The Hawks traveled to Gresham for a non-conference tilt versus the Gresham Wildcats as the visitors came out victorious with a final score of 67-41.
The Blackhawks came out attacking early on offense as Jack Wendler scored early in the post followed by a three-pointer by senior Winston Poehler to make it 5-2. A pair of free throws by freshman Clay Mueller and another three by Poehler increased the lead. The Blackhawks were able to pressure with their half-court trap and also score in transition. The senior combo of Wendler and Poehler combined for 30 points in the first half as Wendler had 17 and Poehler 13. That helped the Hawks to a 38-14 halftime lead.
The starting guards for the Hawks, Talon Mueller, Preston Fritz, and Clay Mueller ran in transition with only one turnover in the first 28 minutes. Wendler started the second half with a three-pointer followed by hoops by Fritz and Talon Mueller. Balanced scoring the rest of the game along with solid defense finished off the Wildcats. Isaiah Pyrchalla and Aron Sanchez filled in the rotation with solid play - as the lead went up to 40. The Blackhawks would close out the game with the 67-41 final.
The Blackhawks shot 49% from two-point range and made 5 threes along with 34 points in the paint. They finished with 16 assists and 8 turnovers.
Box Score: Wendler 22 pts, 10 rebs, 2 blks; Poehler 17 pts, 6 rebs, 4 asts, 5 stls; T. Mueller 8 pts, 11 rebs, 3 stls; Fritz 6 pts, 5 asts, 2 stls; C. Mueller 5 pts, 4 asts, 2 stls; Sanchez 4 pts; Steven Negron 3 pts, 2 rebs; Austin Yeager 2 pts; Pyrchalla 3 rebs, 2 asts; Nick Dambeck 3 rebs; Tegan Treankler 1 reb.
Coach's Comments
We traveled to a team that we had never played before and the guys were ready and excited for the season to begin and it showed early. Our defensive intensity started at the beginning and continued throughout the game. I really liked how we passed the ball ahead in transition and shared it throughout the game.