GC boys bow out with regional loss to Bruce Red Raiders
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by Joel DeWitt
Sports Correspondent
BRUCE — The end of the regular season brings new life as teams enter the playoffs. The fifteenth seed Glenwood City boys’ basketball team was looking to leverage that renewal in its quest to beat second-seed Bruce in first round action of the WIAA Division 5 playoffs.
The Hilltoppers started strong against the Red Raiders and took a two-point lead into halftime. However, the Bruce offense warmed up after intermission scoring 38 points to secure the 10-point win 59-49.
The key difference in the game may have been the foul and free-throw discrepancy. The Hilltoppers were whistled for 25 personal fouls leading to 14 free-throws on 27 attempts. Glenwood was only 3-for-8 from the line.
Bruce jumped out to the early 8-2 lead with just over five minutes played in the game. However, the Hilltoppers jumped back into the game with a pair of three pointers by Brody Olson. The two treys cut the Red Raider lead to 10-8.
A few minutes later, Olson’s long-range bombs would tie the game. On back-to-back possessions, Olson connected on opposite corner three pointers to knot things up at 14 apiece with under eight minutes to play in the half.
After Bruce pulled back into the lead at 16-14, Tyler Harrington would join in on the three-fest. The Topper guard hit a corner three pointer to give the Hilltoppers the 17-16 lead. Max Janson followed that up with a fast-break layup for the three-point advantage.
The Red Raiders tied the score at 21-21 with just under a minute to play. That didn’t faze the Hilltoppers though. With only seven seconds left on the clock senior Elek Anderson’s 10-foot jumper gave Glenwood the 23-21 lead heading into the locker room.
The second half started on a sour note for Glenwood City. Bruce used a 10-0 run over the first five minutes of the half to recapture the lead 31-23.
Two short-range baskets by Olson cut the Bruce led to four at 31-27. However, the Red Raiders proved to be too strong and extended their led to 11 at 45-34 with six minutes left to play.
The Hilltoppers cut the lead to single digits with 1:23 left to play on a corner three pointer by Olson. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get any closer and Bruce held off the pesky Toppers for the 59-49 victory.
“We were up at halftime and played a decent first half,” indicated coach Patrick Olson. He continued, “We also had 17 turnovers and needed to be stronger with the ball. We had our chances but did not take advantage of them.”
Glenwood City held Bruce (20-4) to only 38 percent shooting from the field. However, the 17 turnovers and sub-par shooting (31 percent from the field) hurt the Toppers on the evening.
Olson led the Glenwood squad offensively with 22 points, including five three pointers, Janson added nine, while three Hilltoppers, Morgan Eggert, Anderson, and Harrington, each had six-points. Eggert had ten rebounds and seven assists to pace his team in both categories.
With the final game of the season the Hilltoppers say good-bye to four upperclassmen.
“This was the last game for seniors Elek Anderson, Jayden Quinn, Max Janson, and Anthony Nelson,” commented Olson. “As coaches we are very proud of all these young men and their never quit mindset, both on and off the court.”
The defeat dropped the Toppers to a final 2022-23 record of 3-19. Regardless, hope springs eternal for the Hilltopper basketball program.
“Bruce was our first game where we had everyone fully healthy, so we felt like we were just starting the season,” Olsen stated after the game. “The Hilltoppers are excited for a busy offseason that will provide numerous opportunities for improvement.”