Second half comeback falls short

By Erik Buchinger

Hortonville’s second half comeback fell short in a 79-70 loss to Oshkosh West at home on Friday, Dec. 15.

The Polar Bears found themselves trailing 44-27 at halftime but cut the lead to two in the second half and were within reach until the end.

“Bad first half, good second half,” Hortonville head coach Matt Hintz said. “We’re learning, but we didn’t get off to a good start. Our defense was not good. We changed it up in the second half a little bit, but it’s hard to play that was all the time. We’ve got to figure out a way to get off to better starts defensively and go from there.”

Chandler Guyette led Hortonville with 16 points and made four 3-pointers.

The Polar Bears went on a 19-4 run to start the second half to cut the lead to 48-46, and Hintz said it was because of the defense.

“We guarded somebody,” Hintz said. “It was hectic and wasn’t fundamentally sound, but we got them out of a rhythm they had in the first half. We were able to turn them over a few times, and they rushed some shots. We were able to get some plays that way, and once we got it going, it helps you get some offense through defense with some rhythm knocking down shots from the perimeter.”

With two minutes left, Hortonville trailed 69-65 after two Jayqon Owens free throws, but Oshkosh West pulled away for the nine-point victory.

Cole Warning and Jay Welson each had 15 points for the Polar Bears, while Owens added eight.

“We’ve just got to get better,” Hintz said. “We’re a young team, and we’ve got to get better each day. Obviously we’ve got a lot of areas to work on, but guys are working hard, and we are getting better so we’ll see the progression as we go.”