Warrior trio catches eye of Big East coaches

By MITCH MAERSCH

Ozaukee Press staff

A three-headed threat led the Ozaukee High School boys’ basketball team this season, and the Warrior trio was awarded for its efforts.

Senior Connor Rennicke and junior Aaron Nehls were named to the Big East Conference South Division second team, and junior Bret Hamm received honorable mention.

All three stand 6 feet, 2 inches tall and averaged within one point and one rebound per game of each other.

“Any one of them on any given night could have been our leading scorer,” coach Bob Domach said.

“Talking to other coaches in the conference, they weren’t sure who to key on any given night.”

Rennicke led the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game. Nehls was second with 13.6, and Hamm was third with 13. Rennicke shot 111-for-252 (44%) from the field and went 49-for-113 (43.4%) on three-pointers. Nehls went 118-for-267 (44.2%) from the field and 62-for-154 (40.3%) on three-pointers. Hamm shot 148-for-280 (52.9%) from the field, mostly in the paint.

“We were very efficient. That’s for sure,” Domach said of the shooting percentages.

“Connor’s and Aaron’s numbers really stand out, especially shooting from three. That’s pretty impressive,” Domach said.

Hamm led the team in rebounds with 6.2 per game. Nehls was second with 5.3, and Rennicke was third with 5.1. All three could also pass. Rennicke was second on the team with 3.4 assists per game. Hamm was third with three per game, and Nehls was fourth with 2.1 per game.

While their stats are nearly identical, the players’ offensive attacks and roles differed.

Nehls was the Warriors’ main ball handler, which Domach said put some extra pressure on him and sometimes made him tired.

Rennicke, more of a shooting guard, was one of the team’s two senior leaders.

“He and Chase Mueller were excellent leaders for us,” Domach said.

Hamm, with a little more meat on him, handled the inside, usually against taller players.

“He’s very savvy with his moves and his counter-moves in the lane. He’s kind of like a wily veteran. He’s not the tallest player on the court but he knows how to maneuver in the lane,” Domach said.

The season’s highlight was an 89-85 barnburner over South Division co-champ Kohler at home on Dec. 15. Hamm had 29 points on 14-for-20 shooting (70%), 15 rebounds and seven assists. Rennicke had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Nehls had 13 points and seven rebounds.

“That was exciting,” Domach said.

Rennicke had three standout games in a row last season. He scored 32 points on 10-for-11 shooting and had 11 rebounds in a 91-89 win at Messmer on Dec. 21, had 24 points and five rebounds in a 63-51 loss at Random Lake on Jan. 6, and he had 27 points and 11 rebounds in a 73-51 win over University School/Trinity Academy.

Nehls eclipsed 20 points three times, scoring 24 in a season-opening loss at South Division co-champ Oostburg and in a blowout win over Sheboygan Christian on Jan. 12. He had 25 points in a loss at Two Rivers on Dec. 12.

Hamm reached the 20-point mark four times. Besides Kohler, his other big game came in a 92-61 demolition at Random Lake. He had 24 points on 11-for-13 shooting, seven rebounds and six assists.

The Warriors went 13-12 overall and 8-10 in the Big East South, an improvement over last year’s 11-15 overall record and 6-13 mark in conference. This year’s Warriors would have likely added another win, but a game against Sheboygan Christian (4-18) was canceled due to weather.

“I think we exceeded expectations and predictions from a lot of people,” Domach said.

In the postseason, the Warriors knocked off Roncalli, 61-46, at home, before losing at Kohler, 82-73.

“Blow for blow, we just could not get the ball in the hoop,” Domach said. “They played their hearts out.”

Domach said he will miss the leadership of Rennicke and Mueller, but the rest of the team comes back, including 6-3 sophomore center Otto Uttech.

“The light went on for him in mid-January. That’s always fun to see as a coach. He gets it now,” Domach said.

For Cedar Grove-Belgium, senior Parker Knight earned second team honors.

Knight led the team in scoring with 13.4 points per game on 96-for-212 shooting (45.3%) from the field and went 46-for-147 (31.3%) on three-pointers. He tied for the team lead in rebounds with 4.8 and led in assists with three per game.

“He brought a lot of senior leadership as well as experience since he was a starter since his sophomore year,” coach Derek Wimmer said.

“He was the one we looked to score when we needed a basket as well as guard the other team’s better player.”