Athens falls to Auburndale squad
Ford erupts for 36 points and 22 boards in defeat
By Casey Krautkramer
The Auburndale boys basketball team had no answer in trying to contain Athens senior center Cameron Ford, who exploded for 36 points and 22 rebounds during Thursday’s game.
The only problem was Ford’s supporting cast didn’t play well, because he was the one Athens player who achieved double-digit points in a 73-64 home loss to Auburndale. It turns out Auburndale head coach Chad Weinfurter’s game plan was to stop sophomore guard Cooper Diedrich, who is Athens’ second-leading scorer this season. Diedrich only scored eight points.
“We knew Cameron Ford would get his points but I thought we did a good job defensively on all the other Athens players, including Cooper Diedrich who I believe was averaging 16 or 17 points per game and he didn’t score close to that amount against us,” Chad Weinfurter said.
Athens senior guard Javon Penney, who also scored eight points in the team’s defeat to Auburndale, remained positive after the game.
“Our season is going good; I think we have a good shot to go to state this year, because we have a better team than we did last year,” Penney said.
Last season, Athens beat Rib Lake to win its first regional championship in school history. The Bluejays won’t be able to end their long drought of winning a conference championship this season, however, because the Redmen are going to win the title. The Athens boys basketball team hasn’t won a conference title since 1950. Penney and his Athens teammates are hoping to avenge a loss to Rib Lake earlier this season, when the Bluejays face the Redmen this Friday, Feb. 21, in Rib Lake.
Athens rebounded to defeat Tomahawk, 71-62, on Tuesday at home. Diedrich scored a game-high 30 points.
The Athens girls basketball team also fell to Auburndale, 45-37, on Friday at home. Junior Crystal Dearth led the Bluejays with 13 points and senior Paula Lira added 10. Senior Allison Wolf paced Athens with 11 rebounds. Senior Abby Van Rixel paced the team with four blocks and three steals.
Athens plays a WIAA Division 5 regional quarterfinal game this Tuesday, Feb. 25, against Assumption in Wisconsin Rapids.
Wildcat boys, girls both win
The Edgar boys basketball team improves its overall record to 15-3 overall this season following a pair of recent road wins.
Edgar downed Chequamegon, 80-49, on Thursday when the Wildcats converted 16 Screaming Eagles’ turnovers into 21 points. Juniors Drew Guden and Kyle Brewster led Edgar with 20 points apiece. Guden led the team with six assists and Brewster had three steals. Junior Brayden Baumgartner added 13 points and senior Caden Higgins 11.
The Edgar Wildcats also beat Chetek-Weyerhaeuser, 66-46, on Monday. Edgar dominated in scoring 46 points in the paint compared to only 12 for Chetek-Weyerhaeuser. Drew Guden led the Wildcats with 25 points, while junior Konnor Wolf had 12 and Brewster 11.
Edgar’s girls basketball team defeated Chequamegon, 64-22, on the road Thursday. Junior Makenna Guden led Edgar with 20 points and junior Gabriella Keim added 16.
The Wildcats defeated Northland Lutheran, 66-25, on Tuesday at home. Marissa Ellenbecker led Edgar with 15 points, Keim 13, Makenna Guden 12 and Teresa Hackel 11. Makenna Guden needs only 14 more points to reach the 1,000-career points milestone.
Edgar will host a WIAA Division 5 regional quarterfinal game this Tuesday, Feb. 25, against Plainfield Tri-County.
Red Raiders battle tested
Senior Clarke Mouw poured in a game-high 30 points to help the Marathon boys edge Phillips, 69-66, on the road Friday. Junior Mike Hahn added 14 points, and senior Kole Kaldunski led the team with six assists against the Loggers.
Marathon then lost to Pulaski, 54-48, in another road game the very next day on Saturday. Mouw paced the Red Raiders with 14 points and sophomore Jaden Koeller added 12. The Red Raiders are now 8-10 overall this season.
Five Marathon girls basketball players scored in double figures in a 78-59 road win against Phillips on Friday. Sophomore Allison Wokatsch led the Red Raiders with 21 points. Seniors Elizabeth Boehm contributed 16 points, Kyli Blume 14 and Bradyn Free 13. Junior Anna Cleven also scored 13 points.
Marathon trimmed Colby, 77-76, on Tuesday at home. Blume led five Red Raiders in double-digit scoring with 26 points.
The Red Raiders received a bye in the first round of the WIAA Division 4 regional playoffs. Marathon will play a home playoff game on Friday, Feb. 28.
