Late Surge Lifts Maroons Past Marines

The Marinette Marines hung around until the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 49-34 loss to the Menominee Maroons, but it’s tough to overcome scoring just 10 second-half points in a game.
After the Maroons jumped out to a 12-4 advantage early and held Marinette to six in the first quarter, Marinette responded with an 18-point second quarter to tie things up at 24 going into halftime.
Dominic Smerchek nailed a 3-pointer to get things started, then Cale Ducane scored nine of the team’s final 13 points in the half, including a 3-pointer that tied it at 22 and a layup that gave his team a brief 24-22 lead. Ducane finished with 16 of Marinette’s 34 points.
“He was the reason we were tied at halftime, because he could score offensively and everyone else was kind of struggling,” Marinette coach Connor Nelson said. “I told him he was the strongest kid on the court and he needs to use that to his advantage, and he started to do that. Cale had a massive game.”
Menominee tied it up at 24 with three seconds left in the first half on a basket by Trevor Theuerkauf.
The second half saw the Marinette offense dry back up, but the Marines also cranked up their defensive intensity and held Menominee to 10 points in the third quarter. A putback by Menominee’s Eli Beal just before the buzzer made it 34-30, but Marinette was squarely in the game going into the final eight minutes.
After a free throw by the Marines, Menominee went on a 10-0 run that included two 3-pointers by Connor Coduti to extend the lead to 44-31.
Marinette didn’t make a field goal in the final quarter, with four free throws the Marines’ only scoring. Neither team scored in the final two minutes.
“I thought our defensive intensity was probably the best that we’ve had all season long,” Menominee coach Sam Larson said. “I thought we did a really nice job limiting them to six points in the third quarter and four points in the fourth. Big credit to our defensive intensity.”
Nelson said it was the best his offense looked this season, but his team just missed a lot of open shots and layups.
“It’s pretty simple. You can’t score 10 points in the second half of a varsity basketball game and expect to win,” he said. “That’s got nothing to do with how hard we played and the effort we gave. Baskets just didn’t fall, and it’s been a common theme all year.”
Theuerkauf finished with 17 points for Menominee and played an important role controlling the tempo of the Maroon offense.
“Trevor is awesome. He’s been a constant for us for this whole season, really,” Larson said. “We’re very in-control when he has the ball in his hands. He is great at managing the game, making sure we have people where we need, and then we also rely on him to score a lot.”
Coduti scored 11, Beal had 10, and Kaden Starzynski had eight.
Smerchek scored nine and Sam Sommerfeldt finished the game with seven for the Marines, who will take a lot of positives from the game despite the final score.
“We still have a long way to go as far as learning the game, but our defense was awesome,” Nelson said. “I said, ‘You don’t feel like you had fun right now, but that was a fun game. Wake up in the morning and think of the good things that you did last night rather than thinking of it as a loss.’”
Hot Shooting Bulldogs
Pull Away from Tigers

Gillett coach Russ Young has been coaching high school basketball for a long time, but the shooting performance the Peshtigo Bulldogs put on Friday in an 85-45 win over his Tigers was perhaps the best he’s ever seen.
Of their 33 attempts from long range, the Bulldogs nailed 18 of them. In particular, Peyton Demmith was 4-6, Grant Bauman went 4-5, Mason Doberstein and Will McMahon made three of four, and Cole Grabian made all three of his attempts.
“My goodness, I don’t know in my 32 years of coaching if I’ve ever seen a team shoot that well,” Young said.
His team’s emphasis was on shutting down the paint and not allowing 6-foot-9 forward Kaine Fort to beat them inside, Young said. Fort ended up with 14 points and 11 rebounds, but his seven assists stand out on the scorebook.
“Kaine Fort did a really good job. When he got the ball and he wasn’t doubled, he scored, and when he was doubled, he’s one of the most unselfish big guys, and we were knocking them down tonight,” Peshtigo coach Jason Boucher said.
You don’t make 18 shots from beyond the arc by chucking up contested efforts, either. Fort and the rest of the Peshtigo lineup did a good job getting the ball to open shooters.
“We shot the ball extremely well tonight. That was probably the best we’ve shot the ball in years, I’d imagine,” Boucher said. “Making [18] threes in a 36-minute high school game is pretty impressive, but we took them the right way. We didn’t just come down and jack them up. We got in the lane and kicked out.”
The Bulldogs had 10 different scorers in the game. Bauman scored 16, Fort had 14, Demmith scored 12, Grabian finished with 11, and Doberstein had 10. Will McMahon got eight and Landon Beyer scored seven.
Gillett’s Jesse DeBauch scored 16 to lead the way for the Tigers. Aydin Franti had 11 and Austin VandeCorput scored 10.
The Tigers ended up on the wrong side of a 40-point defeat, but they were also playing up two divisions against a one-loss Peshtigo side.
“Playing a D3 school is good for us, regardless of the score,” Young said. “I told the guys when we got here that it’s a good measuring stick because if you can hang with a good D3 team, and they’re now 8-1, you can play with D5 schools.”
Cavaliers Beat Rangers
in Overtime 53-52

Saint Thomas Aquinas and Wausaukee have been evenly matched basketball teams over the last two seasons, and that was the case again Tuesday as the team’s battled into overtime, where the Cavaliers squeaked out a 53-52 win.
Teagan Anderson led the Cavaliers in scoring with 17 points and senior Ethan Braley scored 14.
Freshman Caleb Duvall also had a good game, scoring 14 points.
“He’s a freshman, so I know I’m asking a lot out of him, but he followed through tonight again and had a really nice game,” STAA coach Jack Farley said.
He would have expected a tough battle given that the teams split last year’s matchups.
“I thought this was a game where we had similar talent levels on our teams. Last year we split the two games, so I knew it was going to be a battle coming in. I’m happy with the result,” Farley said. “We match up pretty well with them. They pounded it inside on us, but that happens sometimes with a short team like ours.”
The win got STAA back to .500 on the season at 5-5 overall. The Cavaliers are 2-3 in M&O play, but they have a daunting matchup with Coleman on the road Friday. The Cougars are 4-0 in M&O action.
Wausaukee falls to 1-6 overall and 0-3 in the M&O. Layne Rowley scored 18 to lead the Rangers. Prestin Brunette had 10.
Wausaukee hosts White Lake on Friday in non-conference action then plays Coleman on Monday night. That one is in Wausaukee as well.
Wolverines Run
Away from  Badgers
In M&O Contest

Crivitz blew out Niagara Tuesday night by an 81-26 scoreline.
The Wolverines got at least seven points from eight different scorers. Jackson Flowers had 12 and Colten Tarmann had 12 points apiece. Sean Christiansen scored 10.
Nicholas Krueger scored eight to lead Niagara in scoring.
The Wolverines are undefeated this season. They face Suring at home on Friday.
“Crivitz has an excellent team,” Niagara coach Terry Youren said. “They did everything that you want in a team: shooting, rebounding and tough defense.”
Next up for Niagara (2-3 M&O) is Gillett (2-1 M&O). That one is in Gillett at 7:15 p.m. Friday.
Cougars Get Past
Tigers To Stay
Undefeated in M&O

Coleman beat Gillett 54-46 Tuesday night to remain perfect in conference play, led by 20 points from Logan Kurth.
Kurth had 12 by halftime, and hit four 3-pointers in the game to lead all scorers. Joe Olsen scored 13 and Evan Hockers finished with 12.
Gillett’s leading scorer was Austin VandeCorput, who scored 13, including a trio of 3-pointers. Jesse DeBauch scored 11 and Aydin Franti had nine. Ben Matczak scored seven.
Coleman (4-3 overall, 4-0 M&O Conference) hosts Saint Thomas Aquinas Academy (2-3 M&O) on Friday. Gillett (5-3 overall, 2-1 M&O) welcomes Niagara (2-3 M&O) to town Friday night.
Maroons Come
Away With Norway
Tourney Title

Menominee captured the Norway Holiday Tournament title after holding on to a 59-56 victory over the hosts from Norway on Wednesday.
The four-team tournament consisted of Menominee, Norway, Gwinn, and Westwood. Menominee beat Westwood the day before by the same scoreline, 59-56. Westwood beat Gwinn in the third-place game.
Against Westwood on Tuesday, Menominee struggled in the third quarter and bounced back in the fourth quarter.
Wednesday was just the opposite. Trailing 34-32 at halftime, the Maroons outscored Norway 15-4 in the third quarter to take a 47-38 lead going into the final period. Norway scored 17 in the fourth quarter but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Michael Peterson led Norway in scoring with 14. Wyatt Spade and Alex Ortman scored 13 and 12, respectively.
Menominee’s leader was Trevor Theuerkauf, who scored 22 points. He had 11 in each half.
Connor Coduti scored 13 and Kaden Starzynski added 12.
Patriots Rough up
Rangers 78-45

Goodman-Pembine’s three-headed scoring attack of Ryan Ehlert, Lucas Bambeau, and Ryan Erickson scored 70 points in a 78-45 win over Wausaukee on Monday night.
Ehlert scored 33 points, making four 3-pointers in the process. Bambeau added 22 on eight field goals and six free throws, and Erickson made all six of his free throws on his way to 15 points. Jacob Brunette added six as well.
Wausaukee’s Layne Rowley led the Rangers with 19 points. Anthony Vanick scored seven, Danny Suennen got six, and both Kayden Suennen and Connor Schroeder scored five.
The Patriots (4-4 overall) scored 45 points in the second half. They’re off until Friday, when they head to Bonduel to face the 5-2 Bears.
Three Lakes Defeats
Niagara  With Buzzer
Beating Shot

A last-second shot broke the Niagara Badgers’ hearts in Wednesday’s 42-40 loss to Three Lakes.
The Blue Jays scored 29 points in the second half and capped it off with a buzzer-beating win. Jared Kaufman led the team with 19 points.
“I’m very proud of how hard we worked tonight. It was a great defensive game,” Niagara coach Terry Youren said.
Blue Devils Edge
Panthers in Non
Conference Matchup

The Oconto Blue Devils defeated their non-conference rivals from Oconto Falls 73-68 on Friday.
The Blue Devils scored 40 points in the first half and led by seven at half. The Panthers outscored them by two in the second half but couldn’t overcome the deficit.
The Panthers’ Alex Haines led all scorers with 28 points on an 11-17 shooting night.
Only five players scored for Oconto Falls, with four of them in double figures. Braden Vandermoss scored 15, Kody Vorpahl got 12, and Caden Birr scored 10.
Vorpahl’s 10 rebounds were a game-high and his four assists led the Panthers.
For Oconto, six players scored. Kadin and Dominik Baxter scored 18 and 15, respectively, Carter Koch scored 14, Trenton Hartman got 13 on a perfect 6-6 shooting, and Cooper Campshure scored nine. Koch’s nine rebounds and four blocks were both team-highs.
Of Oconto’s 26 field goals, 22 were assisted.
Koch, Jackson Martin, both Baxters, and Campshure each had at least four assists.
Green Bay West
Survives Oconto Falls

It was a close contest Tuesday night when the Green Bay West boys overcame the Oconto Falls Panthers 69-65.
Oconto Falls had the stronger start, holding a slight halftime edge 32-31.
Oconto Falls was led y Braden Vandermoss with 17 while GB West was led by Sam Hemery with 28.
Wildcats Claw Their
Way Past Panthers 69-65

Oconto Falls lost a nail-biter to Green Bay West on Tuesday, narrowly falling to Sam Hemery and the Wildcats by a 69-65 score.
Hemery scored 28 points, making six 3-pointers in the process. Four of GB West’s scorers in the game scored 10 or more points.
The same was true for the Panthers, as Braden Vandermoss scored 17, Alex Haines got 15, Carter Hill scored 13, and Caden Birr had 11.
Hill had a team-high 10 rebounds and three assists in the game.
The loss drops the Panthers to 1-8. Next up is a trip to Wrightstown (4-5 overall, 3-2 North Eastern Conference) on Friday night.
Blue Devils Build Early
Lead, Hold Off Tigers

Oconto beat Chilton 55-46 off the back of a strong first-half display Tuesday night. The Blue Devils led 27-13 at halftime.
No Chilton player scored more than 11, which was done by Will Fuerbringer and Ryan Pierquet.
Oconto (6-4 overall) heads to Gibraltar for its third straight road game on Thursday, then plays at NEW Lutheran Saturday.
Marines Fall Hard
To Eagles 78-39

Northland Pines dropped 78 points in a big win over Marinette on Wednesday.
Gabe Smith’s 20 led all scorers. Marinette’s leader was Sam Sommerfeldt, who had an efficient 13 on 5-10 shooting. Javon Brown chipped in 10 on a 4-5 night as well.
STAA Works For Split
at Gresham Tourney

The STAA boys were beaten by Oneida Nation but defeated Gresham at Gresham’s tournament on Thursday and Friday.
Oneida Nation beat STAA 75-32 after scoring 43 in the second half.
STAA’s Ethan Braley scored 12 points to lead the Cavaliers.
In game two it was Teagan Anderson topping the scoring charts with 16. Braley added 15, while Henry Piasecki and Caleb Duvall each scored nine.
STAA scored 28 in both the first and second half. The Cavaliers led by 10 at the half.
Tigers Use Big Second
Half to Pull Away
from Wildcats

Gillett got back in action with a 54-31 win over Lena on Wednesday. After not playing in 10 days, the Tigers led 25-21 at half but started to find their form in the second half, holding Lena to 10 points while scoring 29.
Austin VandeCorput had 17 points, followed by 13 each from Jesse DeBauch and Aydin Franti. Lavonzell Smith scored eight.
Reed Hosking’s 15 paced Lena.
Wolverines Get Offensive
Drop Blue Devils 79-61

Crivitz beat Oconto 79-61 at the Kress Center’s Sun Drop Showcase on Wednesday behind 53 combined points by Tegan Werner and Sean Christiansen.
Werner dropped 30 points on 11-18 shooting as well as a 7-7 free throw tally. Christiansen was 10-18 for 23 points, adding seven rebounds and five steals as well.
Jackson Flowers had 14 points and 11 rebounds and both Brady Tadisch and Cashton Mertens scored six. Mertens’ four assists were a team-high.
Oconto’s best offensive output came from Kadin Baxter, who scored 22 points on 8-15 shooting, adding a team-best 10 rebounds and six assists as well.
Dominik Baxter scored 12 points. Kipper Gering and Carter Koch scored eight each and Jackson Martin finished with six.

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