Midwest Players Classic: Saturday's results

GAME ONE Holmen 79, Amery 73 Overcoming a 14-point second-half deficit, Holmen used strong play from senior [player_tooltip player_id='1561933' first='Alex' last='Berget'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2833128' first='Jayden' last='Bartels'] over the final eight minutes of the game to registered the non-league win at the Midwest Players Classic at the La Crosse Center. Berget scored 20 points and had two three-point baskets during the rally while Bartels scored all 16 of his points after intermission. Bartels buried a three-point shot and then followed that up with a conventual three-point play to give Holmen the lead for good. Amery played very well for most of the game, but tired a bit at the end when a deeper Holmen squad went to some full-court pressure defense. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2143926' first='Keaton' last='Wollan'] led Amery in scoring with 29 points, but had just nine after halftime. Holmen's depth was a big factor as the Vikings outscored the Warriors 20-0 in bench points. STAR OF THE GAME    While Bartels made the two biggest plays of the game for Holmen with the game on the line, it was Berget who kept Holmen within striking distance of frontrunning Amery for most of the game. The stead and skilled backcourt prospect had 20 points to lead Holmen. He picked his spots well as he had two three-pointers, got to the line to finish two and-one opportunities and also scored from the mid range for the Vikings, who improved to 10-4 with the comeback triumph.    BOXSCORE Holmen (33-46 = 79) Wilber 3, Williams 7, Kendhammer 13, Bartels 16, Berget 20, Reister 11, Hauser 5, Meyer 5. Three-point field goals: Bartels 4, Berget 2, Kendhammer 1, Williams 1, Meyer 1, Wilber 1. FT: 9-12. Fouled out: None. Record: 10-4. Amery (40-33 = 73) Hanson 16, Granica 15, Wollan 29, Waterman 9, Streich 4, Byrnes 0, Densow 0, Aizpurua 0, Danielson 0. Three-point field goals: Granica 3, Hanson 2, Wollan 2. FT: 6-12. Fouled out: Streich. Record: 7-6. GAME TWO Altoona 63, Tomah 57 Altoona came from behind to record its seventh win in 10 games. The Railroaders got a big second half from [player_tooltip player_id='2405970' first='Owen' last='Gunderson'], who scored all 15 of his points after intermission. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2369875' first='Jacob' last='Kelbel'] also had a big game for the Railroaders as he scored 16 points and the final of his four three-point baskets gave Altoona the lead for good at 56-55 with just over two minutes left. The biggest performance for Altoona came from junior [player_tooltip player_id='2140924' first='Graysen' last='Becker'], who scored 22 of his 28 points in the first half and then shut down Tomah sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id='2371688' first='Quinn' last='Gerke'], holding the junior wing scoreless in the second half after he had 10 points in the first 18 minutes. The loss overshadowed a big effort from Tomah's Silas Cram as the 6-foot-4 junior had 23 points and four three-point baskets. STAR OF THE GAME    When the Altoona offense was a big stagnant in the first half of the Railroaders' 63-57 win over Tomah, Becker took matters into his own hands, scoring 22 points. When others stepped up and scored for Altoona in the second half, Becker took it upon himself to keep Tomah's best player from scoring as he held [player_tooltip player_id='2371688' first='Quinn' last='Gerke'] scoreless in the second 18 minutes. Finishing with 28 points and competing with plenty of energy on both ends of the court for the entire contest, Becker was outstanding in the Railroaders' hard-earned triumph.    BOXSCORE Tomah (34-23 = 57) Gerke 10, Laudon 3, Worden 2, Cram 23, Zastoupil 7, Hendricks 3, Vandenhoogen 7, Rewey 2. Three-point field goals: Cram 4, Gerke 2, Zastoupil 1, Vandenhoogen 1, Hendricks 1, Laudon 2. FT: 3-4. Fouled out: Worden. Record: 6-5. Altoona (30-33 = 63) Becker 28, Gunderson 15, Michels 2, VanVleet 0, Gower 2, Kelbel 16, McCoy 0, Connor 0. Three-point field goals: Kelbel 4, Becker 2, Gunderson 1. FT: 8-9. Fouled out: None. Record: 7-3. GAME THREE Freedom 66, Prescott 48 Freedom found itself trailing 30-25 at halftime after missing 18 of 20 attempts from three-point range in the first half. Things changed in a hurry in the second 18 minutes, though, as trapping, pressure defense by Freedom led to turnovers by Prescott which in turn led to a huge scoring run for the Irish. Freedom scored the first 18 points of the second half to erase its deficit and went on to post a convincing victory over Prescott in a matchup of strong WIAA Division 3 programs. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1847792' first='Donovan' last='Davis'] was his usual steady self with 22 points, several big blocks and a basket full of rebounds. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2140894' first='Cal' last='Calhoon'] (13 points) and [player_tooltip player_id='2724372' first='Kaden' last='Vandenberg'] (14 points) also performed well for the undefeated Irish. North Dakota State football recruit [player_tooltip player_id='2432823' first='Kobe' last='Russell'] was the top player for Prescott as he scored 17 points for Prescott. STAR OF THE GAME    Make the right pass. Swish the big shot. Grab the contested rebounds. And block away shots near the hoop. Davis does all of those things on a nightly basis and each of those attributes helped Freedom stay undefeated and rally past Prescott after trailing at intermission. Davis finished with 22 points for Freedom, but he also was instrumental in the trapping pressure the Irish employed in the second half, often double teaming the ball and making it difficult for opponents to see over him.    BOXSCORE Prescott (30-18 = 48) Russell 17, Monteith 5, J. Matzek 18, E. Miller 4, Otto 3, Peters 0, Ripley 0. Three-point field goals: Matzek 4, Russell 4, Otto 1. FT: 3-4. Fouled out: None. Record: 7-4. Freedom (25-41 = 66) Davis 22, Calhoon 13, Vandenberg 14, Jochimsen 7, Henkel 8, Garvey 0, S. Rueckl 2, Lang 0, J. Rueckl 0, DeCoster 0. Three-point field goals: Vandenberg 2, Jochimsen 1, Calhoon 1, Davis 1. FT: 12-17. Fouled out: None. Record: 13-0. GAME FOUR Marshfield 69, Kaukauna 53 Couple of things stood out about this game. First off, Marshfield is a darn good basketball team. The Tigers have won 12 of 14 games and performed at a very high level against Kaukauna, taking a 40-28 lead at intermission and then maintaining a lead throughout the second half against a previously unbeaten team. The other thing to mention ... Kaukauna had posted an emotional overtime win over Oshkosh North Friday night and had to turn around and travel to La Crosse for another game against a stellar opponent in less than 24 hours. It appeared Kaukauna might have run out of gas late in the game as many of their shots fell short. Still, Marshfield gets all the credit in the world for the win and in particular seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1973149' first='Chris' last='Pohl'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2381688' first='Valin' last='Ramberg'] stood out for the Tigers. Pohl had 25 points and had a stretch in the first half where he was nothing short of sensational. Ramberg finished with 22 points and did most of his damage in the second half to hold off any potential Kaukauna comeback. For the Ghosts, now 11-1, sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2412456' first='Tyler' last='Schwalbach'] led the way with 20 points while DePaul recruit [player_tooltip player_id='1561925' first='Andrew' last='Jensen'] added 15. STAR OF THE GAME    Ramberg put in 22 points for Marshfield and did so in different ways. He made two three-point shots, scored in transition, hit some 15-foot jumpers and also went 4-of-4 from the foul line. His ability to put the ball on the floor and use his height and explosiveness to score at the rim also were very impressive. Ramberg put in a layup over 6-foot-9 [player_tooltip player_id='1561925' first='Andrew' last='Jensen'] of Kaukauna just before the end of the first half to give Marshfield a 40-28 lead at intermission. The UW-La Crosse recruit is a tough matchup because of his size, skill and versatility in scoring.    BOXSCORE Marshfield (40-29 = 69) Ramberg 22, Pohl 25, MacTaggart 11, Hansen 9, Kolstad 2, Jordan 0, Ongna 0. Three-point field goals: Pohl 4, Hansen 3, Ramberg 2, MacTaggart 1. FT: 7-8. Fouled out: None. Record 12-2. Kaukauna (28-25 = 53) Schwalbach 20, Carl 5, Jensen 15, Roehrig 13, Bowers 0, Buckoski 0, Hill 0. Three-point field goals: Roehrig 3, Jensen 2, Carl 1. FT: 7-10. Fouled out: None. Record: 11-1. GAME FIVE West Allis Central 83, East Ridge, Minn. 65 West Allis Central moved to 12-1 and dropped East Ridge to 10-4 by playing smothering defense and sharing the ball on offense. [player_tooltip player_id='2194435' first='Max' last='Jones'] (18), [player_tooltip player_id='2141478' first='Isaiah' last='Fox'] (18), [player_tooltip player_id='2045256' first='Yusef' last='Gray Jr.'] (14), [player_tooltip player_id='2411140' first='Kevin' last='Pittman'] (12), Kayden Traivs (9) and [player_tooltip player_id='2140893' first='Caiden' last='Alland-Davis'] (9) dotted the scoring column for the potent Bulldogs while the same cast put a net around University of Minnesota recruit Cedric Tomes, holding the 6-foot-2 guard to just four points in the first half and 16 for the game. West Allis Central took a 41-26 lead at intermission and led by double digits the rest of the way behind its balanced lineup. STAR OF THE GAME    Fox plays both ends of the court at a high level for one of the state's truly elite teams. His on-ball defensive pressure, his ability to tip the ball away when opponents drive the lane, and his passing and shooting are all big assets for coach David Mlachnik's squad. He had 18 points on a couple of threes, a couple of steals and breakouts, and a few mid-range jumpers for the Bulldogs. Fox doesn't always get the headlines on his talented team, but his presence on the court is huge for a team aiming for a trip to the WIAA Division 1 State Tournament in March.    BOXSCORE West Allis Central (41-42 = 83) Jones 18, Fox 18, Hammernik 0, Isaac 0, Alland-Davis 9, Gray 14, Travis 9, Pittman 12, Banks 2. Three-point field goals: Jones 4, Fox 2, Alland-Davis 2, Travis 1. FT: 11-18. Fouled out: None. Record: 12-1. East Ridge (26-39 = 65) Galvin 11, Tomes 16, Lammer 2, Hussein 9, Sanneh 3, Tharaldson 6, Jones 2, Thompson 2, Ecker 4, Gunderson 3, Odiri 2, Castaneda 2, Edwards 3. Three-point field goals: Galvin 3, Gunderson 1, Hussein 1, Sanneh 1. FT: 11-13. Fouled out: None. Record: 10-4. GAME SIX Slinger 75, Benilde-St. Margaret's 39 Slinger controlled the game after the first five minutes and was never in danger of dropping the non-conference tilt to the rebuilding Red Knights. [player_tooltip player_id='2351190' first='Jack' last='Kohnen'] was outstanding for Slinger as the 6-foot-6 junior shot, passed and blocked his way to an extremely strong showing. He finished with 22 points, but his shot blocking also stood out for coach Alex Lavine's squad. His younger brother, sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2398448' first='Joey' last='Kohnen'], also had a solid game with 12 points and a couple of dunks when the Owls were pulling away. A running clock was eventually used in the second half as Slinger's lead grew to as many as 40 points. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2853468' first='Noah' last='Pressley'] had a good game off the bench for Slinger with 11 points. STAR OF THE GAME    Jack is 6-foot-6 but he often plays much taller. He is quick off his feet and extremely long so he can block/alter shots and he did just that to a high level against Benilde-St. Margaret's. Kohnen scored 22 points and got to the foul line a bunch of times in the contest, but he also used his height to pass over the defense to open teammates. One of the better prospects in the Midwest in the class of 2027, Kohnen's versatility, basketball IQ and overall skill are attractive to high-level collegiate prospects.    BOXSCORE Benilde-St. Margaret's (16-23 = 39) Nuahn 9, Watts 6, Mohan Kumar 0, Best 5, Kelly-Taylor 4, McLean 2, Pulciano 3, Wilson 2, Bracken 5, Wright 3. Three-point field goals: Nuahn 1, Wright 1, Best 1, Pulciano 1, Bracken 1. FT: 0-0. Fouled out: None. Record: 5-8. Slinger (36-39 = 75) Ja. Kohnen 21, Jo. Kohnen 12, Berger 6, Fogle 9, Palm 9, Pressley 11, Feilbach 7. Three-point field goals: Berger 2, Palm 3, Pressley 2, Ja. Kohnen 1, Jo. Kohnen 1. FT: 22-29. Fouled out: None. Record: 11-3. GAME SEVEN Onalaska 78, Caledonia, MN 54 The Hilltoppers got 20 points from sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2405197' first='Tyler' last='Kowal'] in the first half and cruised to a 43-25 advantage at intermission. The lead grew to as many as 25 points before Caledonia used a 15-5 run to get back into the contest. Still, the Warriors got no closer than 13 points in the second half and fell to 7-6. Onalaska remained undefeated at 9-0 as Kowal finished with 24 points while athletic junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2389934' first='Brendan' last='Chenault'] added 16. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2519158' first='Gabe' last='Whited'] (6-5) finished with 11 for Onalaska, which outscored Caledonia 24-0 from three-point range with Kowal connecting on four early triples. STAR OF THE GAME    [player_tooltip player_id='2405197' first='Tyler' last='Kowal'] led Onalaska in scoring with 24 points and was impressive with his quickness and aggressiveness, particularly early in the game. But Chenault also turned in a very strong performance for the Hilltoppers. Hampered in the past by injuries, Chenault appears healthy and his bounce, strength and burst are all positives for Onalaska. He had a two-handed throw down in the first half while also making it difficult for Caledonia defenders to stay in front of him due to his quickness and speed. Chenault finished with 16 points on six baskets and 4-of-5 from the foul line.    BOXSCORE Caledonia (25-29 = 54) C. Stemper 2, King 28, Hammell 12, Gengler 2, Hahn 8, Klug 0, Milde 0. Three-point field goals: None. FT: 16-22. Fouled out: None. Record: 7-6. Onalaska (43-35 = 78) McRoberts 5, T. Kowal 28, I. Kowal 7, Chenault 16, Whited 11, McGrath 4, Burch 0, B. Delong 0, Oyen 8. Three-point field goals: T. Kowal 4, Oyen 2, McGrath 1, I. Kowal 1. FT: 11-21. Fouled out: None. Record: 9-0. GAME EIGHT Lomira 65, Ellsworth 62 Ellsworth trailed by 18 points after Lomira went on a 9-0 run to start the second half. The score was 43-25 at that point and it looked like the Lions would end up cruising to another victory under first-year coach Nick Kohler. But slowly but surely, Ellsworth put together some solid basketball. In fact, the Panthers made it all the way back when North Dakota football recruit [player_tooltip player_id='1964464' first='George' last='Rohl'] tapped in a missed shot to tie the score at 58-58 with 2:25 remaining. From that point, Ellsworth missed some open three-point shots and Lomira made some crucial foul shots. [player_tooltip player_id='2381926' first='Keegan' last='Kell'], [player_tooltip player_id='2140902' first='Charlie' last='Cole'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2381930' first='Blake' last='Steger'] made enough foul shots in the closing minutes to help Lomira notch its 12th win in 13 tries. Steger led a balanced attack for Lomira with 16 points with Cole adding 10 and senior [player_tooltip player_id='2386273' first='Hunter' last='Duley'] contributing 11. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1561934' first='Jake' last='Broeske'], a 6-foot-11 post player, finished with 12 points for the Lions. Ellsworth got 14 points [player_tooltip player_id='2440696' first='Gavin' last='Klos'] and 10 from Rohl while falling to 6-4 under coach Derek Staley. STAR OF THE GAME    Duley might not be the biggest scorer in the Lomira lineup, but he's often the most important player on the floor for the Lions. His toughness on both ends of the court is apparent as he doesn't back down from taller players and is the first to hit the floor for a loose ball. Against Ellsworth, Duley finished with 11 points for a balanced team. His toughness and leadership were equally important as his scoring as Lomira lost a big lead but then regrouped over the final two minutes to secure the victory.    BOXSCORE Lomira (34-31 = 65) Cole 10, Kell 5, Steger 16, Duley 11, Broeske 12, King 3, Bodden 0, Schelvan 0, Bloohm 8. Three-point field goals: King 1, Broeske 1. FT: 11-16. Fouled out: None. Record: 12-1. Ellsworth (25-37 = 62) Coulson 7, P. Peterson 6, Klos 14, Rohle 10, Stoltenburg 6, Myers 2, S. Peterson 6, Michels 6, Stahlke 5. Three-point field goals: Klos 2, S. Peterson 2, Michels 2, Coulson 1. FT: 5-7. Fouled out: None. Record: 6-4.

GAME ONE

Holmen 79, Amery 73
Overcoming a 14-point second-half deficit, Holmen used strong play from senior Alex Berget Alex Berget 5'11" | PG Holmen | 2026 State WI and junior Jayden Bartels Jayden Bartels 6'2" | /CG Holmen | 2027 State WI over the final eight minutes of the game to registered the non-league win at the Midwest Players Classic at the La Crosse Center. Berget scored 20 points and had two three-point baskets during the rally while Bartels scored all 16 of his points after intermission. Bartels buried a three-point shot and then followed that up with a conventual three-point play to give Holmen the lead for good. Amery played very well for most of the game, but tired a bit at the end when a deeper Holmen squad went to some full-court pressure defense. Junior Keaton Wollan Keaton Wollan 6'3" | SF/SG Amery | 2027 State WI led Amery in scoring with 29 points, but had just nine after halftime. Holmen's depth was a big factor as the Vikings outscored the Warriors 20-0 in bench points.

STAR OF THE GAME