Wolverines steamroll past the competition at State

Froebe scores a record 37 points as team eyes championship

 

[February 10, 2025]  The West Lincoln-Broadwell Wolverines boys basketball team marched into the 2025 7th Grade Class 1A State Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Normal Kingsley Junior High School as the team to beat.

As last year’s state champions WLB finished the season on top with a 27-2 record. In the first round of the state tournament last year they beat their opponent by 35 points. They won the semifinal game by nine points and became state champions by winning with an eight-point advantage. All very impressive for a group that consisted of a lot of sixth graders.

So on Saturday afternoon it was really no surprise that the Wolverines beat Peoria St. Jude by a 20-point margin in the first round. WLB won handily, 45-25, with Kruz Froebe scoring 17 points and Griffen Cross adding 16 points.

Following the win over Peoria St. Jude, the boys made a trip to Avanti’s to refuel for the evening game. It’s amazing what a gondola can do to a young group of basketball players.

Saturday night’s 6:30 p.m. game versus the Effingham Sacred Heart Shamrocks was one for the record books.

The Wolverines steamrolled past the Shamrocks 82-33.

In the first four minutes of the game WLB was up by twenty points. The first quarter ended with WLB shaking up the Shamrocks 35-2. Kruz Froebe was on fire early, scoring 19 points in the first quarter. Griffen Cross and Keilan Sales each contributed seven points as the offense was exploding early. Colby Bowman added a bucket to round out the scoring.

Less than a minute into the second quarter the Wolverines were crushing the Shamrocks 42-2. At the 4:10 mark the Shamrocks finally scored their second basket of the game. With Froebe hitting a three near the minute mark, the Wolverines were more than dominating with a 55-11 lead. A couple more layups before the halftime buzzer put WLB up a whopping 59-13 at the half. Froebe had eleven points in the second quarter to bring his total to 30. Bowman tossed in 10 points and Cross netted a three that left no doubt the Wolverines would be playing for a state championship in the near future.

The WLB defense had forced an abundance of turnovers in the first half and the steals were racking up near double-digits for WLB as well. It was a fast and furious game with two more quarters to go.

The 50-point lead came at the 4:10 mark in the third quarter. Bowman was at the free throw line sinking two shots to push the Wolverines to a 66-15 lead. The offense was rolling with Froebe, Cross and Bowman leading the charge.

Cross hit a three to send WLB into the record books with a 69-17 lead. The previous record was 66 points scored in a state game by Normal Epiphany in 2016 versus Carroll Catholic of Lincoln.

After two free throws by Froebe, McLean Awe hit a basket to make the score 73-17. Froebe and Bowman took turns scoring as the quarter was winding down.

Froebe’s last bucket was record-setting in two ways. He connected for a three-pointer that put him in the record books with 37 points, the most points scored in a 7th grade state game. Froebe surpassed Sam Tallen of Normal Epiphany, who set the record with 35 points scored in a game in 2016.

Froebe also broke the scoring record for the most three-point field goals in a game. His three-pointer that put WLB up 80-23 was no. 6 in the game for him. Tucker Kunzeman of Griggsville-Perry set the previous record of five in 2015.

The last basket for WLB was at the end of the third quarter by Bowman, making the score 82-23.

The Wolverines started the fourth quarter with McLean Awe, Masen Cross, Brodie Glenn, Makai Harris and Brantley Conrady on the court. It was a running clock and it couldn’t run fast enough for the Shamrocks, who did score 10 points here.

WLB runs away with the victory in historic fashion 82-33.

That 82 points just might be a record that will stand for many years to come.

Kruz Froebe had himself a Saturday night to remember in Normal with 37 points. Along with the six 3s, he tossed in seven two-point field goals and went 5-for-5 from the free throw line.

Colby Bowman finished with eight two-point field goals and a couple free throws for 18 points. He’s lightning fast at both ends and is very dependable in the paint for WLB.

Griffen Cross is a smooth shooter and he also finished with 18 points. Terrific form from three-point range allowed him to sink three 3s. He also had four two-point field goals and a free throw.

It appears that the Wolverines also broke the record for most three-point field goals in a game. The previous record was nine, set in 2022 by Peoria Limestone Walters.

WLB finished the game Saturday night with a record-setting ten 3s versus the Shamrocks. In addition to Froebe and Cross sinking 3s, Keilan Sales made one.

The Wolverines finished their day with a meal at Bandana’s BBQ.

WLB (28-1) will play Champaign Holy Cross (25-2) for the state championship on Thursday, February 13, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. at Normal Kingsley Junior High School.

First round scoring
WLB 45
Froebe 17
Cross 16
Bowman 4
Conrady 2
Harris 2
Sales 2

Peoria St. Jude 25
P. Strader 12
Miller 8
K. Strader 3
Stark 2

Semifinal scoring
WLB 82
Froebe 37
Cross 18
Bowman 18
Sales 7
Awe 2

Effingham Sacred Heart 33
Jansen 11
Hayes 9
Traub 8
Kenter 4
LaSarge 1

[Teena Lowery]