The Owen-Withee Blackhawks and Columbus Dons met at Owen in a battle of first place teams as both were tied on the top of the Eastern Cloverbelt Conference. The Blackhawks used a strong defense and some great inside/outside play on the offensive end to win 55-45.
Both teams got off to a slow start offensively as defense ruled the early going. Dominic Sherwood got the scoring started for the Hawks with a steal and a lay-up and a few possessions later, he had a post feed inside to Jack Wendler for a quick post move for two. Senior guard Mason Gay had a steal and lay-up also, followed by a drive to the rim later to grab the lead, 10-8. Sherwood and Sam Wells then hit back-to-back threes to increase the lead to 16-10. A basket by Winston Poehler along with threes by Wells and Gay continued the scoring along with solid defense, limiting the Dons to offense outside the lane. Wendler hit a pair of free throws late in the half to give the Blackhawks a 30-18 halftime advantage.
The Dons came out on fire in the second half, scoring the first nine points, cutting the Hawks lead to three. Colin Fritz and Poehler got the offense going for the Hawks by each knocking in a three from deep, putting the lead up to 36-27. The Blackhawks continued to attack the rim and earning trips to the free throw line. A three by Gay and a steal and lay-up made it 44-37. Later, Fritz made three free throws as the Dons made it 45-43. The Blackhawks then outscored the Dons 10-2 to finish the game with all the points coming at the free throw line and getting the win 55-45.
The Blackhawks made 7 of 15 (47%) three-pointers for the game and 16 of 20 (80%) on the free throw line. The Blackhawks finished the game with 12 compared to 22 by the Dons.
Box Score: Colin Fritz 13 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asts, 2 stls; Sherwood 13 pts, 3 rebs, 2 asts, 4 stls; Gay 12 pts, 2 rebs, 5 stls; Poehler 11 pts, 7 rebs, 2 asts, 3 stls; Wells 6 pts, 3 rebs; Wendler 4 pts, 5 rebs; Baehr 2 rebs.
Coach's Comments
It was a big win for us as the guys really stayed focused on both ends, especially the defensive ends by closing off the lane on any drives to the hoop. We met any of their runs with a run of our own, as different players each hit key shots all night. We also finished well at the free throw line.