The Owen-Withee Blackhawks traveled for the first time in two and a half weeks to Neillsville for another Eastern Conference Cloverbelt game. The Hawks and Warriors battled in a close game throughout as the Hawks used a mid second half scoring run to pull away from the Warriors along with a tight defensive effort to win 66-53.
The Hawks got out to a solid start as Jack Wendler hit Colin Fritz for a 15-footer to start the game and on the next possession, Wendler would hit Dominic Sherwood with an excellent pass on a backdoor cut. Mason Gay would follow with a three-pointer two possessions later, along with Fritz knocking in two free throws for a 9-5 lead. With both teams trading baskets and playing tough defense, the Hawks searched for some points. Fritz hit another pair of free throws and Poehler hit from 15 feet. Later, Poehler hit a key three-pointer, giving the Hawks a 16-13 lead. Another 15-footer by Sherwood, a rebound putback by Poehler, and a Mason Gay drive finished the half at 22-18.
After a slow start to the second half and with the score 24-23, the Hawks really got their offense rolling as Poehler drained a three, followed by a Fritz steal and lay-up. Fritz would then grab an offensive rebound to earn another two and Wells scored on a cut and pass from Poehler. A pair of threes from Gay and Wells pushed the score to 47-31. After a pair of Wendler free throws, Wells scored on three straight hoops. The Blackhawks continued to keep the lead throughout to the end and finished off the Warriors on the free throw line and won 66-53.
The Hawks made 18-30 (60%) from two-point range and 5-14 (36%) from three-point range and 15-20 (75%) on the free throw line. They also held a 33-22 rebounding edge and finished with 19 assists.
Box Score: Poehler 16 pts, 7 rebs, 4 asts; Fritz 15 pts, 8 rebs, 4 asts, 2 stls; Gay 14 pts, 5 rebs, 4 asts, 3 stls; Wells 13 pts, 2 rebs; Sherwood 6 pts, 5 rebs, 5 asts, 2 stls; Wendler 2 pts, 5 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls; Baehr 1 reb, 1 stl.
Coach's Comments
We managed the ball well in the first half and were patient on offense and handled their pressure and took care of the ball. We really got our offense going in the second half due to our defensive pressure and a 17-3 run made the big difference. The guys played well throughout and continually set each other up on the offensive end.