Blazer seventh grade ends season
Only a last-game loss to Mount Vernon could mar a perfect season for the Beckman seventh-grade girls basketball A team, as the Blazers finished 10-1 after losing on Dec. 15, 28-26. The B team got a measure of revenge, winning 10-2.
The winning margin came in the first half, where the Mustangs built a 10-8 lead. Leading scores for the Blazers were Haley LeGrand and Olivia Pirc with seven, Paige McDermott six, Ashley Engelken and Kristi Bries two.
Other stats include: rebounds — LeGrand nine, McDermott six, Pirc five, Cambrie Willenbring two, and both Engelken and Bries one; steals — McDermott four, Engelken and Pirc two, LeGrand one; blocks — LeGrand two.
In the B game, the Blazers built an 8-2 first half lead and coasted to the win behind six points from Emily Wulfekuhle, and two each from Bries and Willenbring. Other stats include: rebounds — Bries two, Pirc, Willenbring, Wulfekuhle and Chloe Ungs one.
Blazer frosh keep on winning
Beckman’s freshmen boys basketball team keeps on putting W’s in their book, this week taking care of West Delaware, 52-35, and Maquoketa, 66-55, putting the Blazers at 6-0 for the year.
The Blazers actually had to put the game into second gear with the Hawks at home, Dec. 16. They trailed by a point at halftime, 23-22, but out-scored the Hawks, 17-8, in the third quarter to re-gain control.
John Gulick hit 14 points to lead totals. Connor McDermott added 10, Mitchell Gehling nine, Scott Olberding and Ryan Bildstein six, Mitchell Burlage five, Austin Hermsen two. Other stats include: rebounds — Gehling six, Gulick four, Burlage, Hermsen, Bildstein and Connor Krantz two, Olberding one; assists — Krantz four, McDermott and Gehling two, Krantz and Bildstein one; steals — Krantz four, Gulick two, Olberding and Bildstein one.
In the Maquoketa game, the Blazers built a 42-18 halftime lead and coasted to the end. “This was a nice win before Christmas,” said coach Ryan Meissner. “It allowed us to play everyone and get a lot of experience. It also showed us what we need to work on. Good team win.”
Gehling led totals with 13; Gulick hit 12, Olberding and McDermott nine, Bildstein eight, Burlage six, Krantz five, Hermsen three. Other stats were: rebounds — Gehling 10, McDermott five, Gulick four, Bildstein and Burlage three, Hermsen two, Krantz and Camden Leonard one; steals — Gulick three, Hermsen two, Olberding, McDermott and Gehling one; assists — Bildstein three, Hermsen two, Justin Wessel and Gehling one.
Bobcats excel at freshmen tourney
Eight Bobcats placed in the West Delaware Freshmen Tournament on Dec. 15.
J.D. Kluesner, Caden Burke and Christopher Rilling all placed first. Roy Shirkey was second; Freddie Hosch and Nathan Simon third; Dylan Nemmers and Marcus Cano was fourth.
Beckman frosh lose two
Getting doubled in two games spelled defeat for the Beckman freshmen girls basketball team last week. The Blazers fell to West Delaware there on Dec. 16, 43-20, and to Maquoketa at home Dec. 19, 40-18.
In the West Delaware game, the score was only 5-1 midway through the first quarter, but it was 14-6 at the start of the second, and 21-11 at halftime.
Leading the Blazer scoring were four players with four points: Brooke Lucas, Jackie Olberding, McKenzie Arens and Hannah Lueck. Alissa Elgin and Anika Brehm each added a basket.
Other stats include: rebounds — Arens six, Olberding four, Lucas and Claire Grebner one; steals — Arens two, Olberding, Lucas and Lueck one; assists — Lucas one.
Coach Michael Wade added, “We played a physical older team tonight. We had good looks offensively, but couldn’t finish. On top of that we shot poorly from the free throw line. It was also a poor defensive effort.”
Against the Cardinals on Dec. 19, the girls didn’t dent the twine until midway through the second quarter and trailed 13-2 then. It was 24-7 at half.
Two players hit eight points: Lucas and Arens, while Maddison Welling added two. Other stats include: rebounds — Brehm five, Lueck and Grebner four, Elgin three, Welling and Arens two, Lucas and Olberding one; steals — Arens three, Lucas two, Natasha Otto, Olberding and Grebner one.
Wade added, “We did have a good fourth quarter, but we are still struggling offensively. We need to find a way to work as a unit.”
Frosh/soph Blazers add two wins
With wins over West Delaware and Maquoketa, the Beckman freshmen/ sophomore boys basketball team moved to 6-1 on the season.
The Blazers stopped West Delaware at home Dec. 16, 48-34, after building a 25-19 halftime advantage. Three players hit double figures: Jackson Bennett with 12 (one trey), Riley LeGrand with 11 (three) and Sam Stelken with 10. Sam Oberbroeckling added five, John Gulick four, Noah Smith and Brady Arens two and Mitchell Gehling one.
Other stats include: rebounds — Stelken seven, Bennett, Gehling, Arens and Oberbroeckling three, LeGrand two and Colin Koelker one; assists — LeGrand five, Arens and Bennett two, Oberbroeckling one.
On Dec. 19, the Blazers knocked off Maquoketa there, 49-29. Bennett led totals with 14 points and both Oberbroeckling (two) and Stelken hit 10. Arens added eight, LeGrand a trey, Sabers and Gehling two. Other stats include: rebounds — Bennett five, Oberbroeckling and Stelken four, LeGrand three, Arens two, Gulick and Gehling one; assists — Oberbroeckling, Stelken and Arens one.
“With a strong finish (three wins straight) to close out our pre-Christmas season, there is not much else you could ask from this group of frosh/soph Blazers,” added coach Michael Molony. “The attitude and desire this group has shown to advance their basketball capabilities physically and mentally has been outstanding. Each and every player on this team this season has had ups and downs but has never backed down from a challenge.”
The Western Dubuque loss came on Dec. 9 there, and the stats from that game are as follows: points — Stelken 23 (one), Oberbroeckling 20 (two), Bennett 11 (one), LeGrand 10 (two), Arens five, Gulick two; rebounds — Bennett six, Oberbroeckling and Arens five, Stelken four, LeGrand, Gulick and Connor McDermott two, assists — LeGrand seven, Bennett two, Stelken, Sabers, Koelker and Oberbroeckling one.
WD JV wins at North Linn
Western Dubuque’s “Next Men In” won the North Linn Invitational on Dec. 20 and led all teams with 21 pins.
Six Bobcats earned championship titles — Nathan Betts, Dylan Vierkant, Cody McDermott, Cory Wernimont, Thomas McAndrew and Matt Schemmel. Five Bobcats earned runner-up finishes — Collin Schirmer, J.D. Kluesner, Evan Ellis, Zach Funke and Freddie Hosch. Caden Burke placed third. Dylan Nemmers and Nathan Simon were fourth.
JV Blazers drop two games
Scoring a total of 28 points last week, the Beckman JV girls struggled in games with West Delaware and Maquoketa, losing, 27-11, at West Delaware on Dec. 16 and 34-17 to the Cardinals at home Dec. 19.
In the West Delaware loss, it was 17-5 at halftime. The leading scorer was Shalyn Wessels with four points. Isabel Brehm hit three, Kelli Engelken two and both Olivia Schlarmann and Elise Westhoff one.
Other stats include: rebounds — Schlarmann seven, Veronica Kelly and Abby Palmer three, Brehm two, Westhoff, Holly Trenkamp, Engelken, Amber Boeckenstedt and Shannon Hoffman one; steals — Brehm and Engelken two, Kelly one.
Coach Jill Knipper said, “The intensity and willingness to play was not with us tonight as a team. We played a good fourth quarter, but we need to learn that the three quarters before that matter just as much.”
A game with the Cardinals of Maquoketa at home ended the same way, when the visiting team reeled off nine straight points in the first quarter to change a 4-2 lead into a 14-4 bulge. They grew that to 18-4 with the first baskets of the second quarter and led 21-11 at the break.
Boeckenstedt hit four, Brehm three and five players added a basket: Engelken, Hoffman, Trenkamp, Palmer and Schlarmann. Other stats include: Wessels, Westhoff and Trenkamp four, Hoffman two, Schlarmann and Boeckenstedt one; steals — Brehm four, Boeckenstedt three, Engelken two, Westhoff and Trenkamp one; assists — Boeckenstedt two, Brehm one.
