Craig Haase
Craig Haase
absolute dig guy hard knew problem stud tried
Polka is just a man-child. The guy is just an absolute stud in the paint. We knew it was going to be a problem for us and we tried to dig as hard as we could.
final game good huge inside knew runs track turn worked
Those two runs we made were huge when you look at the final score. We knew how big they were inside we so we had try and turn the game into a track meet. That worked pretty good for us tonight.
atmosphere ball both chance finish hands happy kids knew leader pressure saw teams
This was some kind of finish to some kind of game. This was just an outstanding atmosphere for basketball. Our kids just didn't want to let the chance get away. We battled right to the end. Both teams made some mistakes, but the pressure was on. I was happy when I saw the ball in Johnny's hands at the end. He's been our leader all season. I knew he'd find a way to score.
direction guys hard playing positive practicing step stepped today
We've been playing hard and practicing hard all season, but we've been very inconsistent in games. This was a big step in the right direction for us. I thought a lot of guys stepped up today and did a lot of positive things.
rest shut
We shut down the rest of their guys.
ball confidence guys kick lane picked playing push shoot shots team
We like to push the ball, get it in the lane and kick it back out. When we do that, we know we have a lot of guys who can shoot the ball and make shots. Obviously, we made a lot of shots tonight. We're playing with a lot of confidence right now, and we couldn't have picked a better team to be at our best.
basketball best coaching credit five friday good great kids last run seem stay team tournament year
We've had a good run the last five years and that's a credit to the kids and the coaching staff. We always seem to play our best basketball of the year once the tournament begins. And we're going to have to play well on Friday to stay with South. They've got a great team this year.
center great loss means season tough year
We had a great season, and in no means do I want this loss to take anything away from the kind of year we had. It's always tough to see the season come to an end. But I'll take this every year. Having the season end at the Kohl Center is pretty special.
felt guys knock
We've got a lot of guys who can knock down shots. It felt like we were right at home.
stud
Obviously, Polka is just a man-child. He's just a stud in the paint.
accepted added came charlie defensive gives good job kids nice obviously scoring seniors tribute
Obviously Charlie is a very good player, and our seniors have really accepted him. When he came back, he did give us an added scoring punch, but what gives us defensive pressure-wise makes our kids a little more confident. Our kids have accepted him and it's a tribute to our seniors that haven't let his distractions become the team's distractions. They've done a nice job implementing him back in the lineup.
ball expect good group might playing shoot stage state surprises threw
Playing on a big stage like this, at the Kohl Center, at the state tournament, I don't know if you ever expect to come out and shoot the ball like we did tonight. I had a feeling, though, we might have a good game. At the shoot-around on Wednesday, we made everyÂthing we threw up there. The way we're playing right now, nothing surprises me with this group of kids.
again heart kids knew played problem ran stud
I thought our kids played with a lot of heart again tonight, and we battled them hard. But we ran into a man-child in Polka tonight. He's a stud in the paint. We knew it was going to be a problem for us.
eventually guys hard kept momentum poise three trouble
I thought our guys showed a lot of poise when Watertown made that run. They didn't panic. We could have been in trouble had they scored two or three more unanswered baskets. That was a big part of the game. We kept working hard and eventually got the momentum back in our favor.