By Paul Lecker
For OnFocus
MARSHFIELD – Following a slow start on both ends of the floor, the Marshfield boys basketball team turned up its defensive play, which in turn helped on the offensive end and it pushed past Wisconsin Rapids 59-40 in a Wisconsin Valley Conference matchup Monday night at Marshfield High School.
Marshfield trailed 15-9 early after missing eight shots in a row. The Tigers’ relentless pressure finally got to Rapids and started to pay off on the offensive end.
Preston Wagner hit back-to-back 3-pointers and a lay-in, and Addison Hill, Cody Korth and Wagner continued the barrage from 3-point range to cap a 17-0 run and put the Tigers on top 26-15.
Wisconsin Rapids (4-13, 2-7 Wisconsin Valley Conference) did not make a field goal for more than 10 minutes before finally ending the drought in the final minute of the half.
Wagner scored in the final seconds to put Marshfield up 28-18 at the break and the Tigers led by at least six the rest of the way.
“It’s not easy playing the way we do, 84 feet every possession, and you don’t get a chance to rest on defense,” Marshfield coach Scott Scheuer said. “We’re getting better at our movement on our possessions, but sometimes tonight we were a little quick when we weren’t shooting way.”
Marshfield used another 9-0 run, which included a pair of baskets by Hill and a 3-pointer from Tommy Olson, to push the lead to 44-28 with 11:23 remaining and Rapids never got closer than 10.
Isaac Meverden made four 3-pointers and scored 15 points, Wagner had 13 points and seven rebounds, Hill added 11 points and Brant Bohman finished with 10 for Marshfield, which has now won eight games in a row and improves to 11-4 overall and 7-2 in the WVC.
Marshfield finished 12-for-34 on 3-pointers after making 16 of 31 from long range in last Friday’s win against Wausau East.
“I was a little concerned about that,” Scheuer said. “These guys do shoot the ball well, and sometimes that can be our default. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how bad things get, we shoot ourselves out of it instead of taking a breath, getting some post touches.
“The final score doesn’t indicate how much of a grind this game was. It was a physical game and kind of what I expected.”
Nathan Krommenakker had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Dylan Lisitza scored 15 points for Wisconsin Rapids.
Marshfield hosts Mosinee in a nonconference game Tuesday and Wausau West in a WVC game Friday. Both games start at 7:15 p.m.
Tigers 59, Raiders 40
Wisconsin Rapids 18 22 – 40
Marshfield 28 31 – 59
WISCONSIN RAPIDS (40): Austin Pelot 2-8 0-1 5, Nathan Krommenakker 3-9 6-6 12, Keegan Pulchinski 1-1 0-1 2, Dylan Lisitza 5-13 4-7 15, Cayden Kautzer 1-3 0-0 2, Garett Wiernik 0-0 0-0 0, Matt Schooley 2-2 0-0 4. FG: 14-36. FT: 10-15. 3-pointers: 2-13 (Pelot 1-4, Lisitza 1-5, Kautzer 0-2, Krommenakker 0-2). Rebounds: 27 (Krommenakker 10). Turnovers: 12. Fouls: 16. Fouled out: none. Record: 4-13, 2-7 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
MARSHFIELD (59): Isaac Meverden 4-8 3-4 15, Brant Bohman 3-9 2-2 10, Tommy Olson 1-5 2-2 5, Cody Korth 1-2 0-0 3, Anthony Posteluk 1-6 0-0 2, Preston Wagner 5-12 0-0 13, Sam Hinson 0-1 0-0 0, Kyle Tremelling 0-0 0-0 0, Joey Goettl 0-1 0-0 0, Addison Hill 4-5 2-4 11, Bennett Koehn 0-0 0-0 0. FG: 19-49. FT: 9-12. 3-pointers: (Meverden 4-7, Wagner 3-7, Bohman 2-8, Hill 1-1, Korth 1-1, Olson 1-3, Goettl 0-1, Hinson 0-1, Posteluk 0-5). Rebounds: 25 (Wagner 7). Turnovers: 3. Fouls: 14. Fouled out: none. Record: 11-4, 7-2 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
Author: News Desk
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