Hornets treat fans to barn burner against Bulldogs

By Ginna Young It was a struggle over the week, for the Cadott boys bas- ketball program, as they faced o with three tough com petitors.

Feb. 11 vs. Fall Creek conference (L 78-67) First up, was Fall Creek, who came to call in a West Cloverbelt Conference bout. Cadott couldn’t match them on the scoreboard and the game went to the Crickets, 78-67.

Senior Braden Schneider continued to add to his career points, scoring 24, while senior Cameron Allard and senior Blane Mengel had 15 points each.

Feb. 13 vs. Regis conference (L 85-56) A couple days later, league foe Regis paid a visit, but offense wasn’t there for the Hornets and they saw the game go to the Ramblers, 85-56.

Schneider again led, with 20 points, with junior Aiden Rykal adding 12, and Allard and senior Jackson Barone following that up with 10 points each.

Feb. 17 vs. Chetek-Weyerhaeuser non-conference (L 83-82) Finally, stepping out of the conference, Cadott played host to Chetek-Weyerhaeuser, in what would turn out to be a barn burner. The Hornets fell behind by the break and about the midway point of the second half, were still trying to catch up.

With time ticking o, Cadott evened the gap, but foul troubles set in and two players hit the bench, leaving the team to adjust the rotation. As the crowd went wild, a Bulldog player fouled Schneider shooting a three-pointer with just 14.8 seconds remaining in the game, with the Hornets down by three points.

Schneider knocked down all three baskets at the charity stripe and Cadott quickly fouled Chetek, to stop the clock and send them to the line. The Bulldogs missed both their free throws, but got the rebound, forcing Cadott to foul them once again.

Chetek made one of two, to take a slim, one-point lead, with 3.6 seconds left. Cadott inbounded and looked downcourt, but turned the ball over and time ran out, giving the Bulldogs an 83-82 victory.

Schneider finished the night with an incredible 30 points, 12 of those coming from three-pointers. Allard fol- lowed that up with 22 points, knocking in five shots from beyond the arc. Barone came next, with 9 points, with senior Parker Davis right behind, with 8.

Mengel recorded 6 points on the night, while junior Asher Sikora had 5 and Rykal added 2 points.

Cadott now sits at 9-13 overall and 2-9 in the league.

Cadott senior Jackson Barone fought for a chance at a rebound, Feb. 17, on his home court, against a Chetek-Weyerhaeuser opponent.

Photo by Ginna Young