Regular season finale coming Thursday
By Erik Buchinger
The Clintonville boys’ basketball team defeated Oconto Falls 59-53 at home on Feb. 13.
The Truckers were led by Aiden Polzin, who scored 14 points.
“It wasn’t our best game, but I can’t fault our effort,” Clintonville head coach Ryan Mattson said. “We know as a team we have to play better if we’re going to keep winning and end our season off positive.”
Sam Wittman scored 13 points for Clintonville including three 3-pointers in the first half.
“I thought our guys played really hard,” Wittman said. “We didn’t play to the best of our ability, but we still gave everything we got.”
The game was the first of a Clintonville basketball doubleheader. The girls’ varsity game was played after, and Mattson said the Truckers did not come ready to play, trailing by as many as eight points in the first half.
“I think we weren’t ready to play with an earlier game than normal, and our kids didn’t get here early enough,” Mattson said. “I think making the substitutions and getting the second five in, they played hard. The guys started coming back, and when the starters came back in they finished our comeback. We took the lead and never let it up after that.”
The Truckers took a 34-31 lead into halftime and held on to the advantage throughout the entire second half.
“We needed this win going into the seed meetings,” Wittman said. “This is just a really big confidence boost for us going into the playoffs.
Mattson said he has been impressed with the way his team has improved throughout the season.
“I think our team has come a long way since the beginning of the year,” Mattson said. “We’re looking to finish strong and get ready for our playoff run.”
The Truckers’ regular season finale will be held on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. at Marinette.
Clintonville earned a No. 6 seed and will host No. 11 seed Amherst on Tuesday, Feb. 26 in a regional quarterfinal.