USM Boys Basketball Team Splits Pair in Dodgeland Tournament

After losing a close game to Random Lake 54-51 in the opening round of the Dodgeland Tournament, the boys’ basketball team forged back and clobbered the tournament’s host, Dodgeland High School, 73-49 in the consolation game Friday afternoon.

In the opening game of the tournament Thursday, Random Lake jumped to an early lead in the first quarter. 

“We had a slow first quarter,” lamented Mike Snyder, USM’s head coach. Because of exams and the Christmas holiday, the Wildcats had not played a game for over two weeks, and it showed. Random Lake went ahead 14-3 before USM could get going. The score at the end of the first quarter was 15-8. The Rams scored on two three-point shots, one by Aaron Rathke and one by Evan Rathke. Evan Rathke added four other points to his total to lead Random Lake’s scoring in the period.   Djdade Denson had three points for USM. Greg Booth and Billy Lawton each had two points and Josh Baker had one point.

Justin Lundy’s three point shot gave the Rams a 19-10 lead early in the second period, but USM’s tight defense led to an offensive surge that made the game close. Booth sank an outside jumper, Denson converted a lay-up, and Booth and Lane Stanford each drained a three and suddenly USM was down by one point at 21-20. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, their fouls helped Random Lake widen the lead as Evan Rathke and Lundy each sank two free throws to put the Rams ahead 25-20. Lundy then dropped in a three-pointer, and Random Lake had an eight-point lead. A late strip of the ball on a Random Lake lay up by Booth and his quick out let pass to Denson for a lay up made the score 28-22 at the end of the half.

The Rams maintained their lead throughout the third quarter and led 39-29 at its close. The Wildcats let Aaron Rathke go to the line to sink one, Evan Rathke to sink two free throws, and Logan Armstrong to can two more freebies. Austin Fletcher added six points to keep the Rams ahead. Baker led USM in the quarter with five points, including a three point shot; Booth sank a couple of free throws and Tommy Pennington added two points for USM in the quarter.

Midway through the final eight minutes the Rams had a 49-41 score. USM was not ready to admit defeat and kept battling closer. In order to get the ball, however, they had to commit fouls and Random Lake sank three to put them ahead. USM had a final chance to tie the score at the buzzer, but they were unable to get the ball through the net at the very end.

In the game Lundy led Random Lake with 17 points and Evan Rathke was right behind with 16 points. Fletcher scored 11 points for the Rams. Baker led USM with 16 points; Denson had 12 points; Booth scored 11 points; Stanford tallied six points; Pennington scored four points and Lawton added two.

The consolation game between USM and Dodgeland started out even, but it became increasingly clear that USM’s tenacious zone defense and dominant defensive rebounding would make scoring a chore for the Trojans. With the score tied at 6-6, the Wildcats got three lay-ups, two by Denson and one by Booth to give them a commanding lead in the first quarter. By its finish, USM led 16-12.  Denson led USM with eight points in the period. Booth, Pennington, Baker and Julien Addison each had two. John Fude, Dillan Hecker and Kendal Foch each had three points and Kyle Kohls had two points for the Trojans.

Neither team could put points on the board in the first three minutes of the second quarter, but a jump shot off an offensive rebound by Pennington got the scoring going again. With about three minutes left in the quarter, Kohls sank two free throws to draw the Trojans within two points. But a driving lay up by Addison of a great pass from Stanford put USM up by four. Kohls then sank an outside jumper to keep it close. Then Denson made his first of two free throws and Baker grabbed an offensive rebound and fed Booth underneath for two. A little while later Baker made another shot and Denson made a shot from the key USM had widened its lead. At the very end of the quarter Stanford canned a three pointer from the left side to give USM a 31-23 lead at halftime.

USM pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring the Trojans 23-11. The Wildcats kept the Dodgeland shooters to the outside, and Hecker was able to make three three-point shots but except for a field goal by Kohls the Trojans could score no more in the third quarter. Meanwhile eight different Wildcats scored in the quarter.  Booth had seven points, including a three pointer, to lead the Wildcats.  Baker scored four points; Adam Salaymeh scored three on a three point shot; and Pennington, Denson, Addison and Toran Marks each scored two points. 

With eight minutes left, the Wildcats led by twenty, 54-34. USM added nineteen more in the final quarter and allowed the Trojans fifteen points to win the game.

In the game Kohls led the Trojans with 18 points and Hecker scored 14 points.  Denson was USM’s top point man with 17 points. Booth had 14 points; Baker had 13 points; Pennington and Salaymeh each had eight points; Addison had six points; Stanford scored four points; Marks scored two points; and Lawton added one point.

USM’s record is now 5-3 and 3-0 in the Midwest Classic Conference North. The Wildcats first game of the New Year is against The Prairie School at USM at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.