Rib Lake starts rivalry week with big win at Prentice

RIB LAKE BOYS BASKETBALL

A week that features games against their two closest Marawood Conference rivals and the top two teams in the league’s North Division couldn’t have started any better for the Rib Lake Redmen.

Avenging a 47-41 home loss in December that they felt they let get away from them late, the Redmen went to Prentice Tuesday, took the lead early and didn’t let it go in the second half of a 67-57 victory over the 9-4 Buccaneers.

The win was Rib Lake’s fifth in its last seven games and boosted its Marawood record to 3-7. The Redmen are 5-8 overall.

Prentice slid to 5-3 in Marawood play and now sits a half-game behind 6-3 Athens in the North. The Redmen will visit the Blue Jays Friday night looking to reverse a 54-31 loss from late December. Athens is an impressive 13-3 overall.

Rib Lake put together one of its best halves of the season while building a 32-25 halftime lead Tuesday. Guard Michael Borchardt had a breakout half and game with nine points in the first 18 minutes and 11 overall for the night. Inside, Ryan Patrick scored six times and added three free throws for 15 points before the half.

The second half turned into free-throw shooting practice for the Redmen. They shot 35 free throws in the half and made 19 of them to hold off the Bucs, who made a late charge to get within two scores in the late going.

Tanner Vlach was six of eight from the line in the half, Andrew Wudi was four for six, Patrick was four for eight and Logan Blomberg had a huge half with 13 points. That included a pair of 3-pointers and five-of-11 shooting from the foul line. He finished with 15 points.

Patrick’s 23 points led all scorers. Vlach scored eight, all in the second half and Wudi’s four free throws accounted for his scoring. Ryan Buehler sank a first-half 3-pointer and Trey Klemann added three first-half points.

Adam Granberg and Ashton Ma- kovsky both scored 12 points to lead Prentice, who has been without senior Trent Heikkinen for the last three weeks. Heikkinen scored 19 points during the Bucs’ Dec. 15 win in Rib Lake.

After Friday’s trip to Athens, Rib Lake returns to its home floor Tuesday when it takes on the Phillips Loggers at 7:15 p.m. The Redmen host Newman Catholic Feb. 5 in a Marawood Conference crossover.

Auburndale 68, Rib Lake 30

Marawood South contender Auburndale forced 24 turnovers and held Rib Lake to eight second-half points in a 68-30 blowout win Friday on the Eagles’ home court.

Hunter Wright was a big problem for the Redmen as he went off for 28 points while hitting 11 of 19 shots from the field, including six of 10 3-pointers. From there, the Eagles got balanced scoring from seven other sources, including 11 points from Schuyler Gilhausen and 10 from Carl Lundgren. They now sit at 12-3 overall, including 9-2 in Marawood games.

Along with the turnovers, Rib Lake shot just 28.9% from the field (13 of 45), including four of 18 from 3-point range (22.2%) and the Redmen missed all of their free throws.

Andrew Wudi had a solid night with 10 points on four-of-nine shooting. He hit two of five 3s. Logan Blomberg just missed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds before fouling out. Ryan Patrick was held to four points and six rebounds.

Ryan Buehler hit a 3-point shot, while Tanner Vlach and Trey Klemann added a basket apiece. Sam Gumz and Wudi each grabbed four rebounds, while Michael Borchardt and Buehler had three each. Vlach led the team with three assists. Brock Thiede had two.

Auburndale led 37-22 at halftime and outscored the Redmen 31-8 after the break.

Rib Lake 53, Crandon 43

Patrick recorded a double-double and Logan Blomberg nearly did too in Rib Lake’s 53-43 non-conference win at Crandon on Jan. 19.

Patrick made eight of 10 shots from the field and pulled down 14 rebounds while scoring a game-high 17 points in the team’s fourth win in five games. He added five steals, two blocked shots and two assists.

Blomberg hit six of 15 shots and scored 15 points while adding eight rebounds, a game-high five assists and three steals in the victory.

It wasn’t the greatest of shooting nights for the Redmen, who made just 22 of 65 shots from the field (33.8%), but the defense held Crandon to just 13 firsthalf points, allowing the Redmen to take a 22-13 halftime lead. Both teams picked up the pace in the second half with Rib Lake outscoring the Cardinals 31-30 to take home the 10-point win.

Borchardt hit a 3-pointer and had five steals while scoring eight points. Wudi’s six points came on a pair of 3s and he dished out two assists.

Vlach scored four points and had five rebounds and three steals. Jordan Yanko converted a key three-point play and had two rebounds in his six minutes off the bench.

Klemann didn’t score but grabbed six rebounds.

Crandon, who fell to 1-13 at the time, was led by Devin Headson, who scored 11 points. Konner Kaeo and Chevy Gretzinger added eight apiece.

Working behind a Ryan Patrick screen, Rib Lake’s Andrew Wudi gets an open look from 3-point range during the first half of Tuesday’s 67-57 win over the Buccaneers.SARAH KOMAREK/THE STAR NEWS