RIB LAKE BOYS BASKETBALL - Redmen clinch title share despite loss, need one win for outright
RIB LAKE BOYS BASKETBALL
The Rib Lake boys basketball team clinched a share of the Marawood North Division championship Friday, but it didn’t happen how the Redmen planned it.
After two early 3s from Talon Scheithauer, the offense struggled the rest of the way against a strong Stratford squad and didn’t get things in gear until it was much too late in a 57-40 home Marawood crossover loss to the Tigers.
But, a few miles to the north, the Prentice Buccaneers also lost their crossover game, 62-56 to Newman Catholic, allowing Rib Lake to maintain its threegame lead over Prentice in the North standings with both teams having three league games remaining.
The Redmen’s next conference win will give them the outright North title and, fittingly, Prentice happens to be next on Rib Lake’s schedule. The Bucs will be in Rib Lake for a 7:15 p.m. tip time. While Rib Lake is 9-4 in Marawood play, the Redmen are a perfect 7-0 against North squads and will aim to maintain that perfection Friday while trying to clinch the outright championship.
The Redmen won the first meeting with Prentice 61-54 on Dec. 19.
Rib Lake is 16-5 overall heading into its last three Marawood Conference and regular-season games as well as WIAA seeding, which will be announced Sunday. After Friday’s game with Prentice (6-7, 11-8), Rib Lake hosts Chequamegon on Monday and Phillips on Feb. 22.
Friday’s loss to 16-5 Stratford basically came down to shooting. Rib Lake had some good looks not fall for them early, the Tigers slowly but steadily built a double- digit lead by the end of the half that grew to 20 early in the second half and the Redmen just never recovered.
The Redmen shot 26.3% from the field (15 of 47), including just five of 26 from 3-point range. Stratford also doubled Rib Lake in free throw attempts although much of that came with the game well in hand for the Tigers, who were 13 of 26. Rib Lake was five of 12.
Dominic Quednow’s game-opening basket gave Rib Lake its only lead. Scheithauer’s first 3 tied the game at 5-5 and his second one pulled Rib Lake within 9-8. It was answered, however, by 3s from Stratford’s Brady Schmidt and Alec Chapel to create a 15-8 lead for the visitors.
From there, the Redmen made just two more field goals in the half, a Donovan Sutherland score off an Andrew Wudi assist, and another triple from Scheithauer to cap a five-for-28 half from the field (23.2%). Stratford wasn’t great, making nine of 26 shots from the field in the half (34.6%), but the Tigers made five of 16 3s to open up a 28-15 halftime lead.
Tiger Henry Zaleski got a three-point play 33 seconds into the second half, plus he scored again and a 3-pointer from Kaden Foster followed a Jed Henderson free throw to put Stratford up 36-16 with just under 14 minutes left. It happened several times, but the closest Rib Lake got from there was 16.
Scheithauer scored 11 points to lead the Redmen and he had three steals and two blocked shots. Sutherland scored 10 points on five-of-11 shooting and added 11 rebounds for a double-double. Seth Borchardt hit a couple of second-half 3s and finished with eight points and three rebounds.
Quednow fought foul trouble and finished with five points and six rebounds. Wudi had three points, three rebounds and four assists. Jackson Blomberg had a rare off night and had just two points to go with three rebounds. Henderson had a point and three rebounds.
Schmidt led Stratford with 13 points, while Zaleski had 11.
