Wisconsin team wins Peach Jam

Ric Stimac's little secret finally has been exposed.

The Wisconsin Playground Warriors shocked everyone but themselves Thursday at North Augusta's Riverview Park. A day after knocking out pre-tournament favorite the Southern California All-Stars, Wisconsin (8-0) captured the fifth annual Nike Peach Jam championship with a 75-65 victory over the Illinois Warriors.

Showcasing its versatility, Wisconsin dissected Southern Cal's defense with slashes through the lane and annihilated Illinois with eight 3-pointers. Stimac has coached the Warriors for 12 years and sought a forum for his squad to be noticed.

Wisconsin wasn't at the Peach Jam last year; it wasn't even a Nike team in 1999. But Stimac's patience and dedication was rewarded Thursday as the Playground Warriors lost their anonymity with their third tournament title this year.

"The best thing about this group is we can play against any style," Stimac said. "Right now, our kids have opportunities for scholarships. When we got the opportunity, we took advantage of it. It was very timely."

In a clash between undefeated teams, Wisconsin's first-half 3-point shooting was the difference. The Warriors converted seven of 13 3-point shots in the opening 16 minutes with Drake Diener responsible for three. The team finished by making 8-of-15 3-pointers.

Thursday's victory avenged a bitter loss to Illinois in Wisconsin's own tournament last month. Travis Diener, Drake's cousin, scored a game-high 23 points.

"In the first half, we shot as good as we could as a team," said Travis Diener, who averaged 19 points during the Peach Jam. "There was revenge on our minds. We accomplished a whole lot this year. We proved we're one of the top teams in the country."

Wisconsin trailed Southern California 7-0 before finding its rhythm. The Warriors won that semifinal game and were determined not to repeat their sluggish start.

The underrated champions misfired on their first three 3-point attempts and fell behind 5-0 before making four straight to establish a 20-11 lead with 9:18 remaining in the first half. Travis Diener's first 3-pointer completed the streak and helped pad the Warriors lead.

A last-second basket by Rod Middleton narrowed Illinois' deficit to 42-25 at halftime. Drake Diener scored nine of his 13 points in the first half when Wisconsin led by as many as 19 points. Greg Brown added 17 points for Wisconsin while Roger Powell and Qwinnell Brown paced Illinois with 15 apiece.

"We started hitting and that got us through," Drake Diener said.

Illinois (7-1) used a 19-7 spurt during a seven-minute stretch to trim Wisconsin's lead to 59-54. Travis Diener ended the run and dashed Illinois' championship aspirations with a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

Diener's dagger with three minutes left was Wisconsin's only 3-point attempt of the second half. It was the game's most crucial, however.

"I felt very confident and hit it," Diener said. "It took the air out of their comeback."

Illinois coach Larry Butler took solace in knowing a brilliant shooting performance was required to deny his Warriors a second Peach Jam title.

"We were guarding them but they just hit big shots," Butler said. "They shot the ball too well. (Diener's 3-pointer) broke our back. We got it to five points and needed one more stop. That broke our back."

Reach Jimmy DeButts at (706) 823-3221