Game Report: Palmyra-Eagle 58, St. Ambrose 57

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>KEYS TO THE GAME</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Palmyra-Eagle was running its offense with precision. The Panthers were making plenty of shots. And coach Brandon Wilde's squad was guarding at a high level. That all led to a 19-point lead with just under 12 minutes left of Tuesday's non-conference boys' basketball game at St. Maria Goretti Grade School in Madison. Visiting Palmyra-Eagle exerted its will on St. Ambrose Academy's stunned Guardians through the first 26 minutes of the contest. But things changed dramatically in the final 12 minutes. St. Ambrose started making some shots, senior [player_tooltip player_id='2957672' first='Nathan' last='Pietrzykowski'] was scoring at the rim and the Guardians' pressure defense forced several turnovers. The gym became extremely loud and St. Ambrose capitalized on its momentum by taking a 57-56 lead on a driving layup by Pietrzykowski with seven seconds left. Palmyra-Eagle quickly inbounded the ball and raced down court. But the Guardians' defense was up to the challenge and forced an off balance three that was not close as the game ended. However, Wilde had called a timeout with one second left and, after the timeout, the Panthers had one last chance. Inbounding the ball in front of its own bench on the side of the court, Palmyra-Eagle executed a lob pass to [player_tooltip player_id='3021665' first='JJ' last='Thomas'], who caught the ball under the hoop and then calmly put the ball off the glass and through the hoop to end a memorable game with the visitors enjoying a fun bus ride home to Palmyra.<br><br><strong>GAME MVP</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3021665"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69954ae87d60f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Thomas hit some threes early in the game, but his presence on the court had every person in the gym buzzing when he grabbed a lob pass and put in a short bank shot as the game ended to give Palmyra-Eagle a 58-57 win over St. Ambrose Academy. Thomas' two triples helped the Panthers take a 30-17 lead at intermission, and he had another basket prior to his game-winning heroics. Thomas' versatility on the court in being able to bang under the basket or step outside to handle the ball and make perimeter shots is a big plus for a team looking to continue its improvement into the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>EMERGING PLAYERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3021666"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69954ae87d6b7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Brodzik's energy from opening tip until the last second ticked off the clock was evident and it most definitely helped spark Palmyra-Eagle to its non-league triumph. Brodzik handled the ball well, moved the ball well and scored well, netting a team-best 14 points in a game where points were hard to come by. Moreover, Brodzik played strong perimeter defense for the Panthers by staying in front of his opponent with his impressive quickness. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2628169"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69954ae87d72b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Schmiesing continues to make progress as a player just as he also has grown into his body to become a demon the floor. Schmiesing's size, length and feel for the game are all assets for coach Chris Zwettler's club. He's able to get to the basket off the bounce and score off the backboard as he did to the tune of scoring 12 points against Palmyra-Eagle. And on defense, he possesses a great wingspan to make it tough on opponents. Schmiesing has some areas to improve -- perimeter shooting and foul shooting, come to mind -- but his development as a player the past few seasons has been outstanding.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2957672"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69954ae87d799"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">With Pietrzykowski sitting on the bench for much of the first half with foul issues, St. Ambrose struggled and found itself in a 30-17 hole at intermission. That deficit grew to as many as 19 points in the second half before Pietrzykowski and Co. began to click. At 6-foot-3 and with good physical strength and a solid feel for the game, Pietrzykowski got the ball to the Guardians' shooters and got to the basket himself to fuel a remarkable comeback that he capped with a layup with seven seconds left that gave his team a 57-56 lead. Although Palmyra-Eagle scored at the buzzer to win the game, Pietrzykowski left his mark, scoring all 10 of his points after halftime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>THE BIG PICTURE</strong><br><br>Palmyra-Eagle moved its season mark to 9-11 with the heart-stopping win over St. Ambrose. The Panthers still have four regular-season games left before entering the WIAA playoffs. That stretch begins Friday with a Trailways South Conference outing against Williams Bay. <br><br>St. Ambrose slipped to 16-6 in its third season as a stand-alone program. Prior to that time, the Guardians and Madison Abundant Life Christian had a coop program. Coach Chris Zwettler has orchestrated a dramatic improvement from the past two seasons, and the Guardians look to get back on the winning side of things next Monday when St. Ambrose hosts St. Lawrence Seminary. <strong><br><br>BOXSCORE<br>Palmyra-Eagle (30-28 = 58)</strong><br>Harbison 7, R. Brodzik 14, N. Brodzik 3, Herriges 7, J. Thomas 10, Ja. Thomas 5, Patrick 12. Three-point field goals: J. Thomas 2, Patrick 2, R. Brodzik 2, Thomas 1, Herriges 1. FT: 12-19. Fouled out: None. Record: 9-11.<br><strong>St. Ambrose Academy (17-40 = 57)</strong><br>Schmiesing 12, Sturm 3, N. Pietrzykowski 10, Hebert 9, Moreland 11, A. Pietrzykowski 3, Matenaer 0, Schumacher 3, Sabbarese 6. Three-point field goals: Moreland 3, Sabbarese 2, Sturm 1, A. Pietrzykowski 1, Schumacher 1. FT: 3-10. Fouled out: Sturm. Record: 16-6.<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->