Even after losing six seniors from last season and starting a new era with a new head coach, West Salem had the same goal they’ve had in recent seasons: make it to the state tournament. The Panthers reached the Division 2 state semifinal where they fell 64-58 to Whitefish Bay on Friday, March 20.
“Since day one in practice we set some goals, and our biggest goal was to get to the Kohl Center,” West Salem senior Tyson Labus said. “I am super proud of all these guys and the work they put in and the teamwork and togetherness it took to get to this point. Especially in this postseason run, I love all these guys.”
That goal became a reality as West Salem finished the regular season Coulee Conference champions with an overall record of 24-5 and a conference record of 12-0. The Panthers survived four single-digit games en route to their fourth state tournament appearance, including revenge victories over Onalaska and La Crosse Central, two teams that the Panthers lost to in the regular season, both by double digits.
Head coach Shane Schmeling was an assistant coach for West Salem during their state appearances under Mark Wagner in 2022, 2023, and 2024. The new head coach said the Panthers were projected to drop a bit. However, the current group of seven seniors had other ideas, an emotional Schmeling said.
“I literally couldn’t ask for a better group,” Schmeling said. “We got high standards at West Salem, very high standards. We were a little overlooked early in the year and these guys just refused to let us not get to our standard. They have been here for four years and I’ve been very lucky to be here as an assistant during that process.”
The Panthers not only avoided regression—they improved on last season’s 20-7 overall record and advanced further than last season, which ended in the sectional final.
What made this run even more impressive was that West Salem did it without three out of their top four scorers from last season. The team lost Kyle Hehli, who was first in the team in scoring at 21.0 points per game and was the Coulee Conference Player of the Year. West Salem also lost their third leading scorer in Nathan Karr (11.0), and fourth leading scorer Carter Pontius (8.8).
The seniors taught the younger players a lot, according to Schmeling, and he said they were great role models. Junior Elliott Corcoran saw it firsthand.
“I learned about great leadership,” Corcoran said. “I mean every time I missed a shot, they were always telling me to keep my head up and to keep shooting and it helped me.”
Schmeling said he was proud of the team and the effort they showed since the start of the season. Even though the season ended in heartbreak, the Panthers can hold their heads high.
“It hurts to lose, and as hard as it is, I tried to tell them to think about the big picture and everything we accomplished and the way the community rallied around them,” Schmeling said.
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