Wolverines Beat Bulldogs in Overtime 60-56

Peshtigo and Crivitz went toe-to-toe and blow-for-blow at the Packerland/M&O Conference Thanksgiving Challenge. After 36 hard-fought minutes, the two teams needed a few more to decide a winner.
The two teams went into overtime tied at 54, and Peshtigo had some trouble finding the bottom of the net in overtime, scoring just two points, both on free throws.
Crivitz, meanwhile, scored six, including four by Sean Christiansen, to pick up a 60-56 win.
Regulation doesn’t get much closer than this one, either. Crivitz led 35-28 early in the second half, but the two teams were locked in a battle from there on out.
Coming out of a timeout, Grant Bauman hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to four, and Peshtigo would take a 36-35 lead. Leading 42-39 on an and-one by Kavin Kleikamp, Peshtigo would hold a lead until Christiansen hit a bucket to take a 50-49 lead.
Peshtigo quickly took it back, 51-50, on a basket by Kleikamp, and made a free throw to make it two.
With Peshtigo trying to run out the clock, Crivitz took a timeout with 1:18 to play, down two.
Christiansen continued to come up big, grabbing a rebound and putting it back up to tie the game at 52.
Again, Peshtigo held the advantage, with Mason Doberstein making two free throws, but Jackson Flowers retaliated with two free throws to tie the game with 21 seconds left. From there, the teams would go scoreless and head to overtime.
Missed free throws were a topic for Peshtigo coach Jason Boucher after the game, but it’s an early-season game, and he got a great effort from his team.
“It was a great game. Give Crivitz credit. They played in our face all night, and we didn’t shoot as well as we did last night. We missed 17 free throws tonight. What can you say? The small things end up costing you games,” Boucher said. “We make half of them and we win easy. Nothing to take away from Crivitz. They played a heck of a game. They’re big, they’re long, they play great defense, and it was a good game.”
Peshtigo isn’t quite as deep this season as it was last season following the graduation of key contributors like Mauz Salem, Christian Boyle, Landon Lemke, and Collin Engman.
Boucher went just seven deep on Saturday, despite forward Kaine Fort fouling out with two minutes to go in regulation.
Fort, Doberstein, and Kleikamp scored 11 points apiece. Will McMahon scored nine. McMahon had 11 rebounds and Fort had 12.
Crivitz also had some foul problems. Leading scorer Tegan Werner scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds but fouled out in regulation.
Peshtigo was held to 11 less shots than their opponents, and took just 13 3-pointers, as the Wolverines put emphasis on limiting their outside shots.
“They’re good shooters so you’ve got to get out on them,” Crivitz coach Jeff Baumann said. “You can’t leave them, and then they go to the hole pretty well. We played hard. I’m sure Peshtigo would be saying the same thing, but just a lot of things to work on yet.”
As a team, Crivitz committed 21 fouls, with five players committing three or more apiece.
“We’re just reaching and grabbing too much,” Baumann said. “We’ll get that fixed. I’m confident on that. The guys are playing hard.”
Christiansen scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds. Brady Tadisch had 13 points and seven rebounds and Jackson Flowers put up 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
Clippers Hold Off
Cougars at M&O/
Packerland Challenge
Coleman dropped a 55-47 game to Sturgeon Bay in the Packerland/M&O Conference Thanksgiving Challenge on Saturday.
Sturgeon Bay kept Coleman at arm’s length for most of the second half. Although the Cougars did make a couple of runs, they just couldn’t pull even or take a lead.
Trailing 35-21 in the second half, the Cougars scored 10 straight points to cut the lead to four, with a triple by Joey Olsen capping off the run.
Sturgeon Bay was able to take a 10-point lead back at 45-35, and the game never got closer than seven until it was 53-47 with less than 60 seconds to go.
Coleman was 16-45 from the field to Sturgeon Bay’s 18-44. The Clippers hit nine of 21 3-point field goals.
Coleman also struggled at the free throw line, making just 11 of 26 attempts.
The Cougars were also beaten by Peshtigo on Friday.
“The first two games demonstrated that we have work to do yet,” Coleman coach Jeff Bronson said. “Despite having three individuals that started at times last year, there is a lot to rebuild and reteach.”
Tyler Rennie led the team in scoring with 12 points on 4-8 shooting from the field. Joey Olsen scored nine, Evan Hockers got eight, and Logan Kurth scored seven.
“When we ran a half-court offense good things happened, but our inexperience showed at times and we stopped running offense too many times and then got frustrated when the ball didn’t go in,” Bronson said. “The goal is to, of course, get that out of their system and to continue to work for a good shot every time down and then not let one side impact how we play defense.”
Two positives for Bronson were that his team played hard and limited turnovers, he said.
“I told the team after both games that regardless of the outcome of the games we would have things to work on and the games will help to show what needs to be done to become better,” he said. “The biggest hurdles for us will be the team being willing to communicate more and be consistent in running half-court offense. The team does have parts to be competitive and win games, so a slow start out of the gate doesn’t reduce expectations.”
Marines Lose
Heartbreaker to
Spartans in
Season Opener
It’s a new era of Marinette basketball under first-year head coach Connor Nelson. With that comes bumps in the road, including a 55-49 North Eastern Conference loss in the team’s season opener on Tuesday, but it also comes with visions of the team’s potential, especially defensively.
The Marines got good shots in the first half but struggled to put the ball in the bucket. Despite these struggles, they led 23-19 at the break.
“The first half, a lot of times the shots just didn’t fall,” Nelson said. “We were getting good looks, we were being patient, and I couldn’t really ask for a lot better on offense. The shots just weren’t going down in the first half.”
Lux-Casco tied the game at 36 for the first time since it was 12-12 on a Braeden Schley layup and took the lead on another Schley bucket, but Marinette responded.
The Marines then took a five-point lead, 43-38, on an and-one by Sam Sommerfeldt.
The two teams went back-and-forth from there. Lux-Casco tied it at 43, then took a 45-43 lead. With 3:45 to play, Sommerfeldt hit a runner to tie it at 45, and two free throws with 3:05 to go gave Marinette a 47-45 lead.
Caleb Blohowiak hit back-to-back buckets to make it 49-47 LC, and scored another shortly after to take a 51-47 lead.
With less than a minute left, Marinette had the ball trailing 51-49, but a turnover gave it back to Luxemburg-Casco, and the Spartans added two baskets to win 55-49.
“I said that one’s on me as a young coach. I’ve got to take a timeout there and get something drawn up so we don’t turn the ball over,” Nelson said. “I don’t want to put the blame on them. That’s on me. I‘ve got to take a timeout and get something set up.”
Sommerfeldt finished with 21 points, with 14 coming in the second half. Two fouls in the first six minutes sent him to the bench and forced freshman Chase MacGregor into action early.
Junior Henry Bailey and senior Dominic Smerchek each scored nine points to help with the scoring load. Smerchek’s performance in particular was a promising one.
“Dom was awesome tonight offensively and defensively. That kid plays so hard. I tell him all the time, ‘You can never not be aggressive. I need you to go to the rim every single time,’” Nelson said. “I wanted to put him in the high post a little bit tonight. When he finally got there, he attacked pretty well and he finished, so that’s what we need. He’s got to be a scoring option for us and we need him to be aggressive.”
The Spartans went back-and-forth between man-to-man defense and zone in the second half, using their length to bother Marinette passers. Blohowiak is one of four players 6-foot-3 or taller for the Spartans, and he gave the Marines some fits at the top of the zone.
“I think the best offense we played tonight was when they went man-to-man. They went man-to-man, we got some good looks out of that, and when they went back to zone, we started having some issues,” Nelson said. “I think their length really hurt us up top. That 34 [Blohowiak] is a good player and that length with the size of our guards, it’s just hard to get a pass through.”
Blohowiak scored 15 points and Chase Bukouricz scored 17, but Marinette’s defense was definitely a highlight for the team and something the coaching staff will want to build on going forward.
“Offensively, obviously we have a ton of work to do but I told them that was the best defensive game I’ve seen from a Marinette team in years, and that’s just based on their efforts,” Nelson said. “It’s got nothing to do with anyone else but those five guys that were on the court and those 10 guys on the bench that were giving us some energy, so I’m really excited to see what we can do. We’re going to work on that offensive end and shots are going to start to fall. We’re going to get dangerous.”
Marinette (0-1) heads to Fox Valley Lutheran on Monday at 7 p.m. The Foxes are 2-0 with wins over Seymour and Waupaca in their first two games this season.
Wolverines Open
Season  With Win
Over Clippers
Jumping out to an early lead was the key to the Crivitz Wolverines’ 73-53 win over Sturgeon Bay on Friday in the M&O/Packerland Conference Thanksgiving Challenge.
The Wolverines scored the first seven points of the game and made it 14-3 early on an and-one bucket by Tegan Werner.
Sturgeon Bay would keep things fairly close, pulling back to 26-20 on a 3-pointer by Derick Ayala. At the half, Crivitz led 37-26, with Cashton Mertens hitting a jumper before the half to restore a double-digit advantage.
Mertens had a great game, scoring 15 points on a sharp 7-8 shooting line.
“I think Cashton Mertens has played exceptionally well,” Crivitz coach Jeff Baumann said. “I thought he played well tonight, and in our scrimmage, I felt like he was the only guy that exceeded expectations, so I really like what he’s been doing so far.”
Crivitz came out of the break hot. Isaak Aune hit a 3-pointer for Sturgeon Bay to start the half off, but Crivitz scored the next eight points, with six of them coming inside the paint.
Aune finished with a Clipper-high 13 points, but that didn’t compare to the 35 he scored in the team’s season opener against Chilton on Tuesday, when he made 7 of 13 3-pointers and shot the ball 25 times.
“I was really worried about [Aune] just because he had 35 on Tuesday. He put up a bunch of points. He was our first focus,” Baumann said. “I know matchups change, but from that first game I watched, it looked like 3 was really the only one that wanted to take shots, but I think we got him frustrated early on.”
Within a couple minutes, it was 52-33 on a layup by Werner and Crivitz held on to win by 20 points. Werner would finish with 11 points, four rebounds, and five steals.
Jackson Flowers had 16 points on 6-10 shooting (4-9 free throws) for Crivitz, adding two blocks, two steals, two assists, and four rebounds. Sean Christiansen had 14 points (6-12 FG, 6-12 FT), 11 rebounds, and three steals.
The Wolverines have had a weird start to the season, with injuries forcing young players into big spots. They turned the ball over 21 times and committed 22 fouls, but overall, Baumann was happy with what he saw from his team.
“We have a lot of room for improvement, but even though we made a lot of mistakes, I feel like my younger guys handled it pretty well, all in all,” Baumann said. “I just feel a little more hope than when I came in, just because we’re so thin on numbers and relying on freshmen. Even though they made a lot of mistakes, they handled it well. They didn’t let it overwhelm them.”
And the biggest thing might have been the effort the Wolverines put in.
“The boys at least played hard, and for me that was the big improvement,” Bauman said. “We played a scrimmage on Monday and didn’t play hard at all, so that’s what I said I wanted to see the most, and I thought we did that today.”
Badgers Best
Patriots 57-45
Niagara got its first taste of victory this season with a 57-45 defeat of Goodman-Pembine on Monday.
Tommy Martin led all scorers with 19 and Aiden Colenso added 11 points. Logan Weber chipped in nine.
On the G-P side, Ryan Ehlert scored 18 points and had six assists and steals, all Patriot bests.
Lucas Barribeau scored 13 points on 6-11 shooting with four rebounds. Ryan Erickson scored eight.
The Patriots’ (0-1) next chance to get in the win column will be Friday in Crandon. Niagara (1-1) plays again Tuesday at Oneida Nation.
Blue Devils Open
Season With 2 Wins
Oconto opened the regular season with a 78-57 win over Wabeno/Laona on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
Carter Janesch scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Wabeno/Laona but wasn’t able to overcome the Blue Devil offensive onslaught. Oconto beat Shiocton 70-61 on Tuesday night. No more information was available at press time.
Gillett Picks Up
Win in Wausau
Gillett picked up a 47-42 win over Wausau East in the Tigers’ first game of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
It was Wausau East’s third game of the season and the team’s third straight loss before getting a 56-50 win against Mosinee on Friday.
Rangers Keep it Close
But Fall to Pioneers
Layne Rowley poured in 30 points but wasn’t able to lead Wausaukee to a win over Sevastopol, as the Rangers fell 58-51.
Rowley made 10 field goals, all for two points, and scored 10 of his 12 free throws.
Danny Suennen’s nine points put him second on the team. Connor Schroeder scored six.
For Sevastopol. Cesar Sandoval and Lucas Delsart scored 17 and 14, respectively. Sevastopol led 30-26 at halftime.
Big Second Half Pushes
STAA Past Twin City
The Saint Thomas Aquinas Academy boys needed a strong second half to beat Twin City Home School 48-32 in the Cavaliers’ first game of the season.
STAA trailed 21-17 at halftime but came up with a 31-11 second-half advantage to win the game.
Teagan Anderson made half of his 12 shots from the field and scored 16 points to lead the team. Caleb Duvall scored 13 on 6-14 shooting, and Ethan Braley was 5-13 to score 12 points.
Braley led the team in assists (4) and steals (7). Calvin Peters had six rebounds.
As a team, STAA was 20-56 from the field (5-15 3-pt) and 3-13 from the free throw line.
Bobcats Beat Badgers
in Season Opener
Florence and Niagara battled it out in the first game of the 2022-23 season on Tuesday, Nov. 22. After 36 minutes, it was the Bobcats that secured a 57-44 win.
Dominic DeMuri’s 18 points and 11 rebounds led the way, followed by 13 and seven by Logan Schuls, whose four assists paced the Bobcat effort. William Kelley had 11 points and five rebounds. Seth Axley had seven.
For Niagara, Tommy Martin scored 13 points, Ed Swanson had 11, Aiden Colenso got nine, and Nicholas Krueger scored seven.
Bulldogs Pull Away
From Cougars in
Season Opener
Peshtigo was efficient offensively to defeat Coleman 74-56 in the the teams’ opening Packerland/M&O Conference Thanksgiving Challenge game on Friday.
The Bulldogs shot 56.8 percent from the field (39/59), including 42.9 percent (9/21) from 3-point range. Coleman shot 38.6 percent from the field (22/57). “First game of the year I thgough we played pretty well”, said Peshtigo Coach Jason Boucher. “But we need to be consistant through the whole game. We did a good job of finding the open man and shot the ball well tonight.”
Will McMahon was excellent in just about every aspect of the game, making nine of 13 field goals and scoring a game-high 22 points. He was a game-best +22 in his 32 minutes and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Mason Doberstein scored 16 points on 6-13 shooting, including a 3-7 tally from long distance, also leading the way with five assists and two steals.
Kavin Kleikamp made all three of his triples and scored 11 and Kaine Fort scored 14 on 7/11 shooting. Fort had nine rebounds.
For Coleman, Joey Olsen was 5-16 for 14 points and eight rebounds, Joey Olsen was 5-16 for 14 points and eight rebounds, and Logan Kurth scored 13 in just 20 minutes of play. He made five of 11 shots.
Panthers Fall to
Menominee Indian
in Shootout 86-78
Menominee Indian and Oconto Falls didn’t show much rust offensively in the two teams’ season opener on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
Oconto Falls put up 78 points but fell by an eight point margin.
For the Panthers, Alex Haines led the scoring with 20 points. He made six of 15 field goals and eight of his 10 free throws. He also had five assists, tied with Carter Hill for the team’s best.
Hill had five points and seven rebounds. Caden Birr had seven rebounds as well, scoring 17 points on 5-14 shooting, with all 14 shots coming from 3-point range.
Kody Vorpahl was 4-8 from the field and 6-11 on free throws to score 14, adding seven rebounds, and Even Yuma chipped in 10 points on 3-6 shooting and 4-6 from the line.
The two halves had identical 43-39 advantages for Menominee Indian.
Panthers Fall to
Mustangs in NEC Opener
Little Chute had the Oconto Falls Panthers’ number on Tuesday, winning 75-23.
The Mustangs led 48-16 and never looked back, holding Falls to seven second-half points.
Caden Birr scored eight and Kody Vorpahl had six for the Panthers.
Little Chute’s Hunter Thiel led all scorers with 24.
Oconto Falls (0-2) faces Luxemburg-Casco on the road Friday night. The Spartans are coming off a North Eastern Conference win against Marinette on Tuesday.