No. 1 Auburndale rallies to down No. 2 Stratford; earns sectional final berth at SPASH

WAUSAU – Nine minutes into Thursday night's sectional semifinal, the No. 1 Auburndale boys basketball found itself scoreless.

That's when the Eagles responded with one of their most furious offensive surges of the season, behind seniors Blake Raab and Thomas Aue and junior Peyton Weinfurter.

The come-from-behind victory helped them beat No. 2 Stratford 62-49 and earn a trip to the WIAA Division 4 sectional championship game Saturday at Stevens Point.

Raab led the rally with a flurry of 3-pointers, and his two-way playmaking would become too much, as he finished leading all scorers with 23 points, with Weinfurter adding 17.

"We did not start out good," Raab said. "We missed almost every shot right away, but we stuck with it, trusted each other, and started knocking down some shots and played good defense.

"It all paid off.”

Auburndale got the wheels back in motion just in time after a setback to close out the season.

Coach Chad Weinfurter said he wouldn't call it "revenge" but called that the feeling of picking yourself back up when you're down euphoric. He felt the Eagles played their best game against the Tigers, which was a welcome sight.

"We had a little blip there at the end of the season, losing two in a row and costing us the conference title," Weinfurter said. "So, it feels really good to come back and beat Marathon and Stratford again after we lost to them at the end of the season."

Aue said the Eagles are feeling good. As they head into their matchup against No. 1 Bonduel in the sectional final on Saturday, they are one step closer to their goal of a state championship.

Auburndale senior Thomas Aue (24) cheers after getting a basket during the second half of the division 4 section semifinal at Wausau West High School on Thursday, March 13, 2025. Auburndale won 49-62.

They'll need to down a streaking Bears squad, which enters the sectional final with a handful of lopsided postseason wins.

But Weinfurter feels that performances like Thursday can help them get to that biggest goal. The team has followed through on what he and his coaching staff have stressed all season.

"We've been really preaching competing and being resilient," Weinfurter said. "It's one thing for a coach to say it, but it's another thing for the kids to do.

So just their reaction in this game, and from game to game … it's pretty darn good."

Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Reporter Alfred Smith III at alfred.smith@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AlfredS_III.

This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Auburndale basketball downs Stratford in WIAA Division 4 sectional

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