Oostburg coach's son takes his turn in the spotlight

Madison, Wis. Oostburg sophomore guard John Moriarity has attended his share of state basketball tournaments.

Before this weekend, though, he only dreamed of one day being the shining star on the floor of the University of Wisconsin Fieldhouse.

Being the son of the head coach, who has been at the school for 24 years, can put those dreams in a kid's head.

Moriarity scored a game-high 21 points and sparked the Flying Dutchmen with 3 consecutive three-pointers midway through the fourth quarter, giving Oostburg a 55-45 victory over Auburndale Saturday in the Division 3 championship of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament.

"I'm very proud of him," said coach John Moriarity, who didn't seem to want to dwell too much on the performance of his son. "He's played well all year, but not at this level."

The younger Moriarity, who watched his father guide Oostburg to state titles in 1986 and '87, reflected on his days sitting in the stands watching.

"This is the greatest feeling," he said. "I've always wanted to win a state tournament ever since I've watched my dad's teams play here."

Auburndale grabbed its biggest lead at 39-35 on a basket by Justin Raab with 6 minutes 44 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

After that, Moriarity would score 13 of his 21 points, as the Flying Dutchmen kept the Apaches off the scoreboard for a stretch of 5:24.

Auburndale cut it to 47-42 when Raab converted a three- point play with 1:20 left, but Oostburg knocked down 8 of 11 free throws in the final 1:15 to preserve the victory.

"We had a tremendous season," said Auburndale coach Tim Anderson, whose team finished 26-1 and was making its third consecutive appearance in the tournament. "We gave it our best shot, but I guess it wasn't meant to be."

Scott Kusta finished with 14 points for Auburndale, which got 12 from Raab.

Oostburg (24-2) charged to a 9-0 lead, thanks in part to the Apaches missing their first eights shots of the game. Auburndale went on a 15-4 run to take its first lead of the game, 15-13, on a three-pointer by Kusta with 3:26 left in the first half.

Senior guard Jamie TenPas, who finished with 13 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds, carried Oostburg in the third quarter as he scored 9 of his team's 11 points.

"We have some kids that just refuse to quit," the elder Moriarity said. "They showed that in this tournament."

SUMMARY

Auburndale: Kusta 4-9 2-2 14, Raab 5-11 2-4 12, Tauscher 2-5 2-4 7, Brandl 3-7 0-1 8, Huser 0-7 2-3 2, Krings 0-1 0-0 0, Schmitt 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 15-44 8-14 45.

Oostburg: Dirkse 2-3 0-0 4, Dykstra 2-5 3-4 7, Gaumer 1-1 2-2 4, Moriarty 6-12 4-4 21, TenPas 4-10 5-7 13, Joossee 0-0 0-0 0, DeKeyser 0-0 0-0 0, Nett 2-3 2-4 6, Oonk 0-0 0-0 0, Schmidt 0-0 0-0 0, Skeris 0-0 0-0 0, TenHaken 0-0 0-0 0, Brill 0-0 0-1 0, Van Ess 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-34 16-22 55. Auburndale 5 15 15 1045 Oostburg 9 13 11 2255

Three-point goals Auburndale 7-20 ( Kusta 4-6, Brandl 2-4, Tauscher 1-1, Raab 0-1, Krings 0-1, Huser 0-7), Oostburg 5-8 (Moriarty 5-7, TenPas 0-1). Fouled out Brandl. Rebounds Auburndale 22 (Tauscher 6), Oostburg 34 (Moriarty 8). Assists Auburndale 11 (Kusta, Raab 3), Oostburg 10 (TenPas 6). Total fouls Auburndale 19, Oostburg 17.

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