Storm take down Clippers in thriller

By Josh Staloch

Contributing Writer

KEWAUNEE – The Kewaunee boys squared off with Sturgeon Bay at home on Tuesday, Jan. 16, relying on some late-game heroics after falling behind to snatch a 62-61 win and improve their Packerland Conference record to 6-0.

After a good start to the game for both teams, the score was close with the Storm going ahead at one point 20-18 on a nice play that saw Braxton Riha score down low.

But the last few minutes of the half saw Kewaunee, playing in its second game in a month, get sloppy and the Clippers were able jump out to a 33-26 lead going into the break at halftime.

Things got even shakier for the home team in the second half as Sturgeon Bay started off by increasing their lead to 10 points on a three-point play following a shooting foul by the Storm.

At one point, Kewaunee faced a 15-point deficit with the scoreboard showing 57-42.

At that point in the game, sparks started flying for the Storm.

Jackson Wisnicky pulled down an offensive rebound and went back up with it for a score to make it 57-44.

Up next, Thomas Stangel scored on a tough drive following a Sturgeon Bay turnover before Avery Jerabek drained a three from the corner to make it 57-49 with four and a half left to play, prompting a timeout from the Clippers.

Sturgeon Bay increased its lead by two on free throws when action resumed but Kewaunee’s Christopher Cullen kept the game’s momentum swinging the home team’s way by hitting a critical three pointer from the corner with four minutes to play.

A huge play late in the game saw Riha make it 61-58 on a highlight-reel putback, forcing the Clippers to take a timeout before Kilgore got the ball back for the Storm by taking a charge with a minute and a half to go.

Stangel, who finished with 24 points, then brought his team to within a point of the lead by driving right down the middle of the lane for a tough bucket in traffic.

Stangel missed the foul shot that would have tied the game following that gutsy drive but he made up for it on the team’s next possession by getting a good pass to Riha, who was not going to be stopped on his way to the basket with 10 seconds left on the clock, rolling in a clutch shot to put the Storm ahead for good.

 “I could tell by the way they looked, they were kind of down on themselves, but I could tell that they believed they could still do it,” said Kewaunee head coach Matt Bosdeck on his team’s late-game mentality on Tuesday. “All it was going to take was one spark. We took a charge, got a three and that was it. Just like that, we’re right there with them. (Sturgeon Bay) had to take a timeout and things started rolling for us.”

Spartans stumble against Comets

LUXEMBURG – Luxemburg-Casco got 13 points apiece from Mason Burmeister and Lance Cherovsky but couldn’t get the victory on Saturday, Jan. 13 as they fell 62-49 at home against Waupaca.

Braeden Schley had 11 rebounds, two assists and three steals in the win to go along with eight points, four boards, two assists, a steal and a block from Jacob Coisman.

With the loss, L-C moves to 2-10 overall.

Wolves get back on track vs. Vikings

FISH CREEK – Algoma snapped out of a two-game slide with a hard-fought 46-39 road victory over Gibraltar on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

The Wolves, now at 7-5 overall, 4-3 in Packerland Conference play, found themselves up 22-18 at the break and then managed to close it out, thanks to 19 total points from Chase Romdenne and 15 from Parker Lischka.