Game Report: Bonduel vs. Amherst

<p>I was able to make the short drive up to Amherst to watch some CWC- East Conference basketball on Thursday night. Bonduel came into last night's contest with no losses in conference, and an 18-3 overall record. Amherst entering this matchup was 12-10 overall and 5-7 in conference. Let's break down this central Wisconsin small town basketball game and highlight the players that made a difference for both teams. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Overview</h2>   <p>Bonduel fell to eventual champion Aquinas last year in division four in the 2024-2025 season. Bonduel did lose some key players to graduation, but once again looked very solid in Thursday night's game. Bonduel relied on strong post play and consistent outside shooting to take a ten point lead into the intermission in Amherst, by a score of 41-31. Amherst punched back and got the lead down to five, but this was as close as the Falcons would get on the scoreboard the rest of the night. The Bears utilized a 3-2 zone and hot shooting to pull away and earn a 74-65 victory to improve to 19-3 and 13-0 in conference play. Amherst fell to 12-11 overall and 5-8 in the CWC-East standings. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Thursday's Standouts</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Moesch was torching the nets in Amherst on Thursday night. The junior 6-foot-2 prospect utilized his quick and high release shot to drain five three point baskets against the Falcons. Carter was able to hunt his shot off screens, kick outs, and relocation to score an efficient 23 points to lead Bonduel. Moesch is averaging 11.2ppg, 4.4 rpg, and 3.4apg while shooting a blistering 40% from 3 on the year. He was impressive cleaning up on the glass, defending with intensity, and icing out the game from the free throw line. Carter went six for six from the charity stripe to put the game out of reach, coming up clutch for the Bears. Moesch is physically strong and skilled, and is one of the many scoring options for Bonduel.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">It is hard to miss Westrich if you are in the same building with him. The frontcourt senior is one of the strongest players you will see in any division across the state of Wisconsin. Ryan is headed to Western Michigan for football next year, and if you have seen him play on the basketball court, you would understand why. Westrich was absolutely dominant on the glass and around the hoop finishing for the Bears. Westrich finished with an unofficial double double and poured in 20 points from the paint. Westrich is physically strong, but also has great hands and is skilled with his footwork on post touches and off the bounce. Ryan draws a ton of attention from opponents with double teams in nearly every game. He displayed his ability to pass out of these doubles as he connected with Moesch and Wesenberg for open threes several times on Thursday. If Westrich can continue his inside dominance, Bonduel can beat anyone in March.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Wesenberg flashed his collegiate potential on Thursday night scoring at all three levels. The 6-foot-4 junior wing prospect is smooth as they come when he catches. Quinn is able to get downhill with his quickness and athleticism finishing around and over defenders. It is apparent that Wesenberg spends a ton of time in the gym working on his footwork as he displayed his ability to utilize up and unders, spin moves , and two foot finishes on Thursday. In addition to Wesenberg's ability to slash to the basket, he has deep range from behind the arc. Quinn hit two threes well beyond NBA range and shoots it with confidence. Wesenberg leads the Bears in scoring at 19.3ppg and should be a player to watch this club season when he hits the circuit with the [program_tooltip program_id='2512324' first='Wisconsin' last='Legends'] this spring and summer.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">McCormick was very impressive for the Falcons on Thursday night. Taylan is exceptional at getting downhill in the half court using his quickness and tight handle. McCormick gets a lot of opportunities to get downhill on zipper actions, isolation, and ball screens within the flow of their offense, and he takes advantage of these opportunities. McCormick has an old school footwork package when he picks up his dribble. If you get a chance to see Taylan play, you will see him utilize pivots and up and unders to score effectively at the rim. Taylan off the bounce has advanced footwork as well. McCormick used a side step dribble more than a few times, to drill step back threes and long mid-range shots showcasing his versatility offensively. He led Amherst in scoring with 23 points and will be a solid piece for Head Coach Jarrett Davidson the rest of the year, and going into the 26-27 season. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Perkins was a scoring microwave for Amherst in the second half in the CWC-East conference showdown. Sully had 16 of his 18 total points after the intermission buzzer. He came out ready to score, going on a 5-0 run to cut the Bonduel lead to five early in the second half. Perkins was able to showcase his scoring versatility hitting three threes, converting two points at the line, and scoring at the rim in the half court. Perkins competes with grit and energy on the other side of the ball and was really fun to watch compete in Thursday night's game. Perkins averages 12.8ppg, 5.1rpg, and an outstanding 46% from 3. If Perkins can get in his groove again with Amherst's other guards, they could give a #1 or #2 seed a battle in the playoffs. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Takeaways</h2>   <p>For Bonduel, getting as many wins before Sunday's electronic seed reveal is critical. The Bears are in a loaded Division 4 2B sectional that features undefeated Kewaunee, Saint Mary Catholic, Iola- Scandanvia, and Algoma. Bonduel was a two seed in the midseason report released by the WIAA, and should be placed there on Sunday as they have beaten Iola twice and Saint Mary Catholic head to head. Stranger things have happened with seeding, but regardless of what happens Sunday, the Bears are an excellent team. All five starters for the Bears are physically developed, athletic, and gel together on the floor to score efficiently. Wesenberg and Westrich lead the scoring attack for Head Coach Duke Copp, but you cannot count out the contributions of sharpshooting [player_tooltip player_id='2386363' first='Carter' last='Moesch'] and the toughness and senior leadership of [player_tooltip player_id='3004386' first='Griffin' last='Uelmen']. Bonduel has a serious chance to advance to the sectional semifinal if they can avenge their 77-81 loss against Kewaunee from earlier this season.</p>   <p>Amherst competes in Division three and they go out west to compete against teams that may not be familiar with them. The Falcons were projected as a 7 seed in the WIAA midseason reports an should be right around that earning an opening night Tuesday home playoff game. Amherst is a bit undersized, but they make up for it with shooting, toughness, and quickness. I was impressed by the trio of [player_tooltip player_id='3018849' first='Colton' last='Vander Laan'], Perkins, and McMormick on Thursday night. Amherst has other underclassmen that can make an impact still this season. Amherst runs a lot of zipper, ball screen/replace, and other sets that utilize modern spacing. Do not be surprised if Amherst gives Mosinee or Stanley-Boyd a great battle in the first week of the playoff regionals.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Box Score</h2>   <p><strong>Bonduel 74: </strong>Wesenberg 18, Westrich 20, Hartlaben 4, Uelmen 4, Zernicke 5, Moesch 23 </p>   <p><strong>Amherst 65: </strong>Vaquera 3, Vander Laan 15, Perkins 18, Haas 2, Glodowski 4, McMormick 23</p>

I was able to make the short drive up to Amherst to watch some CWC- East Conference basketball on Thursday night. Bonduel came into last night's contest with no losses in conference, and an 18-3 overall record. Amherst entering this matchup was 12-10 overall and 5-7 in conference. Let's break down this central Wisconsin small town basketball game and highlight the players that made a difference for both teams.