High School Boys Basketball:
Merrill 62, Shawano 50
For the third straight game the Shawano Hawks fell behind early, only to see a second half comeback fall short against Merrill. The Blue Jays drilled four first half three pointers to take a commanding 32-17 lead at the half.
The Hawks rallied with an 8-0 run to start the second half and cut the deficit to seven, but they would fail to get any closer, as Shawano fell to 0-3 on the season.
Shawano’s A.J. Kohl led all scorers with 17 points and sophomore Alex Mueller added 16 for the Hawks. Merrill was led by Jared Ollhoff, who hit for 16 points.
Merrill was also able to take advantage of the free throw line. They went 13-of-14 as team, while Quinn Steckbauer was a perfect 8-of-8.
Shawano readies to face non-conference Pulaski on Tuesday, Dec. 6.
Kaukauna 87, Hortonville 55
Friday night, the Kaukauna Ghosts looked like a team ready to defend its WIAA Division 2 state championship. The offense was firing on all cylinders and Jordan McCabe displayed why he’s drawn so much interest from Division 1 programs.
McCabe finished with 28 points on 9-of-21 shooting and scored 22 of his 28 points in the first half lead of 43-25 lead. Both teams were shaky in the early going, as they combined for 10 turnovers within the first eight minutes of the game.
“We were energized early on and our offense got a little too excited,” said Kaukauna head coach Mike Schalow. However once they got their footing underneath them, the Kaukuana offense let it fly.
Dylan Kurey registered a double-double with 14 points and 16 boards. He was the Ghosts’ second leading scorer.
Hortonville only had four players score in the game. The Polar Bears were led by South Dakota State recruit Ryan Krueger, who had a team-high 24 points. Charlie Schabo chipped in 18 points.
Wrightstown 57, Fox Valley Lutheran 48
Thanks in part to Derek Zwick’s four 3-point buckets in the first half, the Tigers picked were able to build a 14-point halftime lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Zwick finished the night with 18 points and James Hansen added 16 and five assists to lead Wrightstown.
Luxemburg-Casco 99, Waupaca 60
The Spartans came just shy of the century mark, as their offense erupted for 99 points. Mitchell Jandrin scored a game-high 26 points for Luxemburg-Casco. Nathan Coisman poured in 18. Waupaca’s leading scorers were Brandon Wanty and Ryan Dayton, who each had 14 points.
Marinette 64, Little Chute 61
Despite opening the game with a 14-point deficit, Little Chute worked their way back into the game, and even took the lead at some moments, however they still came up short against Marinette. A swing in momentum came when Jack Poetzl turned a steal into a 3-point play in the late stages of a tie game. Sophomore Noah Mueller led the Mustangs with 16 points. Sawyer Huss and Noah Knudsen each reach the double-digit scoring plateau.
Denmark 57, Freedom 54
The Irish held a four point lead with five minutes remaining in the game, but wouldn’t score again until a meaningless 3-pointer with a second to go. Denmark pulled off the win on the road, as Blake Derricks was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points. Ty Brickner led Freedom with 12 and Charlie Jadin finished with 10 points.
Clintonville 60, Oconto Falls 29
The Truckers picked up the North Eastern Conference win easily over Oconto Falls behind solid 10-of-17 shooting night from Nathan Krueger, who finished with a game-high 22 points. Clintonville limited Oconto Falls to just 25 percent shooting from the floor.
Oshkosh North 63, Appleton West 44
Oshkosh North picked up an opening FVA win on the road and remain a perfect 3-0 on the year. The Spartans led by 7 at the break, but thanks to a 15-0 run in the second half, they were able to put the game out of reach. Oshkosh North was able to force 16 turnovers, which in turn led to easy buckets. Junior guard Tyrese Haliburton scored 24 points to lead all scorers. Sophomore Will Mahoney led the scoring column for Appleton West, who suffered their first loss on the season.
Oshkosh West 68, Fond Du Lac 61
Appleton East 46, Neenah 43
The Patriots were able to overcome a poor night of 3-point shooting thanks to strong defense to hold off Neenah. The Rockets had a chance to tie the game with a last-second 3-pointer, however they fell short. Appleton East was led by Nathan Brice and Blair Murphy-Pociask in scoring. They had 13 points each. Jordan Mascal for Neenah scored a game-high 15.
De Pere 62, Marshfield 60
It was Max Huddleston’s 17 points to pave the way for the close Red Bird victory. Isaac Hoffmann and Ben Collette also combined for 25 points.
Manitowoc 77, Green Bay East 66
Green Bay East fell to Manitowoc, despite a 24-point effort from Zack Crockett. The Red Devils are still in search of their first win. They were able to cut the deficit to nine points late, but they would not get any closer.
Crivitz 63, Bonduel 46
Only one point separated the two teams at halftime, but Crivitz busted the game open by outscoring the Bears by 16 in the second half. Jakob Voss had 18 points for Crivitz. Bonduel’s leading scorer was Bryce Weier who tallied 17 points. Bonduel is now 0-2 on the season.
Wabeno/Laona 85, White Lake 21
The Rebels coasted to their first conference win after jumping out to a 49-9 first half lead. All players on the roster placed points on the board, with three in double figures. Cooper Chrisman led all scorers with 23 points, Chris Schewe scored over half the points for White Lake with 12.
Wild Rose 72, Weyauwega-Fremont 52
Logan Bozquez and Jacob Hablewitz’s 29 combined points wouldn’t be enough, as Weyauwega-Fremont dropped the non-conference matchup to Wild Rose.
Gresham 74, Tri-County 49
Drew Haffner and Neal Cervany combined for 66 of Gresham’s 74 points en route to the win, as Gresham picked up their first win in conference, limiting Tri-County to 21 second half points.