Fuerlinger sets new state tourney record
By Hub City Times staff
MADISON — During their bid for a Division 5 state championship March 15-16 at the Kohl Center in Madison, the Columbus Dons boys basketball team put one of their own into the record books.
Over the course of two games in two days, Marshfield Columbus forward Bryce Fuerlinger grabbed 34 rebounds. That total set the new WIAA state tournament record in Division 5; that record was previously held by former Wisconsin Badger Sam Dekker, who secured 29 rebounds for Sheboygan Lutheran when they won the D-5 state title in 2012. Dekker hauled in 16 boards in the state semifinal round against Chippewa Falls McDonell, and 13 rebounds against Racine Lutheran in the state championship contest.
The new standard was one of two state tournament records broken by Fuerlinger in 2019. The Columbus Catholic senior forward also established a new single-game record when he grabbed 25 boards against Bangor in the Division 5 state semifinal on March 15; that shattered the previous record of 17 set by Ben Best of Drummond, also in 2012. The record occurred during a state semifinal loss by Drummond to Racine Lutheran.
The 34 rebounds by Fuerlinger in 2019 is the fourth-highest all-time in any division under the current state tourney format. Furthermore, the 25 rebounds against Bangor is the second-highest single-game total in any division in state tournament history. Jay Schauer of South Milwaukee had 26 boards in a game in the 1952 tourney.