Elk Mound boys basketball battle in loss to Regis; rebound with win in Arcadia
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ELK MOUND junior Ben Heath lays in the basketball for two points in a home contest against Eau Claire Regis last Thursday, January 2. Heath tallied 11 points in the Mounders 55-52 loss.
—photo by Shawn DeWitt
By Amber Hayden
It was a busy week for the Elk Mound boys’ basketball team as they returned from the holiday break and started off the new year with non-conference games against the Eau Claire Regis Ramblers and Arcadia Raiders.
The Mounders opened the 2020 portion of their schedule by hosting Eau Claire Regis Thursday evening, January 2. Elk Mound played well building a ten-point lead in the second half only to see Regis rally for a 55-52 victory.
In a game that was rescheduled from November 26, the Mounders traveled to Arcadia Saturday afternoon, January 4 to take on the Raiders in what was the inaugural basetball game in the Raiders’ and Arcadia’s new $20 million community and sports complex – the Wanek Center. Elk Mound spoiled the festivities as it returned home with a four-point, 60-56, win over the Raiders.
The split gives the Mounders a 2-5 overall mark as it resumes Dunn-St. Croix play this week when they traveled to Elmwood/Plum City, Tuesday, January 7, and will host the Glenwood City Hilltoppers this Friday evening, January 10.
Regis
The Mounder men started the new year off with a three-point loss to the Regis Ramblers last Thursday evening, January 2, after outscoring them in the first half 29-25.
Elk Mound built its advantage to ten points in the second half but it would not last.
Regis rallied in the remaining minutes of the game to take the lead and the win over Elk Mound 55-52.
“Thought our guys battled really well last night against a very good opponent,” said Mounders’ head coach Michael Kessler. “We certainly had our chances throughout the game, but unfortunately the ball bounced their way a few more times.”
Senior Cade Hanson led the Mounders on the court with 15 points off of five 2-point hoops, a lone trey, and he was two-of-three from the line.
Ben Heath and Nate Lew had a bit of foul trouble as they each had three, but Michael Jenson struggled in both halves and fouled out in the second 18 minutes of the game.
Heath had 11 points for the Mounders with two doubles, a pair of threes, and was one-of-two from the charity stripe, Lew had a pair of doubles, a triple, and was two-of-two from the line for a total of nine points.
“Really pleased with the progress our kids continue to make, and the energy and effort they bring to the gym every day,” Kessler stated.
DOUBLE TEAMED — Mounder juniors Nate Lew (#4, right) and Michael Jenson (#30, left) both got hands in the face of Regis shooter JT Koestler during a non-conference basketball game played in Elk Mound January 2. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Also scoring for Elk Mound were Cole Steinhorst with two doubles and two free throws, Ryan Bohl went two-of-four from the line and had a trey, Blaze Todd finished with a pair of doubles, and Ryan Bartig had a basket for two.
Elk Mound (52)
FG-FT-F-TP: R. Bohl 1-2-1-5, B. Heath 4-1-3-11, N. Lew 3-2-3-9, C. Steinhorst 2-2-2-6, R. Bartig 1-0-0-2, C. Hanson 6-2-1-15, B. Todd 2-0-0-4. Totals 19-9-16-52.
Regis (55)
FG-FT-F-TP: L. Rooney 1-1-4-3, D. Haselwander 0-5-1-5, B. Paulsrud 10-3-3-29, J. Koesther 6-0-4-15, D. Becker 1-1-3-3. Totals 18-10-20-55.
Elk Mound 29 23 – 52
Regis 25 30 – 55
3-point goals: Elk Mound: R. Bohl, B. Heath (2), N. Lew, C. Hanson; Regis: B. Paulsrud (6), J. Koesther (3)
Arcadia
Elk Mound traveled to Arcadia on Saturday afternoon, January 4, to take on the Raiders and were able to grab a 60-56 road win and spoil the Raiders debut in the Wanek Center.
“I was pleased with the way our kids came out and played in the first half against Arcadia,” said coach Kessler. “I thought we put pressure on the rim by attacking the lane on offense, played with great energy on defense, and caused a lot of havoc on the end that resulted in a lot of steals and easy transition buckets for us.”
Leading the way for Elk Mound was Ben Heath with 19 points which included three doubles, three treys, and was four-for-six effort from the foul line.
The Mounders outscored the Raiders in the first half 31-19, but fell short in the second half 29-37.
Senior Cade Hanson had the Mounders’ top offensive effort as he scored 17 points against the Raiders including six doubles and was five-for-eight at the line.
“I thought we lost ourselves a little bit offensively in the second half and did not put pressure on the rim,” Kessler explained. “We also lacked a little bit of energy and discipline on the defensive end as well.”
Michael Jenson and Cole Steinhorst had 11 points between the pair. Jenson had a double, triple, and one free throw for six points while Steinhorst hit a double and triple.
Also scoring for the Mounders were Nate Lew with a double and two-for-four from the charity stripe, and Ryan Bohl, Ethan Levra, and Blaze Todd each with three points a piece.
“Looking forward to getting back into D-SC play this week against two quality opponents,” Kessler stated of Elmwood/Plum City and Glenwood City.
Elk Mound (60)
FG-FT-F-TP: R. Bohl 1-0-4-3, B. Heath 6-4-1-19, N. Lew 1-2-0-4, E. Levra 1-0-1-3, C. Steinhorst 2-0-0-5, C. Hanson 6-5-2-17, B. Todd 1-1-0-3, M. Jenson 2-1-3-6. Totals 20-13-12-60.
Arcadia (56)
FG-FT-F-TP: C. Sonsalla 2-0-3-5, L. Aguilar 1-5-2-7, C. Pehler 1-0-0-3, K. Lisowski 1-0-1-3, E. Weltzien 6-2-4-14, C. Patzner 3-1-1-7, M. Scheisthal 4-0-5-11, T. Ely 2-2-2-6. Totals 20-10-19-56.
Elk Mound 31 29 – 60
Arcadia 19 37 – 56
3-point goals: Elk Mound – R. Bohl, B. Heath (3), E. Levra, C. Steinhorst, M. Jenson; Arcadia -C. Sonsalla, C. Pehler, K. Lisowski, M. Schweisthal (3).