Game Report: Holy Buckets Tourney standouts

The annual Holy Buckets Tournament began Monday at Lourdes Academy in Oshkosh with a pair of semifinal games pitting foes from the old Fox Valley Christian Conference. In game one, St. Mary Catholic defeated Lourdes Academy 80-56 as 10 different players scored for the Zephyrs, who led 44-27 at intermission and then maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half. In the nightcap, undefeated Roncalli opened a 40-25 halftime lead and then extended the lead to 21 points before St. Mary's Springs mounted a rally that cut the Ledgers' deficit to under 10 points with about five minutes to play. But Roncalli regained its poise and ended up with a 72-58 triumph. Lourdes Academy (4-4) plays St. Mary's Springs (2-5) at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the consolation game before Roncalli (6-0) takes on St. Mary Catholic (6-2) at 6:45 p.m. in the title game. Some standouts from the games played Monday:    A three-year varsity performer known primarily for his quick hands and defense in the past, Fairweather is coming into his own as a scorer for the Zephyrs this season. He poured in 24 points and drilled four three-point shots to help St. Mary Catholic defeat Lourdes Academy. Fairweather competes with good poise and is a more than willing passer. The 6-foot-0 point guard was able to get to the basket on multiple occasions and drew three fouls during the course of the contest. On the season, Fairweather is averaging 13.0 ppg and 3.7 rpg.     A strong all-around athlete who also excels in football and baseball, Trinkner is a skilled combination guard who can slash his away to the basket and finish through contact or knock down shots from the perimeter. Trinkner is solid on the drives to the hoop and is smart enough to find open teammates if the defense collapses around him. He finished with 14 points and two three-point baskets against Lourdes Academy and also went to the foul line several times for the Zephyrs. He is averaging 10.8 ppg for coach Paul Bradshaw's group.     Coming off a 33-point performance in a victory over Valley Christian, Neuens led Lourdes Academy with 22 points in the loss to St. Mary Catholic. His quickness and elusiveness going to the basket was tough to contain for the different defenders who tried Monday evening. Neuens scored 11 field goals on a variety of moves to the basket and short floaters in the lane. On defense, Neuens has the speed and quickness to make things hard for opposing guards on the perimeter. He also is a standout receiver for the strong Lourdes football program.     Gulseth was knocking down three-point shots in the first half to help Roncalli grab a 40-25 lead at intermission. He made four triples in the first 18 minutes and then added another in the second half on the way to scoring a game-best 27 points. Gulseth spots up well along the baseline and has a picture-perfect jump shot. He also plays well off of two feet around the basket. Gulseth also tackled the challenge of guarding the best player from St. Mary's Springs -- guard [player_tooltip player_id='1561911' first='Ben' last='Baker'] -- for much of the game. He is having a very strong season for the state-ranked Jets, leading the team in scoring at 23.5 ppg.     A four-year varsity performer who does a bit of everything on the court for the Jets, Cowley scored 19 points and did much of his damage in the paint by using his superior physical strength and superior jumping ability. Cowley can rip down rebounds, bring the ball down the floor, attack the basket or drive into the lane and find an open shooter on the perimeter. He is strong enough to guard multiple positions while having the ability to score at all three levels on the other end of the court.     In just his second game of the season after missing the first four while recovering from an injury, Frozena helped the Jets get off to a strong start in the win over St. Mary's Springs. He scored nine of his 13 points before intermission as the Jets took a commanding 40-25 lead into intermission. Frozena is a versatile forward who can attack the basket with his size or step away and make mid-range and three-point jump shots. He runs the floor well and can guard in space and in the paint.     One of two returning players with varsity experience for veteran coach Kyle Krueger at St. Mary's Springs, Baker had just five points at halftime as the Ledgers fell behind by 15 points. The sharpshooter came alive in the second half, though, as he buried four threes and scored 17 points to help St. Mary's Springs rally from a 21-point deficit, cutting the margin to under 10 points with five minutes to play. Baker has very good ball handling, shooting and passing skills while also being a very unselfish teammate.     In order for St. Mary's Springs to have success this winter, the Ledgers will need some of the young players on the roster to step up their play and provide scoring support to Baker. Coon did just that against Roncalli as he scored 12 points and hit three shots from outside the three-point arc. Coon, Baker and junior [player_tooltip player_id='3022395' first='Jack' last='Judkins'] finished with double-scoring figures against Roncalli and gave their team a lift with their energy and strong competitiveness throughout the contest.    BOXSCORES Game One St. Mary Catholic (44-36 = 80) Trinkner 14, Beck 6, Uhlenbrauck 11, Fairweather 24, Brenn 8, Heimann 2, Voss 2, Vogel 3, Klinkhammer 4, Vosters 6. Three-point field goals: Fairweather 4, Beck 2, Trinkner 2, Brenn 1, Klinkhammer 1. FT: 9-14. Fouled out: None. Record: 6-2. Lourdes Academy (27-29 = 56) Buttke 12, Kuehn 12, Kapral 0, Neuens 22, Achterberg 7, Mullen 0, Ruark 2, Behnke 0, Ridenour 0, Slusarski 0. Three-point field goals: Buttke 1. FT: 6-12. Fouled out: None. Record: 4-4. Game Two Roncalli (40-30 = 72) Thiele 3, Cliff 6, Kilbride 6, Frozena 13, Jergenson 0, Gulseth 27, Cowley 19. Three-point field goals: Gulseth 5, Kilbride 2, Cowley 1, Frozena 1, Thiele 1. FT: 2-4. Fouled out: None. Record: 6-0. St. Mary's Springs (25-33 = 58) Kutz 4, Judkins 9, Baker 22, Jahn 4, Babler 5, Steffes 0, Rodriguez 0, Coon 12, Mueller 2, Stephany 0. Three-point field goals: Baker 4, Coon 3, Judkins 1, Babler 1. FT: 6-12. Fouled out: None. Record: 2-5.

The annual Holy Buckets Tournament began Monday at Lourdes Academy in Oshkosh with a pair of semifinal games pitting foes from the old Fox Valley Christian Conference.

In game one, St. Mary Catholic defeated Lourdes Academy 80-56 as 10 different players scored for the Zephyrs, who led 44-27 at intermission and then maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half.

In the nightcap, undefeated Roncalli opened a 40-25 halftime lead and then extended the lead to 21 points before St. Mary's Springs mounted a rally that cut the Ledgers' deficit to under 10 points with about five minutes to play. But Roncalli regained its poise and ended up with a 72-58 triumph.

Lourdes Academy (4-4) plays St. Mary's Springs (2-5) at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the consolation game before Roncalli (6-0) takes on St. Mary Catholic (6-2) at 6:45 p.m. in the title game.

Some standouts from the games played Monday: