The Blackhawks bounced back from their loss on Monday in their return to action against the Mounders from Elk Mound. In a game that went back and forth throughout, the Blackhawks were able to overcome a run by the Mounders in the second half to go on a late run of their own and finish with the strong 65-59 victory.
Jack Wendler and Colton Paczkowski got the scoring done early by making two quick shots to match the Mounders. A post score from Winston Poehler later put the Hawks up 8-6, and on the next possession Clay Mueller passed ahead to Poehler for a fastbreak basket. Clay Mueller also knocked in a three from deep to give the Hawks an 18-14 advantage. The Mounders kept coming back, but a Talon Mueller baseline drive got the Hawks the lead back at 22-20. Paczkowski would find Clay Mueller behind the arch for three late in the half as the Blackhawks led 30-27 at halftime.
Wendler scored inside again early in the second half to keep the lead. Preston Fritz then scored on a strong post-up, keeping it close. Clay Mueller then hit Wendler inside for a post-up to give the Hawks a 41-40 lead. The Mounders would then go on a 10-0 run to take a nine point lead with six minutes to play. The Blackhawks continued to attack and play solid defense. Poehler hit a pair of free throws and then two more in the post. Fritz tied the game with a pair of free throws making it 51-51. After hustling for an offensive rebound, Fritz turned the corner on a drive to score another two and give the Blackhawks a three point lead. On the next possession, freshman Clay Mueller jumped a passing lane for a steal and glided in for an easy two as the defense showed up late. Poehler later chased down his own rebound and scored two putting it at 60-53. Free throws by Poehler, C. Mueller and Paczkowski salted the game away for the 65-59 win.
The Blackhawks shot 47% from two, made 4 of 12 from three, 21 of 33 (64%) from the line and out rebounded the Mounders 35-30 and had 14 steals.
Box Score: Fritz 13 pts, 5 rebs; Poehler 13 pts, 11 rebs, 2 asts, 5 stls; C. Mueller 13 pts, 4 rebs, 3 stls; T. Mueller 10 pts, 2 rebounds; Paczkowski 9 pts, 6 rebs, 2 asts, 3 stls; Wendler 7 pts, 5 rebs; Wells 1 reb.
Coach's Comments
The guys really worked hard all night versus a tough team as we just kept going possession by possession not losing focus. Great balanced scoring with four guys in double digits and six guys scoring seven points or more. We really moved the ball well at times and limited a few of their top scorers on the defensive end. A hard-earned victory to end the regular season on a high note and give us momentum heading into tournament play.