Raiders in driver’s seat

Team wins battle of first place squads

By Casey Krautkramer

Marathon’s varsity boys basketball team took a huge step on Tuesday toward winning its first Marawood South Conference championship for the first time in five years. The Red Raiders edged the Tigers, 59-55, on the road in a battle for first place in the conference.

Both squads entered Tuesday’s game with 10-1 records in the Marawood South. Following Tuesday’s victory, the Red Raiders have swept their regularseason series against the Tigers this season. Both of Stratford’s losses this season are to Marathon, whereas Marathon’s pair of defeats are against Edgar and Mosinee.

Marathon last won the Marawood South Conference championship in the 2016-17 season, when it shared the conference title with Wisconsin Rapids Assumption. This was the last season Pittsville was still in the Marawood South. Marathon last won an outright Marawood South Conference championship in the 2015-16 season.

On Tuesday, Marathon senior guard Nathan Hanke sank one of two free throws to seal the four-point win against Stratford. He commented after Marathon’s 75-48 home non-conference victory against Colby on Friday what it would mean for he and his teammates to beat Stratford again this season.

“I think us beating Stratford would be for the conference title, which is what we are really striving to win this season,” Nathan Hanke said, who is the son of Tom Hanke and Heidi Lemmer. “Winning the conference would be a big achievement for our team this year.”

Marathon sophomore six feet, eightinch center Grant Warren scored a team-high 19 points in Tuesday’s win against Stratford. He is averaging 15.3 points per game this season. Warren also led the Red Raiders on the glass with five rebounds.

Red Raiders senior Jaden Koeller contributed 12 points while Hanke added nine and sophomore Tyler Underwood had seven. Senior Ben Robbins paced the team with six assists, while junior Drew Love and Hanke contributed three assists each. Hanke led Marathon with four steals and Robbins had two.

Marathon converted 16 of 19 free throws for 86 percent shooting from the line in its victory against Stratford. The Tigers, meanwhile, made six of 10 free throws for 60 percent from the line. Hanke and Koeller converted four of five free-throw attempts, while Underwood made all four of his free throws.

Stratford senior Camden Daul scored a game-high 25 points in the loss to Marathon, which is above his 17.2 points per game average this season. No other Tigers played obtained double-digit scoring against the Red Raiders. Senior Devin Ulrich and junior Ashtyn Wrensch scored seven points apiece.

Tigers senior guard Caden Bruesewitz led the team with eight assists and senior Kaden Griesmer had four blocks. Bruesewitz and Daul paced Stratford with three steals each.

Marathon improves its record to 11-1 in the Marawood South Conference and 15-2 overall this season, while Stratford falls to 10-2 in the South and 15-2 overall.

Rest of conference games

The Red Raiders have an easier conference schedule against the Tigers for the rest of this season, giving them the inside track to win the Marawood South. Marawood South Conference teams play a home-and-away series against the other South squads and also play one game against each Marawood North team. Games played against Marawood South and North teams all count toward the respective Marawood team’s conference standings. Marathon’s remaining Marawood Conference games this season are vs. Abbotsford, 1-11 in the Marawood North, this Friday, Feb. 4; at Phillips, 1-11 in the North, on Friday, Feb. 11; at Wausau Newman, 8-4 in the Marawood South, on Friday, Feb. 18 and at Wisconsin Rapids Assumption, 4-8 in the Marawood South, on Thursday, Feb. 24.

The Red Raiders nipped the Wausau Newman Cardinals, 64-63, at home on Dec. 21 on Warren’s game-winning basket. Should Marathon lose to Wausau Newman, and both Marathon and Stratford finish the regular-season with two conference defeats each, the Red Raiders and Tigers would still share the Marawood South title this season.

Mark Lacke, Marawood Conference commissioner, said on Tuesday there is not a tiebreaker for first place in the Marawood North and South conferences. Therefore, even though Marathon has beaten Stratford twice this season, both teams would still share the Marawood South Conference championship this season if they each finish the season with the same conference records. Stratford has a tougher remaining conference schedule than Marathon does, with games scheduled vs. Chequamegon, 7-5 in the Marawood North, this Friday, Feb. 4; at Rib Lake, 3-9 in the Marawood North, on Friday, Feb. 11; at Edgar, 7-5 in the Marawood South, on Friday, Feb. 18 and at Wausau Newman, 8-4 in the Marawood South, on Thursday, Feb. 24.

Moving up career ladder

Marathon senior Jaden Koeller’s 12 points against Stratford on Tuesday moves him past Tim Sonnentag on the school’s all-time boys career scoring list. Jaden Koeller, the son of Brian Koeller and Gloria Litzer, now has 1,207 career points compared to Sonnentag with 1,198. Cody Hanke is still the school’s alltime career points leader with 1,415, folllowed by Dennis Cramer with 1,367 and Cody Hanke’s younger brother, Carter Hanke, with 1,270. Carter Hanke was a senior when Jaden Koeller was a freshman and Carter Hanke was a senior on Marathon’s 2018-19 team that finished the season with a 21-5 record after losing to Oshkosh Lourdes, 72-71, in the WIAA Division 4 sectional championship game in Neillsville.

Marathon downs Colby

The Marathon Red Raiders easily defeated a solid Colby Hornets squad, 75-48, in Friday’s home non-conference game. Marathon is battling to win the Marawood South Conference this season, while Colby, with a 12-4 overall record, remains in contention to win the Eastern Cloverbelt Conference championship.

Colby had just upset Marshfield Columbus, the No. 5 ranked squad in Division 5 this season, on the road Jan. 18 before easily beating Gilman, 85-14, at home on Thursday before getting dismantled by Marathon on Friday.

Marathon head coach Adam Jacobson was pleased with is team’s play, especially during the second half, against a tough Colby team.

“They are very athletic, obviously, because they were state champions on the football field this fall, and they shot the ball well against us in the first half,” he said. “ I really thought if we could handle their dribble penetration and run their shooters off the three-point line, that then we’d be successful on defense, which we did more so in the second half.”

Big night this Friday

Marathon’s boys basketball program will recognize the 2010-11 state championship team at 6:45 p.m. this Friday, Feb. 4, between the junior varsity and varsity home games against Abbotsford.

The 2010-11 Red Raiders finished the season with a 27-1 record after beating Oostburg, 68-50, in the WIAA Division 4 state tournament semifinal and Grantsburg, 52-43, in the state championship.

Cody Hanke led Marathon with 31 points, 10 rebounds and six steals in the state tournament win against Oostburg. He followed that game with 24 points and five steals against Grantsburg in the state title game.

Jeff Reiche retired as Marathon’s varsity head boys basketball coach after winning the 2010-11 WIAA Division 4 state championship. Adam Jacobson, who was Marathon’s freshman coach and varsity assistant during magical 2010-11 season, succeeded Reiche as the school’s head varsity coach.

Coach Jacobson said it’s important for Marathon’s boys basketball program to remember its past success.

“It’ll be an exciting night this Friday because it just so happens to be our Little Red Raiders halftime performance too during the varsity game,” he said. “We have a promising future with our Little Red Raiders and a proud past by recognizing the 2010-11 state championship team.”

Seeking a state ranking

No varsity boys or girls basketball teams in The Record-Review’s coverage area have been ranked this season in the wissports.net polls.

Marathon’s boys basketball squad has a good chance of entering the future rankings if it knocks off Iola-Scandinavia in a road non-conference game this Tuesday, Feb. 8.

Iola-Scandinavia is currently undefeated this season with a 16-1 record. The Thunderbirds are ranked No. 5 in this week’s wissports.net Division 4 poll.

‘Cats win in double OT

Edgar’s varsity boys basketball team outlasted Athens, 64-60, in a Marawood Conference crossover double overtime thriller on Friday in Edgar’s gym.

Edgar head coach Dave Huss was pleased with his squad battling tough against Athens until it got the victory.

“I’m really proud of the kids and their resiliency shown during the game, especially late,” he said. “Athens made some key plays down the stretch to get the game to overtime and they had a lot of momentum.

“Our guys stuck together, made key free throws when we needed them and got crucial stops on defense when we needed them the most. It was a great environment and a high school basketball game by players on both sides.”

Wildcats sophomore guard Teegan Streit scored a team-high 18 points in the win. Streit also paced Edgar with six steals, while senior Everet Brehm added four.

Sophomore Brett Baumgartner contributed 12 points for the Wildcats, while Brehm had 11. Sophomore forward Karter Butt chipped in 10 points and freshman Leyton Schuett had nine.

Butt led Edgar with five assists, while senior Ashton Schuett and Streit added four apiece.

Athens senior guard Cooper Diedich scored a game-high 23 points, followed by junior center Aiden Janke with 17.

Diedrich also paced the Bluejays with six assists and three steals. Senior Kody Lepak and Janke led Athens with nine rebounds each.

Edgar now has a 7-5 record in the Marawood South Conference and is 10-7 overall this season. Athens, meanwhile, is 8-4 atop the Marawood North Conference and 14-4 overall.

Edgar edged Wisconsin Rapids Assumption, 49-47, on the road Tuesday. Individual player statistics were not availble before the paper was printed.

Coach Huss is happy to get the victory. “The guys battled hard and did enough good things to get a win on the road in a tough environment.”

WARREN WREAKS HAVOC AGAINST OPPONENTS- Marathon sophomore six foot, eight-inch center Grant Warren is a force to be reckoned with in the post this season. He scored a team-high 19 points in Marathon’s big road win against Stratford on Tuesday.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER

KOELLER KEEPS CLIMBING THE SCHOOL’S CAREER POINTS CHART- Marathon senior guard Jaden Koeller is a fouryear starting player for the Red Raiders who continues to move up the school’s career points scored list. He now has 1,207 career points, passing Tim Sonnentag for fourth most all time.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER