The Clintonville boys’ varsity basketball team overcame a slow start to earn a 42-32 win over the Weyauwega-Fremont Indians on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
The Indians were on fire to start the game as their first four baskets came from beyond the 3-point line. Alex Hulbert had the hot hand early, sinking three in a row from deep in the near side corner.
Clintonville’s Nate Krueger answered with a 3-pointer of his own, but the Indians quickly added another long-range basket to take a 12-3 lead early in the first quarter.
The Truckers regrouped on offense after missing several layups and putbacks during their early possessions, scoring seven more points in the quarter to draw within 12-10 in the closing seconds of the first frame.
Before the quarter expired, the Indians were able to sink a layup, draw a foul, and convert the 3-point play to gain a 15-10 advantage as the first quarter ended.
Clintonville’s defense stepped up in the second quarter, allowing just three points while frustrating the Indians with zone defense. Meanwhile, the Trucker offense kept rolling, scoring 10 points in the second quarter to take a 20-18 lead into halftime.
The third quarter belonged to Clintonville as they used motion offense to score 12 points and kept up the pressure on defense to surrender just four points. Clintonville led 32-22 after three quarters.
The Indians entered the fourth quarter looking to stage a comeback but their shooting remained ice cold. Both teams scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, and Clintonville celebrated a 10-point win.
The Truckers made 15 of 42 shots (35 percent) including 4 of 18 from 3-point range (22 percent) and 8 of 11 from the free throw line (72 percent). Meanwhile, the Indians made just 7 of 28 shots (25 percent) including 5 of 19 from 3-point range (26 percent) and 13 of 15 from the free throw line (86 percent).
Weyauwega-Fremont earned a 24-21 rebounding advantage but Clintonville had a 14-6 edge in steals. The Indians committed 19 turnovers, while Clintonville had only eight giveaways.
Weyauwega Fremont’s bench outscored Clintonville’s bench, 6-2, but the Truckers had a 6-2 advantage in second-chance points and an 11-0 edge in points off turnovers.
Tyler Petermann led all scorers with 21 points while gathering six steals and three rebounds for the Truckers. Hulbert led the Indians with 12 points and three steals.
For the Truckers, Nate Krueger scored eight points and snared five rebounds, while Aaron Morse added six points and three rebounds. Damon Lorge tallied three points and four rebounds, as Nick Hogen netted two points, four assists and three steals. Jordan Koeppen added two points for the Truckers.
Logan Bosquez netted six points and seven rebounds for the Indians, while Blake Hudziak added five points and six rebounds. Dylan Pankow and Bryce Akey both scored four points, and Samuel Hablewitz added one point.
The Truckers are now 6-13 overall, with a 4-10 record in the Eastern Valley Conference. The Indians own a 7-12 overall record, with a 5-7 mark in the Central Wisconsin-8 Conference.