Elk Mound boys fall from first after loss to Spring Valley
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By Amber Hayden
The Elk Mound boys’ basketball squad’s stay atop the Dunn-St. Croix standings was brief.
A 15-point home victory over Elmwood/Plum City last Tuesday coupled with Spring Valley’s defeat of front-runner Durand that same night, pulled the Mounders into a three-way tie with Colfax and Durand for first place, But a loss Friday evening in Spring Valley knocked Elk Mound one game back into a second-place tie with those Red Birds.
Currently, Colfax and Durand hold down first with 8-2 records while Elk Mound and Spring Valley share 7-3 marks. The Mounders are 9-7 overall.
The Mounders’ week began last Tuesday, February 4 with a 70-55 win at home over Elmwood/Plum City. But just three days later with Elk Mound on the road in Spring Valley, the Cardinals were able to hand the Mounder boys their first loss in almost a month, 34-49.
Elk Mound will get another shot at the title when its faces Durand one more time on February 21.
The Mounders hosted Coulee conference’s Black River Falls this past Monday evening, February 10, and will then be on the road for their next two games against Glenwood City, this Thursday, February 13, and at Mondovi, next Tuesday, February 18.
Elmwood/Plum City
The Mounders hosted the Elmwood/Plum City Wolves and scored a 15-point win over EPC, 70-55, which, at the time, moved the team into a first-place tie with Colfax and Durand with a 7-2 conference record.
“The guys came out in the first half and played really well offensively,” said head coach Michael Kessler. “They attacked the lane aggressively and moved the ball well.”
Senior Ben Heath hit his stride in the second half of Tuesday evening’s, February 4, contest as he banged in three triples. Heath also had two doubles and was two-for-two from the foul line to lead Elk Mound with 15 points.
Scoring 12 points a piece were Ryan Bohl and Blaze Todd. Bohl had four shots from beyond the arc, and Todd was solid from the inside with a total of six doubles.
“I thought we lost some rhythm in the second half, but we were able to maintain a lead throughout,” Kessler explained. “It was a nice win against a solid opponent.”
Heading into the locker room the Mounders were up 45-27, but were outscored during the second 18 minutes, 25-28.
Cade Hanson was silenced in the second half with only a single double. But the senior put up seven points in the first half off of three foul shots and a double.
The Mounders moved on to face Spring Valley, on Thursday, as Spring Valley is threatening the top three teams in the conference after the Cardinals took home a win over Durand on Tuesday evening as well.
Also scoring for Elk Mound was Nate Lew and Cole Steinhorst with seven points a piece, Michael Jenson with five points, Kyle Deling with two points, and Antonio Meyer with a lone free throw.
Elk Mound (70)
FG-FT-F-TP: R. Bohl 4-0-0-12, B. Heath 5-2-2-15, N. Lew 3-0-0-7, C. Steinhorst 2-3-1-7, C. Hanson 4-1-1-9, A. Meyer 0-1-1-1, B. Todd 6-0-2-12, M. Jenson 2-0-4-5, K. Deling 1-0-3-2. Totals 26-7-17-70.
Elmwood/Plum City (55)
FG-FT-F-TP: J. Glampe 7-3-3-18, D. Whipple 4-3-1-13, Z. Phillips 1-0-1-3, B. Gilles 1-2-0-4, E. Gansluckner 0-2-1-2, L. Webb 3-3-1-9, A. Bartz 2-0-1-5, T. Bauer0-1-0-1. Totals 18-14-8-55.
Elk Mound 45 25 – 70
Elmwood/Plum City 27 28 – 55
3-point goals: Elk Mound: R. Bohl (4), B. Heath (3), N. Lew, M. Jenson; Elmwood/Plum City: J. Glampe, D. Whipple (2), Z. Phillips, A. Bartz.
Spring Valley
A tough Spring Valley defense and the inability to put the ball in the basket last Friday night, February 7 led to the Mounders first loss since a January 16 setback to Mondovi.
The host Cardinals snapped the Mounders five-game win streak with a 49-34 victory.
“We really struggled to put the ball in the basket,” said coach Kessler. “I thought our guys battled from start to finish, but we weren’t able to generate the turnovers we’ve been accustomed to over the past month and a half.”
Michael Jenson led Elk Mound with a mere eight points last Friday evening as he was able to hit a pair of threes and a double.
Going up for six points a piece were Cade Hanson and Blaze Todd. Hanson had two baskets from inside the paint and was two-for-two from the line, and Todd snagged three buckets from underneath.
“As always we look forward to getting back into the gym to prepare for another good one against Black River Falls,” Kessler explained.
Spring Valley led 24-16 at the intermission and then outscored Elk Mound 25-18 in the final 18 minutes of the contest.
Ethan Levra came in off the bench to score five points for the Mounders, with a trey in the first half and double in the second.
Also scoring for Elk Mound were Ryan Bohl with two doubles, Ben Heath with a triple, and Cole Steinhorst for two.
Elk Mound (34)
FG-FT-F-TP: R. Bohl 2-0-3-4, B. Heath 1-0-0-3, E. Levra 2-0-0-5, C. Steinhorst 1-0-1-2, C. Hanson 2-2-2-6, M. Jenson 3-0-3-8, B. Todd 3-0-1-6. Totals 15-2-11-34.
Spring Valley (49)
FG-FT-F-TP: T. Stangl 2-2-0-8, M. Bauer 4-0-0-11, A. Borgerding 4-0-1-9, T. Bowman 5-0-2-13, K. Olson 2-0-0-4, C. Ducklow 1-2-3-4. Totals 18-4-8-49.
Elk Mound 16 18 – 34
Spring Valley 24 25 – 49
3-point goals: Elk Mound: B. Heath, E. Levra, M. Jenson (2); Spring Valley: T. Stangl (2), M. Bauer (3), A. Borgerding, T. Bowman (3).