Mounder boys take over lead in DSC with win in Spring Valley; sweep Durand

By Cara L. Dempski

It may be coach Mike Kessler’s first season coaching the Elk Mound boys’ basketball team, but the way the Mounders have been playing this season, it is almost like he is a veteran coach for the team in orange and black.

And much like their female counterparts, the Elk Mound boys have surged to the top of the Dunn-St. Croix conference standings with a signature win.

Elk Mound went on the road to Spring Valley last Monday, January 30 for a make-up game with the Cardinals after the original January 17 meeting had been postponed due to weather conditions. The Mounders clipped the Cards’ wings with a 56-45 win to take lead in boys’ conference race. It was Spring Valley’s first conference loss of the season.

The Mounders made a much shorter trip the following evening when it traveled to Colfax for January 31 rivalry game which they won 48-39 for the season sweep (see related story elsewhere in Sports). The Mounders then made its way south last Friday, February 3 to tangled with third-place Durand . Elk Mound left the Panthers’ lair with a 54-43 win and its second regular-season series sweep of the week.

The Elk Mound squad, currently 9-1 in conference play, holds a half game lead over Spring Valley and two games over Durand for in first place in the D-SC.

The team traveled to Chetek to take on the Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Bulldogs this past Monday, February 6 to close out its road schedule. The Mounder boys will be playing their final five regular-season games at home beginning with Boyceville tomorrow (February 9) and  the rematch against Spring Valley next Tuesday, February 14.

Spring Valley

The Cardinals sat  alone atop of the Dunn-St. Croix boys’ conference standings until January 30. 

That’s when Elk Mound stepped onto the hardwood at Spring Valley and left town later that evening with not just a 49-29 win, but a half game lead on the Cards, and the top spot in the conference rankings.

Coach Kessler had nothing but good things to say about the Spring Valley team.

“They’re a really nice basketball team. They’ve gotten some state and local recognition in polls,” Kessler stated. “I thought our kids went over there and competed really, really hard.”

Mounder seniors Chandler Schreiber and Noah Zurbuchen got into foul trouble early in the game, but Kessler remained impressed with the contributions off the bench. The Elk Mound coach said junior Ryan Mohr can always be counted on to handle the ball well, and Brandon Redwine provides energy and spark for the team.

Jameson Rubenzer, another strong player from the bench, shifted the energy in Elk Mound’s direction with a three-point shot in the closing moments of the first half to push the score in the Mounders’ favor.

Elk Mound came out of halftime with a 24-22 lead and extended its lead to 11 points in the final 18 minutes of the game.

Dane Lew was the Mounders’ top scorer, reeling in 16 points. Ben Lambele trailed Lew by one point with 15, and Dylan Black put together nine points in the game. Rubenzer put in two three-point shots in the opening half to score six points, Schreiber sunk five free throws, Zurbuchen is credited with four after two free throws and a field goal, and Carter Pritchard drained a single charity shot.

Sean Borgerding led the Cardinal scoring effort with three field goals, a three-point shot, and three free shots for a total of 12 points.

ELK MOUND 56, SPRING VALLEY 45
Elk Mound………………………..24  32 — 56
Spring Valley……………………..22  23 — 45

TEAM STATISTICS (FG-FT-F-T)

Elk Mound (15-10-21-56) D. Lew 5-0-5-16, C. Pritchard 0-1-1-1, J. Rubenzer 0-0-1-6, R. Mohr 0-0-2-0, B. Lambele 7-1-3-15, D. Black 2-1-1-9, N. Zurbuchen 2-2-4-4, C. Schreiber 0-5-4-5.

Spring Valley (9-12-22-45) B. Klatt 1-0-1-2, C. Anderson 0-0-2-3, A. Borgerding 2-3-4-7, Z. Boisen 0-3-3-9, P. Cipriano 2-2-3-9, D. Bosshart 0-1-4-1, T. Kado 0-0-1-0, S. Borgerding 3-3-3-12, Z. Williams 1-0-1-2.

THREE-POINTERS EM — D. Lew 2, J. Rubenzer 2, D. Black 2; SV — C. Anderson 1, Z. Boisen 2, P. Cipriano 1, S. Borgerding 1.

Durand

The Mounders’ third road trip of the week was to Durand High School for the team’s second meeting this season with the Panthers. Coach Kessler said the Elk Mound squad played with great energy on both ends of the court to start the game, and took a 32-22 lead into their break at half time.

Durand turned up the heat on the Mounders in the second half. 

“They made a few runs, but our guys found ways to minimize the damage,” Kessler stated. “I’m really proud of the week our kids had, winning three tough games on the road.”

Lew chalked up 19 of Elk Mound’s points in the game, and Ben Lambele added on another 12. Pritchard tacked on eight points, Schreiber added six, Black accounted for four, Jameson Rubenzer continued his streak of outside shots for three, and Zurbuchen scored two.

Panther Bret Schlosser picked up 18 points with six field goals and a pair of threes.

ELK MOUND 54, DURAND 43
Elk Mound…………….32  22 — 54
Durand………………….22  21 — 43

TEAM STATISTICS (FG-FT-F-T)

Elk Mound (16-7-10-54) D. Lew 6-1-0-19, C. Pritchard 1-0-1-8, J. Rubenzer 0-0-1-3, R. Mohr 0-0-2-0, B. Lambele 6-0-5-12, D. Black 1-2-0-4, N. Zurbuchen 1-0-1-2, C. Schreiber 1-4-0-6.

Durand (14-3-10-43) B. Sabelko 0-1-0-1, G. Polzer 1-0-2-2, W. Berger 1-2-5-4, N. Siebenaler 0-0-3-0, R. Hansen 5-0-0-16, B. Schlosser 6-0-3-18, J. Anibas 0-2-1-2.

THREE-POINTERS EM — D. Lew 2, C. Pritchard 2, J. Rubenzer 1; D — R. Hansen 2, B. Schlosser 2.