The records are wiped clean on Tuesday as the Sevastopol Pioneers face the Oneida Nation Thunderhawks in their WIAA Boys' Basketball Tournament opener.

The Pioneers are looking to win their first game since a 56-47 win over Stockbridge on January 5th. They failed to score 50 points in 13 of those 14 games, but erupted for 70 in a 78-70 loss to Oconto in their last game. Lucas Delsart led the way with 19 points as three other Pioneers players reached double figures in the game. 

The Thunderhawks enter the matchup with a 14-9 record and a three-game winning streak. Ernest Stevens and Ethan Danforth each posted 12 points in their regular-season finale against Wausaukee, which was a 72-36 victory for the host Thunderhawks. 

Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Sevastopol School District wants to invite you for a road trip to cheer on the Pioneers in their sectional semi-final matchup, though there has been a change in venue.

According to Gillett athletic director Mike Kaczmarek, the WIAA moved the Division 5 sectional semi-final game between Sevastopol and Wabeno-Laona to Crivitz over the weekend, instead placing the Division 4 sectional semi-final matchup between Bonduel and Mishicot at the school.

No matter where the final location was going to be, the Sevastopol School District is organizing fan buses to go to the game. 

For those who can't go to Crivitz, U 102.1 will do the driving for you with coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the pregame show followed by the opening tip at 7 p.m.

Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol wrestler Ben Roman made sure he did not drive home from the WIAA State Wrestling Meet empty handed on Saturday.

After being pinned by Freedom's Hunter Vander Heiden in the consolation semifinal match, Roman beat Logan See (Chilton/Hilbert) 3-1 in sudden victory overtime to capture fifth place overall. According to the SBS Wrestling Facebook page, See had been a thorn in Roman's side the last two weeks before Roman got the last laugh on the state's biggest stage. Roman ends his career a two-time state medalist.

2023 WIAA Individual State Results for Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol

The Sevastopol Pioneers girls' basketball rode their defense to their first regional championship since 1985 on Saturday night, beating Lena 56-19 in front of a partisan crowd in Institute.

Despite struggling offensively themselves in the first half, the Pioneers' defense made sure it was not a problem. The Wildcats could only muster a single point before registering their first made field goal with approximately six minutes left in the first half. In the meantime, Naomi Rikkola scored six of her 12 points and Libby Ash connected on one of her two three-pointers to stake the Pioneers to an 18-5 lead at the break.

Bailey Rikkola came alive in the second half, scoring 13 of her game-high 16 points in the second half, while Kayla Ranly combined her hard-nosed defense with six second-half points. The Pioneers' defense proved to be almost as suffocating in the second half as they were in the opening frame, keeping the Wildcats off the scoreboard from the field until nine minutes were remaining. Whitney Potter led the Wildcats with six points, and Eva Brooks was held to just four points.

The Pioneers' win was the first time they had won a regional championship since 1985 and the first time they did so in front of a home crowd that stuck around long after the final buzzer. They will now head to Gillett for the sectional semi-final where they will meet top-seeded Wabeno-Laona. After blowing out Wausaukee in their tournament opener, Wabeno-Laona narrowly defeated Niagara 49-45 Saturday night at home. Tim Kowols and Bryan Mazur will have the call from Gillett on U 102.1 and NEWRadioSportsNetwork.com beginning at 6:45 p.m. 

The Pioneers of Sevastopol will have one last shot to get their first Packerland win when they take on the Oconto Blue Devils early Saturday morning. 

Sevastopol is coming off of a tough loss to the NEW Lutheran Blazers 84-25. Like most of the season, Nick Peterson led the way in scoring against the Blazers with six. The Pioneers could not stop forward Tristian Lynch, who powered his way to a game high 21 points on 7 for 11 shooting and 6 for 7 from the free throw line. Sevastopol fell to Oconto 86-45 last time the two teams matched up. 

Oconto has gone 4-2 in their last six games, including a key win over Peshtigo last time on the floor 66-64. Kadin and Dominik Baxter were the ones to give Oconto the boost they needed as they combined for 40 of the 66 with Dominic leading the way with 21. Oconto will take on Sevastopol and then host Mishicot in the first round of the WIAA Boys Basketball Playoffs. 

Tip from Oconto is set for 11:30 A.M. 

The Sevastopol girls' basketball team could clinch a regional title on their home floor for the first time in program history on Saturday night after beating the Suring Eagles on Friday 61-34. 

After the Eagles opened the scoring on the first possession, the Pioneers put a stranglehold on the game by scoring the next 12 points. Bailey Rikkola paced the Pioneers with hard-nosed defense and scored 18 of her team-high 20 points in the first half.  Libby Ash, Addison Schauske, and Naomi Rikkola all nailed threes in the first half to put the Pioneers up 32-18 at the break. One of the highlights for the Eagles was Christine Sleeter, who in her final game broke the 1,000-point mark for her high school career.

The Pioneers would force the Eagles into foul trouble in the second half as they converted all eight of their free throw attempts. They allowed just six made field goals in the second half as the Eagles saw their deficit double in the second half. Sleeter fouled out with four minutes in the game with 17 points. Bunny Cramer added six points, but no other player registered more than three points.

For the Pioneers, Kayla Ranly scored six of her 10 points in the second half while Naomi Rikkola collected nine points on the night despite playing much of the game in foul trouble.

The Pioneers return to their home gymnasium to face Lena, who beat Florence in their regional semifinal 50-45. They are led by Eva Brooks, who averaged a double-double a game with 14.5 points and 10.3 rebounds a game according to WisSports.com. The Wildcats finished third place in the Marinette & Oconto Conference with a 12-4 record after going undefeated in conference play. Tim Kowols and Bryan Mazur will have the call on U 102.1 and NEWRadioSportsNetwork.com beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the pregame show followed by an opening tip at 7 p.m.

A record-setting regular season will officially be put in the rearview mirror Friday night when the Sevastopol Pioneers host the Suring Eagles in the WIAA DIvision 5 Regional Semi-Final.

The Pioneers come into the game with an extra day of rest thanks to being a #2 seed in the tournament. They finished off their perfect season last week with consecutive wins against Oconto and Peshtigo. It featured what the Pioneers do best: sound shooting and strong defense. Teams are only averaging about 30 points a game against the Pioneers with Bonduel the only one to get above 50 points against them. Along with Naomi Rikkola and Bailey Rikkola, Libby Ash has shown her offensive prowess from behind the arc. She finished the season as the second-best three-point shooter in the state,  earning her a spot in the three-point contest at the state tournament at the end of the season.

The Eagles come into the match-up fresh off a Tuesday night 54-34 win over Bowler as the #7. Christine Sleeter posted a triple-double with 27 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 blocks in the victory that also saw Bunny Cramer chip in 10 points. 

The Pioneers won the first meeting against the Eagles 53-30 with both teams missing good secondary scorers in Kayla Ranly and Cramer respectively. The Rikkolas combined to score 31 points while Sleeter narrowly missed a triple-double with 10 points, eight blocks, and seven rebounds. 

Tim Kowols and Bryan Mazur will have the call from Institute on U 102.1 and NEWRadioSportsNetwork.com beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the pregame show followed by the opening tip at 7 p.m.

Click here for the full interview with Pioneers head coach Ben Rikkola

On Monday night, the Sevastopol boys' basketball team will kick off their final week of the regular season with a home game against NEW Lutheran.

The Pioneers are winless since January 5th, scoring more than 50 points once during that stretch. Nick Peterson leads the team with 8.9 points per game with Zaul Valdivia and Lucas Delsart averaging just under eight points a game.

The Blazers topped Peshtigo last Friday night 65-52 behind 21 points from Tristian Lynch and two others scoring in double figures.

Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Sevastopol girls' basketball used a familiar recipe to finish off their Packerland Conference season with a perfect record after beating Peshtigo on Saturday 49-21.

The Pioneers halted the Bulldogs' offense, allowing them just 10 points in the opening frame and 11 points in the second frame. Only three players were able to register points for the Bulldogs, including 11 points from Akira Smalls. Only five field goals were allowed by the Pioneers' defense.

The Pioneers' offense had three players reach double figures led by Bailey Rikkola's 15 points. Libby Ash hit a trio of threes en route to an 11 point evening while Kayla Ranly contributed 10 points. 

The Pioneers will have a bye on Tuesday and will play a few days later at home on U 102.1

The Sevastopol Pioneers have already clinched the Packerland conference, but they will have one last roadblock from their perfect Packerland record when they travel to Peshtigo to take on the Bulldogs. 

Sevastopol took care of business on Thursday against the Oconto Blue Devils by a 67-36 score. With a win, the Pioneers would end their season 23-1 overall, with their only loss coming to the 20-4 Bonduel Bears back on December 20th of last year. Naomi and Bailey Rikkola have created all the headlines from the Pioneers, but the entire team has taken a step up in their roles this season, and will look to complete the historic season Saturday. 

For the Bulldogs, they enter the matchup at 15-8 overall and 11-4 in the Packerland conference. It has been another overall strong season for Peshtigo this year, nearly matching their overall output from their third place finish in the conference from last season. Akira Smalls has been the one to take the biggest step from that season ago, and lead the Bulldogs to a three seed in the playoffs, and a first round bye. 

Tip from Peshtigo is set for 4:30 P.M. 

The Sevastopol Pioneers scored more points in the first half than they allowed in the entire game as they rolled 67-36 against Oconto in Packerland girls' basketball action.

The Pioneers took a 37-7 lead into halftime thanks to limiting the Blue Devils to just one made field goal and 19 first-half points for Kayla Ranly. Ranly would score 34 points on the night, with Naomi Rikkola chipping in 13 points. With much of the defensive focus on her, Bailey Rikkola scored nine points on the night, seven of which came after the break.

The Blue Devils would find their offensive stroke in the second half, with leading scorer Addisyn Viestenz scoring all of her team-high 13 points after the break and Natalie Schuleter adding eight points. 

The Pioneers will go for the perfect season on Saturday when they play Peshtigo. 

The Sevastopol Pioneers girls basketball team will have their senior night Thursday night as they take on the second place Oconto Blue Devils. 

Senior night for the Pioneers will include recognizing the Pioneers leading scorer, Bailey Rikkola. Rikkola has led Sevastopol to a 21-1 record entering the matchup against Oconto, while also averaging 16.5 points per game. The team drew a first round bye thanks to their perfect record in conference and their strong performance throughout the season. They will face off against the winner of the 7 and 10 seeded matchup Suring and Bowler. 

The Oconto Blue Devils are coming off of a key victory over their neighbors in Peshtigo as the Blue Devils defeated the Bulldogs 56-49 to claim sole possession of 2nd place in the Packerland. It has all been Addisyn Viestenz this season for Oconto, as she led the way with 15 points in their most recent win. Oconto was able to snag a five seed in the division four playoffs, and will host the Crivitz Wolverines in the first round. 

Tip from Institute is set for 7:30 P.M. 

The Sevastopol Pioneers girls' basketball team clinched the Packerland Conference championship on Monday night with another dominating performance, beating NEW Lutheran 59-23.

The Pioneers took a 31-14 halftime lead into the locker room and got even stingier on defense in the second half. They allowed just nine second-half points, allowing just three made field goals. Ebony Sinclair was kept well below her season average, scoring ten points on the night after registering eight in the first half.

Bailey Rikkola helped the Pioneers jump all over the Blazers, scoring 13 of her game-high 20 points in the opening frame. Naomi Rikkola and Reesce Schauske each added 10 points and Addison Schauske chipped in nine points in the victory.

The Sevastopol Pioneers will welcome in its neighboring rival Gibraltar Vikings on Tuesday night in Packerland action. 

Sevastopol will be on its second night of a back to back when facing the Vikings, after hitting the road to take on the Algoma Wolves in a make-up game. The Pioneers will be looking for their first Packerland win since the 2019-2020 season where they went 4-12 in Packerland play. Leading their effort will be Nick Peterson, who leads the Pioneers in scoring for the season, averaging nearly nine points per game. 

Gibraltar is fresh off of a strong win against Goodman/Pembine 59-49 on the backs of Will Friedenfels and Carl Burgess. Friedenfels showcased why he is headed to the next level to play basketball, dropping 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win, joined by Burgess’ 12 on 40% shooting. The Vikings defeated the Pioneers 74-49 last time the two teams matched up in Fish Creek. 

Tipoff is set for 7:30 P.M. 

The quest for a perfect Packerland mark continues this week as they battle NEW Lutheran on Monday.

Defense and a strong night offensively from a Rikkola led the way again as the Sevastopol girls' basketball team beat Kewaunee Friday night 56-32. The Pioneers more than doubled up the Storm by the break, leading 37-16 after the first 18 minutes of play. Bailey Rikkola scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in the first half, while Libby Ash scored 10 of her 11 points in the same frame. Naomi Rikkola added 13 points in the game for the Pioneers, six coming in the second half. 

The Blazers, led by likely All-Conference performer Ebony Sinclair, have lost two straight games, including a close 48-45 overtime loss to Peshtigo on Friday.

Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m.

Congratulations on a great meet today! I’ve said it several times this season, but I am immensely proud of this group of gentlemen and their hard work. We’ve had so many incredible successes this season, and it’s been rewarding to watch the boys grow both as swimmers and as people. In our first year swimming at D-1 we proved that we could compete against some really talented competition and found our way to a 7th place finish today and numerous podium swims.

Final scores:
1. Bay Port- 400
2. Neenah- 309
3. Sheboygan North- 249
4. GBU- 243
5. Manitowoc- 177
6. Oshkosh West- 172
7. DCU- 164
8. Appleton West- 154
9. Oshkosh North- 114
10. Appleton North- 112
11. Pulaski- 100

Notable swims and finishes:
-4th place varsity finish (Race Kasten, Jack Monfils, Colton Blackley, Logan Filar) in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:44.03 (a season best in the 200 medley relay)
-Tied for 5th place (Kasten, Monfils, Ezra Linnan, Filar) in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:34.00 (a season best in the 200 free relay)
-11th place finish in the 400 free relay (Linnan, George Atwell, Branden Neubauer, Blackley) with a time of 3:47.58

-Atwell took 18th in the 200 free with a time of 2:06.13 (a season best) and Neubauer took 19th with a time of 2:07.95 (a season best)
-Monfils placed 6th in the 200 IM with a time of 2:08.87
-Kasten took 5th in the 50 free with a time of 23.19 (a season best), Filar took 7th with a time of 23.59 (a season best), Blackley took 18th with a time of 24.78 (a season best), and Eric Jimenez-Polster took 34th with a time of 29.61
-Linnan took 17th in the 100 fly with a time of 1:07.25
-Filar took 5th in the 100 free with a time of 51.52 (a season best), Blackley took 10th with a time of 54.28 (a season best), Tre Wienke took 21st with a time of 1:01.52 (a season best), and Jimenez-Polster took 23rd with a time of 1:05.06
-Atwell took 15th in the 500 free with a time of 5:53.79 (a season best)
-Kasten took 6th in the 100 back with a time of 57.10 (a season best) and Linnan took 16th with a time of 1:07.22
-Monfils placed 6th in the 100 breast with a time of 1:03.80, Neubauer took 10th with a 1:11.34, and Wienke took 18th with a time of 1:15.57

A huge amount of congratulations goes out to the boys today and all their hard work from the season. Job well done!

Defense and a strong night offensively from a Rikkola led the way again as the Sevastopol girls' basketball team beat Kewaunee Friday night 56-32

The Pioneers more than doubled up the Storm by the break as they led 37-16 after the first 18 minutes of play. Bailey Rikkola scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in the first half while Libby Ash scored 10 of her 11 points in the same frame. Naomi Rikkola added 13 points in the game for the Pioneers, six of which coming in the second half. The Storm had nine different players score but none more than seven points in the loss. Jade Kroll managed seven points and Lexi Hanrahan added five points in the loss against the conference leaders.

The Door County United swim team will travel to Neenah for their sectional meet. Appleton West, Oshkosh North, Appleton East, Oshkosh West, Pulaski, Green Bay Southwest, Sheboygan North, and Manitowoc Lincoln are all scheduled to compete. Swimming is scheduled to begin at noon.

The program's first 20-win season is on the line Friday night when Sevastopol plays Kewaunee in Institute as a part of the Packerland girls' basketball slate.

They set the program record on Tuesday with a 54-20 victory over Gibraltar, the Pioneers' 19th of the season. The Pioneers were able to pull away for good midway through the first half, thanks to a balanced scoring attack by Kayla Ranly, Bailey Rikkola, Naomi Rikkola, and Reese Schauske. Both offenses settled in a little more in the second half, with their respective stars shining the brightest. Naomi Rikkola scored 16 of her game-high 21 points in the second half for the Pioneers.

The Storm is playing their best basketball of the season after an extremely slow start, routing Peshtigo on Tuesday 68-39. Jadelynn Kroll led the way with 25 points, while Lexi Hanrahan and Breanna Riha each chipped in eight points. 

Tip off time is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Sevastopol Pioneers girls' basketball team made history on Tuesday night when they beat Gibraltar 54-20 in Fish Creek.

Both teams struggled to score early in the game, with the Vikings unable to get into their offensive sets comfortably and the Pioneers unable to convert on the opportunities given to them. The Pioneers were able to pull away for good midway through the first half, thanks to a balanced scoring attack by Kayla Ranly, Bailey Rikkola, Naomi Rikkola, and Reese Schauske.  Mikala Gorham and Colleen Carlisle registered the lone field goals of the half for the Vikings as they went into the locker room down 32-6.

Both offenses settled in a little more in the second half, with their respective stars shining the brightest. For the Pioneers, Naomi Rikkola scored 16 of her game-high 21 points in the second half. Andie Schar returned serve the best she could for the Vikings, scoring eight of her team-high 10 points after the break. Bailey Rikkola (14 points) was the only other player to score in double figures for either team as the Pioneers continued to hassle the Vikings up and down the court, and the Vikings limited the Pioneers from deep, allowing just three three-pointers in the game. Colleen Carlisle and Krista Church each added three points in the loss for the Vikings.

The win over the Vikings was the 19th victory of the year for the Pioneers, which is a program record. 

Sevastopol and Sturgeon Bay will meet Monday night for a Packerland Conference crosstown rivalry game.

Sevastopol took an early 3-2 lead with a three-pointer by Oliver Mathews, but Southern Door would go on a big run by forcing numerous turnovers that turned into fast break layups to take a 58-28 into halftime ahead of a 91-36 loss. Sevastopol was led in scoring by Nick Peterson and Daniel Castillo-Barahona, who scored 11 points each. 

The Sturgeon Bay Clippers welcomed the Peshtigo Bulldogs to Sturgeon Bay High School for some Friday night Packerland Conference action. The first half began with a back-and-forth battle that included both teams trading buckets. A late first-half push from Peshtigo gave them the 32-23 halftime lead. The Clippers brought the game back within reach and maintained that close margin through much of the second half. A late push fueled by good free throw shooting for the Bulldogs led them to the 60-50 victory. The Clippers are back in action on Monday against Sevastopol.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

--

In the words of one of the boys today: “Coach do you have extra socks with you today? You’re going to need them when I blow your socks off!” And my socks were indeed blown off. We’ve had a tough January, filled with challenging practices and an intense meet schedule, and today was proof that our hard work has not been for nothing. We walked away with so, so many victories, both big and small. There are so many great things to take note of and I could not be prouder of the team that showed up at today’s meet. We had six podium finishes, including two relay podiums, nearly every member of the team brought in varsity points for us, and of our 18 individual events, 13 of them were season or personal best times. That speaks volumes of the work we’ve done this season. A week of taper and rest will help push us into the best spot possible for our showing at Neenah next weekend, and I’m looking forward to some fast swims and the potential for some bids to state.

Final scores:
1. Chilton- 91
2. Plymouth- 86
3. Two Rivers- 81
4. DCU- 73
5. Kiel- 52
6. Berlin- 36

The spread between first and fourth is only 18 points, roughly the point value of a single relay race. Those are pretty tight margins, especially given our status as a relatively young team. (Plymouth for comparison has six seniors this season.)

Notable swims and finishes:
-1st place varsity finish (Race Kasten, Jack Monfils, Colton Blackley, Logan Filar) in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:46.00 (a season best in the 200 medley relay); 1st place jv finish (Tre Wienke, Branden Neubauer, George Atwell, Eric Jimenez-Polster) in the 200 medley relay with a time of 2:02.91
-3rd place (Ezra Linnan, Neubauer, Wienke, Monfils) in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:41.48
-5th place finish in the 400 free relay (Kasten, Linnan, Atwell, Filar) with a time of 3:43.82

-Neubauer took 9th in the 200 free with a time of 2:10.56 (a season best) and Atwell took 10th with a time of 2:10.97
-Monfils placed 1st in the 200 IM with a time of 2:07.20 (a season best) and Blackley took 6th with a time of 2:22.58, both helping score points for us
-Kasten took 2nd and helped secure some points for us in the 50 free with a time of 23.46 (a season best), Wienke took 10th with a time of 27.29 (a season best), and Jimenez-Polster tied for 14th with a time of 29.78
-Filar took 4th in the 100 fly with a time of 1:00.25 (a season best) and Blackley took 6th with a time of 1:03.67 (a season best), both helping gain points
-Linnan took 7th (and gave us some points) in the 100 free with a time of 55.94 (a season best) and Jimenez-Polster took 13th with a time of 1:04.84
-Atwell took 6th in the 500 free with a huge time of 5:58.45 (a season best by 10 seconds) and Filar took 7th with a time of 6:16.74, both helping score us some points
-Kasten took 2nd in the 100 back with a time of 58.18 (a season best) and Linnan took 5th with a time of 1:04.87 (a season best), both adding to our points
-Monfils placed 1st in the 100 breast with a time of 1:03.50 (a season best), Neubauer took 5th with a 1:11.28 (a season best), and Wienke took 7th with a time of 1:13.94 (a season best), and all three brought in points for us

We’re heading into the official last week of season, and sectionals is next week Saturday at Neenah (our first shot at D-1 sectionals). I’m looking forward to some big swims next week.

It took a while to get going, but the Sevastopol Pioneers continued their winning streak in the Packerland Conference for girls' basketball with a 44-26 victory over Algoma.

The Pioneers only led by four at the break before their defense limited the Wolves to just 12 points after the break on six made field goals.

Kayla Ranly scored eight of her team-high 15 points after the break with Bailey Rikkola chipping in 14 points and Naomi Rikkola chipping in seven points.

Brooke Mattson and Emily Kirchman each chipped in six points in the loss for the Wolves.

the Sevastopol Pioneers travel to Southern Door to take on the Eagles Friday night in Boys’ Packerland Conference action.

Sevastopol lost to Suring 56-49 on Monday and was beat earlier this season by Southern Door 94-40 at home. 

The Eagles are coming off a dominating 76-39 road win over the Two Rivers Purple Raiders on Tuesday.  

Daoust leads the Eagles in scoring with a 32.4 average, while Nick Peterson paces the Pioneers with 9.2 points per contest.

Friday night will also feature at halftime the induction of former Sevastopol baseball coach John Berns into the Southern Door Athletic Hall of Fame, along with Steve Neville.

The pregame will begin at 7:15 p.m. on 103.3 The Clipper with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.  Paul Schmitt and Reece Robillard will have the call that will also be streamed on New Radio Sports Network.

The Sevastopol Pioneers girls' basketball team hope to extend their winning streak to ten on Friday when they host Algoma.

The Pioneers forced a running clock in their 73-26 win over Sturgeon Bay earlier in the week. Sevastopol started fast and did not let their foot off the pedal throughout the first half. Sam Herrel was the kickstarter to the Sevastopol offense early as she dropped a couple of threes. Bailey Rikkola would end the game with a team-high 19 points for the Pioneers, followed by sister Naomi with 12. The Pioneers remain a top-10 team in the state at Division 5, with their only loss coming against Bonduel. 

The Wolves dropped a heartbreaker in overtime 50-46 to the Peshtigo Bulldogs on Tuesday night at home in Packerland Conference girls basketball. The Wolves trailed 18-11 at halftime but rallied in the second half, and the game was tied at 43 at the end of regulation to force overtime. The Wolves were led by Rylee Zimmerman, who scored 14 points and drained three three-pointers, while Emily Kirchman tallied 12 points in the loss.