RIB LAKE BOYS BASKETBALL - First 24 minutes were good, but things fall apart in last 12 against Dons

RIB LAKE BOYS BASKETBALL

The first 24 minutes went the way the Rib Lake Redmen hoped in their Nov. 26 boys basketball season opener, but things turned in the game’s final third when a switch to a 1-3-1 halfcourt zone defense pushed host Columbus Catholic to a 54-37 win.

The first game of the Dons’ WIAA Division 5 state title defense ended with a 24-5 run by the home team in the last 11 minutes. A Talon Scheithauer stepback 3pointer at the 12-minute mark gave Rib Lake its last lead at 32-30. After a Rib Lake timeout with 11:31 left, the Dons made the switch to the 1-3-1, got a go-ahead 3pointer from the left corner by Sam Dums with 10:52 left and took over from there.

Rib Lake turned the basketball over 19 times, six of which came in the last 11 minutes. Columbus outscored Rib Lake 14-2 in transition and a 19-6 edge in points off turnovers. The Dons also got 13 of their 33 rebounds on the offensive end and took advantage of some of those opportunities to eventually pull away.

Up to the Dums 3-pointer, Rib Lake had led for nearly the entire first 25 minutes.

Mac Konieczny got the game’s first basket off a Rib Lake turnover, but the Redmen, using good ball movement and patience on offense, scored the next six. Jed Henderson scored off an Ethan Cook assist and Scheithauer fed the cutting Seth Borchardt for a hoop that made it 12-4 just over eight minutes in.

Borchardt’s three-point play at the 6:07 mark and then a Blake Henderson score off an assist from his brother pushed the lead to 19-8 before Columbus, who had been ice cold from 3-point range against Rib Lake’s man-to-man defense, finally knocked down four long-range shots to finish four of 21 for the half. Konieczny had three of those bombs as the Dons pulled within 21-20 at the half.

Scheithauer got the first two buckets of the second half to put Rib Lake back up by five and Borchardt had a nice finish on a press break to make it 27-22. Ben Weiland sank a 3 for the Dons and a Carter Sommer hoop tied the game at 27-27. Konieczny’s 3 answered an inside score by Brady Heiser to give the Dons their first lead since 2-0 at 30-29.

After Dums’ go-ahead 3, Konieczny got a steal and fed Sommer for an easy score, Sommer scored again inside and Konieczny and Kaleb Hilgemann added scores to suddenly give the Dons a 41-32 edge. After Jed Henderson finally broke the scoring drought for Rib Lake, a Sommer 3 and a hoop from Cole Wallace extended the lead to double digits for Columbus Catholic, who put the game out of reach from there in the last six minutes.

Scheithauer made five of 12 shots and led Rib Lake with 13 points. Jed Henderson had an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double and Borchardt had nine points, four rebounds and three assists. Blake Henderson and Heiser each added a basket.

The shooting percentages were nearly even with Rib Lake at 38.1% overall (16 of 42) and Columbus at 36.2% (21 of 58). The turnovers and rebounds gave the Dons more shots and the Dons outscored the Redmen by 21 from 3-point range, hitting nine of 38. Rib Lake was two of 16.

Konieczny, after a slow start, poured in 23 points for Columbus. Sommer had 11.

Rib Lake is home for the first time this season tonight, Thursday, hosting Edgar at 7:15 p.m. in a Marawood Conference crossover.