MADISON — The De Pere Redbirds magical season came to a close on Saturday night in the best way possible, bringing home their first gold ball in 89 years.
The team's stars shined the brightest as the one seed Redbirds took a two point lead into halftime, but shot 70 percent in the second half to cruise to a 69-49 victory. The Redbirds became the first team in Wisconsin boys basketball history to finish a perfect 30-0.
"To actually accomplish 30-0, its something special and it was fun out there the last time playing with the group," said sophomore forward Zach Kinziger. "To finish 30-0 is really special for me and all my teammates."
The Redbirds had a target on their backs from the beginning of the season until the end. They were the team to beat. However, De Pere never looked ahead, they took it game by game.
"Incredible job by these two guys and the rest of our team dealing with that pressure," Redbirds head coach Brian Winchester said. "It's challenging. You feel it whether you want to admit to it or not.
"They defended exceptionally well in the first half," said Winchester. "(In the second half) we started attacking, we got a little more aggressive, ball started going through the rim and I think we just felt a little more confidence building at the point."
Redbirds senior John Kinziger scored a game-high 24 points. Junior Will Hornseth had a double-double (17 points and 11 rebounds).
