An ultimate team performance led to the ultimate team trophy in Class B boys’ basketball Saturday night.

Castlewood, receiving major contributions from all five starters, pulled away from Viborg-Hurley to win the state championship with a 52-31 victory at Wachs Arena.

“The moment is hard to describe,” said Castlewood coach Paul Raasch. “All year long this was our goal and our guys were locked in on it.”

The Warriors, who owned a 19-3 lead to start the contest, were clinging to a four-point advantage in the third quarter when they regained control thanks to a 19-4 surge.

With a defense focused on 6-foot-9 center Bryon Laue, Castlewood’s outside shooters went off, nailing a trio of 3-pointers to foil the Viborg-Hurley strategy.

“They kind of collapsed on me so they kind of took me away a little bit,” Laue said, “but then they kind of had to pay the price on that, because our shooters started hitting shots and kind of made the difference in the game there.”

Brody Bass, Luke Baumberger, and Kamden Keszler each connected from distance during the pivotal run.

“We set a game plan at halftime and we just trusted each other,” Baumberger said. “We had good ball movement. We just executed that game plan to perfection and it worked out.”

Point guard Jamison Keszler helped to orchestrate the offense, finding open shooters – most of the time in the corner – and his teammates did the rest.

“We got a lot of weapons. We’re very versatile,” said the senior. “We just had to adapt to the zone and it was barbecue from there.”

Bass lit the fuse to the offensive explosion by scoring seven straight points late in the third quarter.

“Jamison sets up the offense very well, able to find me in open spots,” Bass said. “He swings it real well.”

And once the Warriors started hitting from the perimeter there were no other options left for the Cougars.

“We went zone and then man, and really nothing was working,” said Viborg-Hurley’s Owen Niederbaumer, “because they just kept finding Laue, and then Laue would find the open guy, and they would knock down a three.”

Meanwhile, the Cougars struggled on their offensive end. After starting out the game 1-for-11 on the way to three first-quarter points, they closed the contest managing just five points in the final quarter.

“We tried to keep our heads up as long as we could,” Niederbaumer said. “Shots just weren’t falling and that’s basketball.”

The Cougars defeated Castlewood during the regular season, but the Warriors were not going to be denied in the title contest, leading from start to finish.

“Hats off to Castlewood. They played great,” said Viborg-Hurley coach Shane Warwick. “They were the better team tonight.”

Nicholas Hanson topped the Cougars with 14 points and eight rebounds as the Cougars concluded the year at 23-3.

“I can’t say enough good things or positive things about my kids,” Warwick said.

Laue finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead Castlewood, which also received 12 points from Baumberger, 11 from Bass, eight from Kamden Keszler, and seven from Jamison Keszler.

“You can talk about Jame and Bryon and they deserve every accolade you give them,” Raasch said, “but our other guys are tremendous.”

The win was extra special for Raasch, as the state’s winningest active coach won his first state basketball championship in 39 years on the sideline to go along with a state football title.

“We knew he came close, but fell short in the past,” Laue said. “It was kind of all of our goals together and it feels great to finally get him one.”

While Warwick was aiming for the same prize, he also was happy to see his former high school teammate win his first state basketball title.

“I told him that,” Warwick said. “If I was to lose to anybody, I’m happy that it’s you.”

Raasch talked about his late father, Bob, who passed away in October of 2023 before he could see his son win that coveted basketball championship.

“He was sitting right up there,” Raasch said gesturing to a spot inside Wachs Arena. “I pointed at him at the end of the game.”

In Castlewood’s fourth straight trip to the state tourney, the Warriors eventually found the path that led to the state championship.

“We’ve been working for this for four years and it finally paid off,” said Jamison Keszler. “It means everything to me.”

VIBORG-HURLEY (23-3): Brady Schroedermeier 3 1-2 7, Owen Niederbaumer 3 2-4 8, Nicholas Hanson 5 2-2 14, Nolan Kolthoff 1 0-0 2. Totals 12-39 5-10 31.

CASTLEWOOD (24-2): Kamden Keszler 3 1-2 8, Brody Bass 4 1-1 11, Jamison Keszler 1 5-6 7, Luke Baumberger 5 0-0 12, Bryon Laue 4 4-5 13, Kolby Davis 0 1-2 1. Totals 17-38 12-16 52.

Viborg-Hurley 3 14 26 31

Castlewood 14 21 38 52 3-point field goals – Hanson 2; K. Keszler, Bass 2, Baumberger 2, Laue. Total fouls – Viborg-Hurley 12; Castlewood 10. Rebounds – Viborg-Hurley 18 (Hanson 8); Castlewood 33 (Laue 10). Turnovers – Viborg-Hurley 10; Castlewood 10. Assists – Viborg-Hurley 5 (Schroedermeier 2, Niederbaumer 2); Castlewood 9 (J. Keszler 5). Blocked shots – Viborg-Hurley 0; Castlewood 2 (Laue 2). Steals – Viborg-Hurley 6 (Schroedermeier 5); Castlewood 5 (Bass 2).