GILMAN BOYS BASKETBALL - Pirates drop two in conference play, get Columbus Dons twice this week

GILMAN BOYS BASKETBALL

The Gilman Pirates did a better job defensively against Spencer’s allconference candidate Jack Bezlyk Tuesday, but a key stretch of turnovers allowed the Rockets to build a lead right before halftime and they extended that lead from there and won 59-45 to spoil the Pirates’ Senior Night festivities.

Bezlyk, who lit up Gilman for 31 points in the teams’ first meeting Jan. 16, was limited to 20 this time around as the Pirates made sure he had company any time he got the ball in the lane. He still did some damage on the offensive boards and he was right in the middle of that key stretch that put the Rockets ahead to stay.

Gilman got 13 points from Joey Syryczuk and eight points, including two 3-pointers, from Trevor Vick on their Senior Night and Max Ustianowski added some defense and rebounding. The Pirates fell to 2-10 in conference play and 6-14 overall. Spencer improved to 7-6, 14-8.

It took more than four minutes for Spencer to score the first points of the game and 5:20 had elapsed before the Pirates got on the board. But then the teams traded jabs for the next nine minutes. Gilman had one lead early at 7-5 when Joey Syryczuk grabbed a defensive rebound pushed the ball up the floor and found Tony Syryczuk for the score. Logan Halida sank a 3-pointer and Tony Syryczuk followed that up with a tough scoop shot in the lane for an 18-17 lead with 3:30 left in the half.

But then Spencer made its move. Mathers McHone scored off a backdoor cut and Bezlyk scored for a 21-18 lead. The Rockets then scored three straight baskets off Gilman turnovers, two of them by Bezlyk to lead 27-18 at the half. Bezlyk started the second half by scoring off another turnover to give the Rockets their first double-digit lead.

Vick’s 3-pointers and one by Joey Syryczuk kept it close at 31-27, but Spencer’s Tyler Peterson answered with a 3 of his own to top the run, Weston Nieman hit one as well and Peterson’s third 3 of the game was the dagger, making it 48-33 with about six minutes to go. He scored 11 points for Spencer and Nieman hit five 3s as part of his 19-point night.

Beau Pockat made three 3-pointers in the second half and scored 12 points for the Pirates. Halida finished with eight points and Tony Syryczuk wound up with four.

Gilman will complete conference play with back-to-back games against Columbus Catholic, who will be shooting for at least a share of the Eastern Cloverbelt Conference title in those games. The first one is Friday at Marshfield. The second one is Monday in Gilman, making up a Jan. 21 postponement. Both games tip at 7:15 p.m.

The regular season concludes Feb. 27 with the Cloverbelt Conference crossovers. Gilman is locked into the seventh-place spot which should put the Pirates at Thorp in a rematch of a Jan. 14 game it won 55-50 on the Cardinals’ home floor.

Loyal 72, Gilman 46

On Thursday, the Loyal Greyhounds were superior inside and outside and took care of the visiting Pirates 72-46.

Reed Stieglitz did most of the outside damage, making six 3-point shots as part of a 24-point night. As a team, the Greyhounds made 11 3-pointers out of 22 attempts, with seven makes coming in the second half to more than offset the six 3s Gilman made during the game.

Inside the Greyhounds hurt Gilman’s zone defense with its size and by getting some key offensive rebounds, especially in the first half, which was close for awhile. Loyal outrebounded Gilman 36-22.

Three straight points by Joey Syryczuk had Gilman within 9-9 when the second 3 of the game by Stieglitz put Loyal on top for good, starting a 7-0 run. After a Tony Syryczuk 3 and two Ustianowski free throws for Gilman made it 20-14, the Greyhounds started pulling away behind another Stieglitz 3, a rebound basket by Aaron Radue, two inside scores by Rhett Lamovec and a 3-ball from Carson Bremmer that made it 32-14.

Halida’s floater with two seconds left got Gilman within 36-21 at the half and two 3-pointers from Tony Syryczuk pulled the Pirates within 38-27, but Stieglitz and Bryce Deegan hit 3s in a 10-2 spurt that got the lead to 19. Joey Syryczuk’s 3 got Gilman within 51-34, then Radue, Stieglitz and Carson Prein all sank treys for Loyal to help break the game wide open at 67-37.

Tony Syryczuk led Gilman with 13 points, including three 3s and two backcourt steals that he turned into scores. He had four rebounds and four steals. Joey Syryczuk finished with 11 points and Halida had nine. Joey Syryczuk had four rebounds.

Vick was active on the offensive glass with three of his five total rebounds and scored six points. Pockat had five points and Ustianowski wound up with two to go with seven rebounds and two assists. The Pirates shot 30.2% from the field (16 of 53) while Loyal shot 52.9% (27 of 51).

Cain Toufar scored 15 points for Loyal, who improved to 8-4 in the conference and 15-6 overall at the time. Radue scored 11.