Mounder boys drop game to Buffaloes, smash Panthers

By Cara L. Dempski

The Buffalo proved a superior animal to the Elk when the Mounder boys’ basketball team went to Mondovi on December 6. The Buffaloes handed Elk Mound its first conference defeat by a count of 51-40.

The Mounders hoped their home court would give them an advantage over the Durand Panthers when they returned home December 9. And it did. The Mounders broke open a 32-11 lead in the first half and never looked back on their way to a 52-23 win over the Panthers, last year’s runners-up to Elk Mound.

The Mounders, now 1-1 and in a four-way tie for third in the Dunn-St. Croix and 2-2 overall, will begin a three-game road swing in Boyceville on December 15, and then are looking forward to a nearly two-week break before meeting Pacelli on December 28, and Amherst on December 29 in the Sentry Classic at UW – Stevens Point.

Mondovi

If the Mounders are looking to repeat as the Dunn-St. Croix champions, they will need to get the ball in the basket, something head coach Mike Kessler said they struggled to do in it’s Tuesday, December 6 loss to the Buffaloes.

“I thought our guys battled hard the entire game,” Kessler said. “I credit Mondovi for playing tough and aggressive defense.”

Mondovi’s defense limited the Mounders’ to just one double-digit scorer, Ben Lambele, who logged 16 points against the Buffaloes. Kessler said Mondovi is always a difficult location to play, but Buffalo coach Chad Brieske had his team playing hard and motivated against the Mounders.

Elk Mound committed 14 fouls, two more than Mondovi.

Senior Dane Lew clocked eight points after recording double-digit scores against both Fall Creek and G-E-T the opening week. Carter Pritchard tacked on five points for the Mounders, and Chandler Schreiber logged another four.

Noah Zurbuchen played in his first varsity match of the season coming off a knee injury during football season. He and Jameson Rubenzer each scored three points. Junior Ryan Mohr nailed a free throw to round out Elk Mound’s score at 40.

Mondovi’s Avery Hoepner and Branden Becker each recorded double-digit scores, with Hoepner leading the team with 16 points and Becker trailing him by two for 14.

ELK MOUND 40, MONDOVI 51
Elk Mound………………………..19  21 — 40
Mondovi…………………………..21  30 — 51

TEAM STATISTICS (FG-FT-F-T)

Elk Mound (15-5-15-41) D. Lew 2-1-2-8, C. Pritchard 2-0-2-5, R. Mohr 0-1-2-1, B. Lambele 8-0-2-16, D. Black 0-0-2-0, N. Zurbuchen 0-3-2-3, C. Schreiber 3-0-3-6.

Mondovi (17-13-21-51) A. Hoepner 6-3-0-16, S. VanRoo 2-4-2-8, O. Schultz 1-0-1-2, K. Fuentes 2-1-1-5, H. Evans 1-1-5-3, G. Gifford 1-0-0-3, B. Becker 4-4-2-14, B. Larson 0-0-1-0.

THREE-POINTERS EM — D. Lew 1, C. Pritchard 1, J. Rubenzer; M — A. Hoepner 1, G. Gifford 1, B. Becker 2.

Durand

When Elk Mound’s Ben Lambele scored on a layup barely ten seconds into the Mounders’ home game against Durand on Thursday, December 9, it was the closest scoring margin the Panthers would experience in the game: 2-0.

Seniors Dane Lew and Chandler Schreiber put up two shots from outside the arc, and Lambele dropped in another two to give the Mounders a 10-0 lead before three minutes expired in the game.

The Panthers finally got on the board at 14:55 with a Bret Schlosser field goal to stop the Mounders’ scoring run and change the scoreboard to 10-2. Things did not get much better from there, as Elk Mound controlled nearly every aspect of the game.

The Mounders committed only 11 fouls and were 14 for 23 on charity shots, while the Panthers picked up 21 fouls and made only 1 of four attempted free throws.

To Durand’s credit, they were able to limit Elk Mound’s shooting opportunities in the second half, leaving the Mounders with only 20 points in the final 18 minutes. But the Panthers were not able to kick their own offense into gear, and managed only 12 points in the second half.

Kessler seemed impressed with his team’s drive and fire in the game against the Panthers, and is looking at a nice break for the team.

“It will be a quiet few weeks,” Kessler stated. “It will give the team a break and a chance to refocus for the second half of the season.”

Lambele led Elk Mound’s scoring drive with 17 points and shot 60 percent on free throws. Lew hit four three-pointers, a field goal, and a free shot for 15 points. Schreiber picked up a field goal and three free throws, in addition to his three-point shot, for a total eight points.

Carter Pritchard put in a three and sunk two free throws for five points, Dylan Black earned a field goal and two free throws for four, Ryan Mohr was two for four on free throws, and Brady Redwine put in one charity shot for a single point.

Brett Schlosser, a senior, led the Panthers with six points.

DURAND 23, ELK MOUND 52

Durand…………………………..11  12 — 23
Elk Mound……………………….32  20 — 52

TEAM STATISTICS (FG-FT-F-T)

Durand (11-1-21-23) B. Sabelko 0-0-3-0, G. Polzer 2-0-3-4, W. Berger 1-0-2-0, E. Bauer 0-0-3-0, N. Siebenaler 2-0-3-4, R. Hansen 2-0-1-4, B. Schlosser 3-0-4-6, K. Humphrey 0-1-1-1, J. Anibas 1-0-2-2.

Elk Mound (10-14-11-52) D. Lew 1-1-2-15, C. Pritchard 0-2-1-5, R. Mohr 0-2-0-2, B. Lambele 7-3-3-17, D. Black 1-2-0-4, N. Zurbuchen 0-0-2-0, B. Redwine 0-1-0-1, C. Schreiber 1-3-3-8.

THREE-POINTERS EM — D. Lew 4, C. Pritchard 1, C. Schreiber 1.