Pirates score big in Granton, but get shut down by Spencer, Colby

GILMAN BOYS BASKETBALL

After a close first four minutes, the Spencer Rockets hit the accelerator and didn’t stop Tuesday, handing the Gilman boys basketball team a 77-38 defeat to stay tied for the early lead in the Eastern Cloverbelt Conference.

The Pirates seemingly couldn’t lift the lid off the basket after battling to an 11-9 score in those first four minutes. Over the next eight minutes, Spencer got rolling with a 20-6 run that put the Rockets ahead 31-15. It was 39-19 at halftime.

Spencer standout Austin Bacon made sure the Pirates wouldn’t be able to get close again, scoring 11 second-half points to lead the Rockets’ 38-19 scoring advantage in the last 18 minutes. Bacon scored 14 of his game-high 25 points in the first half, while Brett Kasch hit a couple of 3s and scored 10 points in the opening half. He finished with 14.

Gilman got 16 points from Andrew Hecker, including 10 in the second half. But it was a tough shooting night for the rest of the crew. Ethan Grunseth did finish with 10 points, six of which came in the first half. From there the output was limited to four points apiece from Peyton Heiman, Isaac Wininger and Connor Mravik. Hecker and Wininger each made one long-range shot. The Pirates also were just four of 13 from the free throw line.

The loss dropped Gilman to 1-4 in the conference and overall. Spencer is 4-0 in league play and tied with Neillsville atop the standings. The Rockets are off to a 5-0 start overall.

Gilman hosts Flambeau tonight, Thursday, at 7:15 p.m. in the make up of a Dec. 9 non-conference postponement. The Pirates will then enjoy a lengthy holiday break before hosting Rib Lake Jan. 6 in a challenging non-conference matchup.

Gilman 72, Granton 41

Offense was not a problem at Granton Friday as the Pirates poured in 46 firsthalf points and rolled to a 72-41 win over the winless Bulldogs.

Heiman returned to the lineup after a two-game absence and had a huge night with 23 points for the Pirates. He scored 12 of those points in Gilman’s big first half while Hecker dumped in 13 of his 17 points in the opening 18 minutes.

The Pirates hit four 3-point shots while building their 46-22 halftime lead. Wininger hit two of them, while Blake Wisocky and Jordan Goebel each added one.

Heiman kept up his scoring frenzy in the second half with 12 more points. Connor Mravik and Grant McFadden added trifectas as the Pirates outscored the Bulldogs 26-19.

Grunseth finished with 11 points for the Pirates, nine of which came in the first half. Wininger added seven, while Wisocky, Goebel, McFadden and Mravik all finished with three apiece and Zack Marion added a second-half hoop.

Granton got 20 points out of Noah Mc-Conkey, eight from Brandon Jakobi and seven from Hunter Vine.

Hecker’s 17-point first half helped Gilman forge a 27-27 halftime tie on Thursday and the Pirates held a slim lead into the early moments of the second half, but a mid-half surge put Colby in the lead and that’s where the visiting Hornets stayed in their 61-49 win.

The Pirates got a 3-pointer from Wisocky to start the second half and added a Hecker bucket to hold a 32-29 lead. Colby tied it up at 32-32. After a Gilman timeout with 10:35 to go, the Hornets got a go-ahead 3-pointer from Richard Streveler and gradually opened up the lead from there. It was 46-42 with 6:31 to go when the Hornets went on an 8-2 spurt over the next 67 seconds to suddenly make it a 10-point game and the Pirates never recovered.

The Pirates sank seven 3-point shots in the game and got 23 points from Hecker, but it wasn’t quite enough to overcome Colby’s 16-2 scoring advantage from the free throw line and Harley Schmelzer’s game-high 25 points. Schmelzer scored 15 points in the first half and added 10 more in the second. The Hornets made 16 of 31 free throws, while Gilman only shot two free throws with Hecker making them both in the first half.

Wininger scored nine points for Gilman, six in the second half. Grunseth scored all seven of his points in the second half. Wisocky hit a 3-point shot in each half to finish with six points. Goebel and Mravik each had a bucket.

Streveler added 13 points and hit a trio of 3s for the Hornets, who sit at 2-2 in league play and 2-3 overall after a 58-55 loss to Greenwood Tuesday.