee coach Isaiah Ketterhagen said.
“He had a heck of a season, and his maturation process from his freshman year to this year has been phenomenal.”
Hartnett, a 6-foot-6-inch forward, averaged 18.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. He became the Warriors’ career scoring leader late in the season, finishing with 1,048 points.
It wasn’t a selfish journey, either.
“Even when Eric didn’t score, the defense was so focused on him that it really opened up everything else for us,” Ketterhagen said.
Hartnett was the biggest reason Ozaukee went 16-10 overall, including a 10-6 conference mark, and advanced to the WIAA sectional level for the first time.
Hartnett was one of five players unanimously named to the All-CLC first team, led by University of Wisconsin-bound Sam Dekker of Sheboygan Lutheran.
Among those named to the second team were Cedar Grove-Belgium’s Jon Herzog and Ozaukee’s Stephen Street.
Receiving honorable mention were Cedar Grove-Belgium’s T.J. Obbink and Ozaukee’s Pat Kroening.
Herzog, a 6-3 forward, was his team’s most versatile player. Despite missing time due to an injury, the senior led the Rockets in rebounding (10.6 per game) and averaged 10.7 points, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 assists.
“Jon pretty much gave us a double-double all year long,” Rockets coach Jim Meinen said. “He also took on some of the toughest defensive assignments, and usually held down the other team’s best player.”
Street, a 6-6 forward, was a blue-collar stalwart for the Warriors. The junior averaged 8.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 blocks per game.
“Steve filled up the stat line every night. If you look across the line, he affects the game in every aspect,” Ketterhagen said.
“Steve is one of the most unselfish players I have ever coached, and he does everything he can do for the better of the team.
“He has the ability to take the conference by storm next year.”
Obbink, a 6-foot guard, averaged a team-high 11.5 points per game for the Rockets, who relied heavily on his floor leadership at the point position. The senior also contributed 2.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds per contest for a team that went 5-11 in CLC play.
“T.J. was a 2-guard in a 1-guard role,” Meinen said. “We lost Weston (Meinen) last year, and he had to step up in a new role as a point guard and did a very good job.”
Kroening was slowed by injuries but became a key leader for the Warriors during their late-season run. The senior guard averaged 10.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game.
“Pat did so many things for us this year. He did such a nice job of getting to the rim, and his athleticism put him in a category by himself both offensively and defensively,” Ketterhagen said.
“I know he would be the first one to admit that he didn’t have the year he wanted, but he was a component of our team that made us as successful as we were.”
Image Information: OZAUKEE’S ERIC HARTNETT excelled despite steady pressure from opposing defenses this season. The senior earned All-Central Lakeshore Conference first-team honors and became the Warriors’ career scoring leader. Photo by Sam Arendt
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