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Prep basketball: Royals enjoy double-title year
February 19, 2008
Winning a conference championship is a big accomplishment because it doesn't come around that often.

When it happens in a year when a boys and girls team can share the experience of winning a title, it's extra special.

Less than a week ago, the Assumption girls wrapped up the Marawood Conference South Division title to join the boys as champs.

For the girls, it was the first title since the 2001-02 season, while the boys won their first South Division crown as tri-champs last year and backed it with another title this year.

"It's a pretty special thing to win a conference title. I've been coaching for 25 years, 13 at Assumption and last year was the first time I experienced winning a conference title," Royals boys coach Gary Weisenbeck said. "And it's a neat thing to see the girls win the conference, too. Both teams have supported each other all season, and it's great for the kids to share something like this."

For the girls, it was the fourth conference title, with the 1977 and 1998 Central Wisconsin Catholic Conference crowns to go with their Marawood titles.

The boys, meanwhile, now have 10 league championships to their credit. The back-to-back Marawood titles go along nicely with CWCC titles in 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1972, 1973, 1979 and 1994.

"It's a great accomplishment for both teams," girls coach Joe Birkhauser said. "The boys were picked fifth in the conference and we were picked second or third, so it's a pretty good feeling to come away with a pair of titles. I know the kids are excited and have really been there for each other, which is great."

Alumni are feeling the Royals' championship buzz as well. Ryan Klein, a 2002 graduate who teaches and coaches both teams, is happy to see his alma mater have success.

"It's been exciting seeing these teams accomplish this," said Klein, who was on the Royals boys state tournament teams in 2001 and 2002. "I never experienced a conference championship when I was a student. I was a part of some great things at Assumption, but I was never on a conference championship team. It's a pretty exciting thing for these kids to be able to say they are the best in their conference."

The girls overcame injuries and lineup changes to sport a 13-1 record in the league, while the boys quietly rolled to a 12-2 mark in the conference.

Both teams got results by playing as a team, but there were subtle differences. The girls had no player average more than nine points a game in conference play, while the boys had a two of the top four scorers in the conference in Alex Erdmann and Ben Kinzel.

As the boys head into the first round of playoffs tonight, the Assumption community will take pride and show its support in a sea of blue and white at the gym when it hosts Athens.