Boys get overtime win against Elkhorn, one-point victory over Wilmot
By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
The Lake Geneva Badger boys basketball team moved into first place in the Southern Lakes Conference with wins over Elkhorn and Wilmot last week.
Badger (8-3, 6-1 SLC) needed overtime to take down the Elks on the road 79-77 on Jan. 19. The game was even the whole way with the score tied at 21 after one quarter and Badger up 41-39 at the half. Badger led 58-55 heading into the fourth quarter.
Elkhorn went ahead in the fourth quarter, and it took some last-second heroics and a little bit of luck for the Badgers to send the game into overtime. With 7.6 seconds left, Badger trailed 71-69 and tried to inbound the ball to Jake Berhorst. Elkhorn had that play covered, but Bryant Sontag got open.
Sontag drove down the court and penetrated the lane but lost his balance and heaved up a desperation shot with time running down that missed everything. Austin Jackson managed to get the rebound but missed his putback attempt. As he fell to the ground he was able to swat the ball toward the basket and it went in as time expired. A few Elkhorn players who had come onto the court from the bench to celebrate a victory were quickly disappointed.
The overtime period was just as tight as the regular session had been. With Badger down again 77-76, Berhorst dribbled near the three-point line, took a step in toward the basket forcing his defender to take a step back also, and then he stepped back and nailed a three-pointer with four seconds left. Elkhorn missed a last-second three-pointer, and the Badgers escaped with a win.
Berhorst, Sontag and Lincoln Wieseman had 16 points apiece to led the Badgers. Joe Freeman gave the Badgers a fourth double-digit scorer adding 12. Cody Johnson led Elkhorn (8-6, 2-5) with 21 points. Joe Konopski added 20 and Alex Easterday had 12.
The Badgers won an equally exciting road game against Wilmot 72-71 on Jan. 23. This win almost slipped away in the fourth quarter. Badger trailed 21-19 at the end of one but outscored the Panthers 21-14 in the second quarter to lead 40-35 at the half. Badger led 59-47 at the end of three, but Wilmot charged back to tie the game.
Badger led 68-65 with 3 1/2 minutes to play. Wilmot’s Latrell Glass made one of two free throws to cut the lead to two. Badger’s Austin Jackson was fouled rebounding the miss and made both of his free throws. Joe Freeman later made one of two free throws to put Badger up 71-66.
Wilmot’s Bobby Brenner hit a three-pointer to cut the lead back down to two with 1:48 left. Brenner then knocked the ball loose from Wieseman as he tried to bring it up court and then scored on a break-away layup to tie the game.
Wilmot later had an opportunity to take the lead, but Glass turned it over. Freeman came up with the ball and Badger played for the last shot. As time wound down, Wieseman drove the lane but lost the ball. Jackson immediately intercepted a Wilmot pass and passed to Freeman who was fouled with .8 seconds left on the clock. Freeman made one of two free throws and Brenner missed a desperation shot at the buzzer from just under half court to end the game.
Berhorst led the Badgers with 25. Wieseman had 12, Chase Kruger added 11 and Sontag had 10. Brenner led Wilmot (8-4, 4-2) with 27. Brennan Frisby added 16.
Badger lost a non-conference match-up with eighth-ranked Kenosha Indian Trail (12-1) 80-70 in overtime at home Saturday.
Indian Trial led 17-14 after one quarter and 32-23 at the half. Badger battled back in the third quarter and took the lead early in the fourth. Badger extended the lead to as many as 10 at 64-54 with 3:45 to play.
Wieseman missed the front end of a one-and-one and Indian Trail hit a three-pointer to begin a 12-2 run to end the quarter. Andre Brown made two free throws to make it 64-59. After an offensive foul on Wieseman and a turnover on each team, Brown hit two more free throws to cut the lead to three with just over a minute to play.
Wieseman answered with two free throws, but Brown made another basket to make it 66-63. Wieseman was called for another offensive foul trying to bring the ball up against Indian Trail’s press. Brown then made a three-pointer from the top of the key that rattled around before finally falling through and tying the score at 66.
Both teams had opportunities to win in regulation. Freeman missed the front end of a bonus and Berhorst missed a contested layup. Indian Trail lost a chance to score on a turnover by Perion Little and Brown missed a contested three-pointer at the buzzer.
Overtime was all Indian Trail as the Badgers were outscored 14-4.
Brown led all scorers with 38 points. Little added 17. Berhorst led Badger with 24 and Wieseman had 23.
Badger played at Westosha Central Tuesday night and hosts Delavan-Darien on Friday night.
