Wrestlers compete in Mid-States Tournament
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
Several times in its return to the Rock Valley Conference schedule Tuesday night, the Big Foot boys basketball team appeared to be in good position for a hard-fought win at Clinton.
Unfortunately for the Chiefs, that chance never quite materialized in the end.
Big Foot had a seven-point lead with three minutes left, but the Cougars closed out the game on a 10-2 run, including a basket off an inbounds play with just three seconds left in a 63-61 victory.
The loss dropped the Chiefs to 3-8 overall and 2-3 in the RVC heading into a home game Friday night against Parkview.
Big Foot had one last-ditch effort at the win, but an off-balance, half-court 3-pointer was off the mark as the final buzzer sounded.
“I think our guys are improving, and our team is improving,” Big Foot coach Mike Dowden said. “We are not where we need to be yet, but we are pointed in the right direction.
“I have been pleased with our energy and effort on a nightly basis, and now we need to take the next step to winning. … As a unit, we are here to win, and we aren’t going to be happy without (doing that).”
Big Foot, which trailed 39-38 at halftime, was led by Beau Cary’s 27 points, followed by Logan Eischeid with 16 and Jackson Enz with 10.
Cary, who had 18 of his points in the first half, also made four 3-pointers despite being slowed by an ankle injury, Dowden said.
“Beau continues to play well on a nightly basis,” he said. “He struggled over break, as his ankle seemed to be bothering him quite a bit more, but I believe he continues to do good things as his ankle continues to be healthier.”
Enz had all 10 of his points in the first half – and adding another scorer to the mix with Cary and Eischeid could be a key down the road, Dowden said.
“We seem to get scoring from Beau and Logan on a nightly basis, and we continue to look for that third guy,” Dowden said. “Jackson has filled that role nicely, and I think we, as a team continue to understand how to get players in the right spots for them to make shots.
“As we keep growing with our roles, I expect to continue to see good things out of these guys.”
Prior to the Clinton contest, the Chiefs closed out the two-day Lake Mills Tournament with an 83-53 loss Dec. 29 to Lake Mills.
Eischeid led the way with 11 points and four rebounds, followed by Enz with eight and Thallin Baker with seven. Nelson Tovar chipped in with six points, six rebounds, three steals and three assists.
Wrestlers compete
The Big Foot-Williams Bay wrestling squad spent part of its holiday break at the annual Mid-States Tournament at UW-Whitewater Dec. 28 and 29.
Travis Berryman (120) led the Chiefs with a 3-3 overall record. Berryman won his first two matches, but dropped the next three before he closed the event with an 11-4 win over Delavan-Darien’s Miguel San-son.
Titus Frederick (138), Christian Flores (145), Ethan Roland (170), Malachi Frederick (182) and Nick Freymiller (285) each were 0-2.
Repeated attempts to reach Big Foot coach Doug Stetzer so far this season for more information and comments have been unsuccessful.
