Athens notches seventh straight

‘Jays pick up big road win on Tuesday

By Casey Krautkramer

The Athens varsity boys basketball team easily defeated Chequamegon, 68-43, in a pivotal Marawood North Conference road matchup on Tuesday.

Athens led, 36-22, at halftime. The Bluejays shot 47 percent from the floor against the Screaming Eagles.

Senior guard Cooper Diedrich poured in a game-high 30 points for the Bluejays. Senior Kody Lepak joined Diedrich in double-digit scoring with 12 points.

Diedrich also led Athens in three other statistical categories against Chequamegon with four steals, six assists and 10 rebounds.

Athens’ big road win against Chequamegon on Tuesday could go a long way toward helping the Bluejays win their second straight Marawood North Conference championship this season.

The Bluejays are atop the North Conference standings with a 5-2 record, followed by the Screaming Eagles in second place at 4-4.

Athens now has a 10-2 overall record this season. The Bluejays have won seven consecutive games since losing to the Stratford Tigers.

The Bluejays easily defeated the Abbotsford Falcons, 73-26, on Thursday.

Athens built an insurmountable 41-17 halftime advantage on the road against Abbotsford.

Diedrich paced the Bluejays with 19 points while Aiden Janke chipped in 15 points and a team high five assists and 10 rebounds. Nathan Wolf contributed 11 points and Connor Komarek had 10. Diedrich also led the team with a pair of blocked shots.

The game also served as a chance to get several younger players off the bench. Athens senior Cooper Diedrich said those minutes will prove valuable down the stretch.

Athens boys basketball head coach Jeramie Penney commented on the victory.

“The best part of this game was getting some of those other players out there, and getting them as much playing time as we could get them, give them some varsity experience, and a feel for it,” Penney said. “When playoffs come, we got guys that are ready to go.”

Athens edged Nekoosa, 62-58, in a non-conference home game on Jan. 4.

Janke exploded for a team high 30 points and Diedrich added 20 in the victory. They were the only Bluejays in double-digit scoring against the Papermakers.

Diedrich paced Athens with 11 rebounds and seven assists. Janke added eight rebounds and he led the squad with six blocks.

Penney was pleased to see his players find a way to win a tough game on the road. It’s a sign of his players hard work and time put in towards building that essential team chemistry that translates to victories.

“They are really starting to gel and play as a team and stepping up,” Penney said. “We call them all the time, and we got to trust each other, and that’s what we do, we trust each other.”

Edgar falls to Mosinee

Edgar’s varsity boys basketball squad dropped a 74-50 road game to Mosinee on Friday.

The Indians held a sizeable 50-12 advantage scoring points in the paint against the Wildcats. Edgar also committed 21 turnovers compared to 14 for Mosinee.

Senior guard Ashtyn Schuett led Edgar with 16 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Karter Butt added 13 points and senior Everet Brehm had nine.

Ashtyn Schuett and Brehm paced the Wildcats with three steals apiece, while sophomore Teegan Streit led the squad with two assists.

Mosinee now has a 9-1 overall record this season. Its only defeat was at Stratford.

Edgar also lost to Auburndale, 47-43, on Tuesday at home. The Wildcats now have a 6-5 overall record this season.