UW Oshkosh sent a team to the Wisconsin Intramural Recreation Sports Association (WIRSA) Midwest Basketball Tournament in Eau Claire, and they won second place after falling in the championship game on Feb. 20.

The team went 2-0 in pool play and received a bye and the No. 1 seed in the tournament after beating teams by 28 and 21. 

The team first took out Marquette’s club team in round one by a score of 50-42 to start the tournament off. Despite being down by halftime, Oshkosh was able to come back and get the win.

TJ Schneider had a team-high 18 points and hit back-to-back three pointers to cut Marquette’s lead down to five with five minutes left before Oshkosh gained the lead and never looked back.

After getting only a 10-minute break, the team beat Wisconsin Black, a UW-Madison club team, in a 45-44 nail-biter. 

Oshkosh mounted another double digit comeback, as they were down by as much as 18 points in the second half. 

Tristan Konen had eight points and two steals in only a minute of play to rally the troops toward a win. 

With the team down one point with just 20 seconds left on the clock, Schneider was fouled and hit both free throws to take the lead. 

Wisconsin Black then rimmed out on a potential buzzer-beater, and Oshkosh advanced.

Oshkosh then got another 10 minutes before dropping the championship game 37-57 against the University of Minnesota’s club team. 

Dawson Wilterdink, who averaged four points per contest at the WIRSA tournament, said that even though the team lost, hearing his teammate’s names called ahead of the championship was an enjoyable experience. 

“It was cool, as they introduced both starting lineups for the championship game,” Wilterdink said.

Wilterdink, who led the team with 12 points, three rebounds and a block, said the score got out of hand early due to team fatigue and the likes of Minnesota’s Tyler Dregney hitting numerous shots from beyond the arc.

“We were so tired we couldn’t get shots to fall, and after they had a player hit 5 three pointers in a row, the game got out of reach early in the second half,” he said. 

Despite the game being out of hand, Wilterdink broke free for one of the few dunks in the tournament when he flushed one home in the championship game.

Following the tournament, Zack Loveisky was one of five players in the tournament to earn all-tournament team honors. Lovelsky averaged 11 points and five rebounds per game. 

Wilterdink said he considered the trip a success, as he was able to enjoy time with his teammates on and off the court.

“Overall we made a lot of great memories and played some great basketball,” Wilterdink said.