By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
The Elkhorn Area High School boys basketball team opened 2015 with a non-conference road win against a strong opponent.
The Elks converted their free throws late and beat McFarland 49-46 Jan. 3 at McFarland.
“It was a really nice non-conference win against a good team,” Elks coach Josh Skatrud said.
Skatrud said the Elks (6-3 overall) built a solid lead in the second and third quarters. Elkhorn led McFarland (6-3 overall) 27-21 at halftime.
McFarland rallied and took a one-point lead with less than one minute remaining in regulation.
“Aaron Wales, who was outstanding with 24 points and great defense on their best players, hit a three to give us the lead,” Skatrud said.
Skatrud said Alex Easterday and Joe Konopski each converted free throws down the stretch and helped lead the Elks to their fourth consecutive victory.
Wales’ 24 points led all scorers. Easterday added 11 and Konopski scored four. Chad Herbst led McFarland with 14 points.
“I feel like we are having stretches where we are playing good basketball,” Skatrud said. “I’m especially happy with our effort on the defensive end of the floor. It feels like we are getting better every week.”
The Elks beat non-conference opponent Edgerton 65-57 Dec. 30 at home for their third consecutive victory since losing 59-44 Dec. 12 at Burlington in a Southern Lakes Conference game.
Against Edgerton (3-5) the Elks led 26-22 at halftime and outscored the Crimson Tide 13-10 in the third quarter. The two teams combined for 51 points in the fourth quarter, with the Elks outscoring Edgerton 26-25.
“We got off to a fast start,” Skatrud said. “We played really well defensively. The game got ugly late as the fouls piled up, and both teams shot a ton of free throws in the fourth quarter.”
Elkhorn might have won the game at the foul line. The Elks finished 23 for 33 from the foul line and the Crimson Tide finished 17 for 27.
Wales led all scorers with a game-high 21 points. Cody Johnson and Konopski each scored nine. James Fox led Edgerton with 17.
After losing at Burlington, the Elks started their four-game winning streak Dec. 19 with a 50-49 SLC victory at Union Grove. Elkhorn then defeated Clinton 53-45 Dec. 23 in a non-conference game at Clinton before beating Edgerton and McFarland.
“It’s back to conference play this week,” Skatrud said. “We hope to carry the momentum and pick-up some conference wins.”
The Elks entered Tuesday’s SLC game at home against Waterford with a 1-2 record in the SLC. Waterford (6-3, 2-1 SLC) beat Greenfield 57-45 Jan. 3 in a non-conference contest at home.
Elkhorn plays Jan. 12 in a non-conference game at intra-county rival Whitewater (2-5).
