Blazers win five more games
Three games against Anamosa and two against Maquoketa gave the Beckman seventh-grade basketball teams a 5-0 total for last week.
In the Anamosa games on Jan. 17, the Blazers won, 49-10 (A game), 27-11 (B) and 36-0 (C).
They began the A game with a 16-2 rout in the first quarter and led 31-7 by halftime. Sean Kluesner paced scoring with 12, followed by Michael Keegan eight, Tom Jaeger, Jack Westhoff and Luke Goedken six, Will Brehm four, Bennett English three, Isaac Schlarmann and Josh Engler two. Other stats leaders include: rebounds — Kluesner seven, Westhoff four; steals — Jaeger three, Kluesner two.
In the B game, it was 23-2 at halftime behind leading scoring Victor Meyer with eighth, Isaac Schlarmann seven, Josh Engler and Jacob Schlarmann four, Adam Wessels and Willem Valant two. Other stat leaders include: rebounds — Valant four, Evan Schlarmann three; steals — Jacob Sadler two.
The game three shutout saw Valant score 14, Brehm and Evan Schlarmann eight, and Luke Olberding, Isaac Schlarmann, Meyer and Sadler two. Other leaders include: rebounds — Wessels and Sadler three; steals — Isaac Schlarmann four, Meyer three.
On Jan. 22, the Blazers hosted Maquoketa and won 39-21 (A) and 30-15 (B). In the first game, they built a 10-2 first quarter lead and were up 21-10 at half. Jaeger led totals with 14, followed by Kluesner nine, Goedken six and Keegan five. Other stat leaders include: rebounds — Jaeger four, Brehm three; steals — Goedken and Keegan three.
In the second game, it was 7-6 Blazers after the first quarter and only 12-13 at half. They got a little room in the third, 20-15, and added 10 more in the fourth while holding the Cardinals scoreless. Isaac Schlarmann paced the team with seven, including 3-of-4 at the line. Olberding, Engler, Sadler and Evan Schlarmann all got four, Valant three, Wessels and Brehm two. Rebound leaders were Engler and Sadler with four and three. Meyer and Isaac Schlarmann led steals with two each.
Vikings split week
Edgewood-Colesburg’s seventh-grade boys basketball team earned a 21-17 win over North Fayette Valley on Jan. 20 at Elgin.
The Vikings’ leaders were: scoring — Spencer Staner 10, Max Bahls four, Riley Ashline three, Jackson Landt two, Brayden Stannard and David Horstman one; rebounds — Landt nine, Bahls eight and Horstman seven; steals — Horstman three and Stannard two; blocks — Staner three and Horstman two; assists — Staner four.
On Jan. 22, Ed-Co hosted MV and suffered a 29-20 loss.
Ed-Co’s leaders were: scoring — Staner nine, Landt six, Horstman three and Stannard two; rebounds — Landt 14, Bahls nine, Horstman six and Staner four; steals — Bahls and Landt three and Ashline two; blocks — Staner two; assists — Stannard and Landt one.
Ed-Co falls to NFV
The Edgewood-Colesburg eighth-grade basketball team fell to North Fayette Valley in both the A game, 36-33, and the B game, 48-6.
Leading Ed-Co in the A game were: scoring — Ethan Streicher 16, Preston Rochford 13 and Tony Wright four; rebounds — Streicher six, Dayne Bergan five and Rochford four; steals — Rochford three and Streicher two; assists — Rochford three.
Ed-Co’s leaders in the B game were: scoring — Ryan Martin four and Cody Fry two; rebounds — Quinton Knipper five, Zach Knipper, Fry and Andrew Hoeger-Pint two; steals — Brett Pergande one; assists — Quinton Knipper and Zach Knipper one.
The Vikings earned a 49-33 victory over Maquoketa Valley on Jan. 22 at home.
Ed-Co’s leaders were: scoring — Rochford 17, Streicher 14, Bergan and Wright eight and Fry two; rebounds — Rochford eight, Streicher five, Wright three, Heims and Fry two; steals — Rochford four; blocks — Rochford and Wright one; assists — Streicher and Rochford two.
Eighth grade Blazers drop two to DeWitt
Beckman’s eighth-grade boys basketball team fell twice to Central DeWitt last week, 41-34, in the A game and 24-22 in the B game.
In the A game Seamus O’Connor led scoring with 16 points, just two ahead of Brock Marbach at 14. Carter Petsche and Jarrett Keegan both added a basket.
In the B game, Dan Heiderscheit and Kael Kruse both hit seven, Shawn Deutmeyer six and Marcus Schneider two.
Blazer frosh boys continue undefeated
Running their perfect streak to 10-0, the Beckman freshmen boys knocked off Central DeWitt, 61-53, Western Dubuque, 39-36, and Cascade, 52-39, in play last week.
The Blazers began with a 61-53 win over DeWitt there on Jan. 20 after being tied at 29 at halftime. They actually trailed 43-42 at the start of the fourth quarter but came on strong to out-score the Sabers 19-10.
“We started very slowly tonight,” said coach Ryan Meisner. “We had some things we wanted to work on and early on we did not do a good job of handling those things. We did not take care of the ball and communicating. I thought as the game progressed we did a better job. These kids battled to the end and showed great composure. I’m proud of the way we finished. But we need to get off to a better start.”
Connor McDermott led totals with 19, nine of those in the fourth quarter. John Gulick added 17, Conner Krantz 14, Ryan Bildstein and Mitchell Gehling three, Mitchell Burlage and Scott Olberding two, Austin Hermsen one. Other stats include: rebounds — Gulick and Gehling eight, McDermott four, Krantz, Bildstein, Camden Leonard and Austin Hermsen two, Burlage and Olberding one; steals — McDermott four, Gulick three, Krantz two, Bildstein, Gehling, Hermsen and Burlage one; assists — Gulick, Bildstein and Gehling one; blocks — Olberding, McDermott and Bildstein one.
The closest win they’ve had this season came on Jan. 23 at home versus Western Dubuque. The Blazers led 10-7 at the first quarter break and saw that disappear by halftime, down 22-21. They regained a two point lead in the third, 29-27, and held on for the win despite a last ditch attempt at the horn from the Bobcats that fell off the rim.
“This was a great game over an improved Western Dubuque team,” glowed Meisner. “As always these rivalry games provide great excitement and drama.”
McDermott was the only one in double figures for the Blazers with 19. Gulick added eight, Krantz five, Gehling four and Bildstein three. Other stats include: rebounds — Gehling six, Burlage three, Gulick, McDermott and Hermsen two; assists — Gehling one; steals — McDermott four, Gulick, Krantz, Bildstein and Gehling one; blocks — Gehling two.
On Jan. 24, they hosted Cascade for the win and built a 28-19 halftime bulge behind 14 points from Gehling, who ended with 23. Both Gulick and McDermott added seven, Hermsen six, Bildstein five, Krantz three and Olberding one.
Other stats include: rebounds — Gehling 11, Hermsen five, Gulick three, Krantz two, Olberding, Bildstein, Leonard and Michael Koopman one; steals — McDermott two, Gulick, Olberding and Gehling one; assists — Bildstein four, Krantz two, McDermott and Leonard one; blocks – Olberding, McDermott and Hermsen one.
Blazer boys add three more wins
Beckman’s soph/frosh boys came back to the other side of the scoring ledger with three wins last week, two WaMaC and one non-conference.
On Jan. 20, the Blazers stopped Central DeWitt there, 52-42, behind a 24-point effort from Sam Stelken. Sam Oberbroeckling added 12 (two threes), Riley LeGrand eight (two), Jackson Bennett four, Brady Arens and John Gulick two. Other stats include: rebounds — Stelken eight, Arens four, Bennett and Oberbroeckling three, LeGrand two, Gulick and Noah Sabers one; assists — LeGrand eight, Arens and Bennett three, Gulick and Oberbroeckling one.
On Jan. 23 the Blazers overwhelmed Western Dubuque, 51-28, getting 13 points from both LeGrand (two) and Bennett (one), 11 from Stelken, six from Sabers, four from Connor McDermott, two from Oberbroeckling and Arens. Other stats were: rebounds — Stelken nine, Bennett six, LeGrand and Oberbroeckling four, McDermott, Arens and Gulick one; assists — LeGrand six, Arens three, Stelken and Sabers two, Mitchell Gehling and Bennett one.
They rounded out the week with a 49-39 win over Cascade at home. Stelken hit 17, Oberbroeckling (one) and Bennett (three) nine, McDermott six, Gulick four, LeGrand and Arens two. Closing out stats were rebounds — Stelken nine, LeGrand, Gulick and Arens three, Bennett two, Colin Koelker and Sabers one; assists — LeGrand seven, Arens three, Gulick two, Bennett and Stelken one.
Coach Michael Molony added, “Overall there isn’t much more that could describe our week other than intensity. When the schedule came out way back last spring, this was the week you circled as a gut check week. Each opponent would provide unique challenges.
“The key for us since Christmas has been our defense and rebounding when we focus on getting the other team sideways (out of their primary offense) and limiting then to one-and-dones, we are a pretty good team.
“DeWitt has a nice team and we were able to get them at our place. They played much better this time at their place, but we were able to come out on top by attacking the hole and getting to the foul line over 20 times.
“Western Dubuque was our revenge game, having already lost a tough contest in December there (71-66). We came out focused and intense and again we out-rebounded and out-shot them from the foul line while holding an outstanding offensive team (best we have seen this year) to four single digit quarters.
“Then Cascade was another rivalry game on Saturday while we had tired legs. There is nothing better in helping you forget that than taking on a rival. Granted the game has no effect on our preseason goals but it’s always nice to beat a well-coached team.
“Overall, if we keep up the intensity on defense, out-rebounding on both sides of the glass and getting to the foul line, in these last six games we will have a chance to win them all. We talked after the games about just because we got through last week the season has not ended and we still have six big contests left, four of which we need to protect our home court. It should be an interesting finish to the season.”
WD is third at duals
Western Dubuque’s Next Men In tied for third place at the Cedar Rapids Jefferson Duals on Jan. 24.
The Bobcats defeated Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 37-28, West Delaware, 51-24 and Davenport Assumption, 42-35. Southeast Polk defeated WD, 52-27, and Cedar Rapids Prairie earned a 45-27 win over WD.
“The team wrestled very well and the guys can feel very good about competing with and beating some of the best programs in the state,” coach Matt Manning said.
On Jan. 22, the Bobcats beat Central DeWitt and Beckman, winning both duals by a score of 66-18.
The Bobcats are 14-2 on the year in junior varsity action.
Three losses on Blazer JV card
That five-game win streak of recent weeks for the Beckman junior varsity girls is now a figment of history, as the team reverted to its early season form, losing the last three games.
A home loss to Central DeWitt on Jan. 20 began the slide, 27-13. A scoreless second quarter doomed the Blazers. They trailed 8-4 going in and found them selves down 14-4 at halftime. It took them another three minutes to break that ceiling, scoring seven points in two minutes to make it 20-11 with 2:13 left in the third quarter. But they came back to the beginning, and scored just a single basket through all the fourth quarter.
Shalyn Wessels led the team with five points and four players hit a basket: Malerie Reitzler, Shannon Hoffman, Holly Trenkamp and Amber Boeckenstedt. Other stat leaders were: rebounds — Wessels four, Kelli Engelken, Amber Boeckenstedt, Veronica Kelly and Hoffman three, Kristi Mensen and Veronica Kelly two; assists — Wessels and Engelken one; steals — Hoffman, Engelken, Wessels two, Trenkamp, Olivia Schlarmann, Boeckenstedt, and Abby Palmer one.
“The girls are struggling to make the little things work effectively in our favor,” said coach Jill Knipper. “We still fight hard, we just need to work through our struggles.
The Blazers dropped a 42-29 decision at Western Dubuque on Jan. 22.
“Turnovers got the best of us tonight,” bemoaned Knipper. “We struggled to take care of the ball under pressure. We had a strong fourth quarter and were able to finish the game strong.”
Scoring came from Wessels with 10, Kelly and Hoffman four, Mensen, Reitzler, Schlarmann, Boeckenstedt and Elise Westhoff two.
Other stats were: rebounds — Wessels eight, Mensen and Schlarmann five, Kelly, Boeckenstedt and Hoffman two; steals – Wessels nine, Hoffman four, Engelken two, Schlarmann, Palmer, Boeckenstedt, Kelly, Trenkamp, Mensen and Westhoff one; assists — Mensen, Boeckenstedt and Hoffman one.
Against Cascade on Jan. 24, the Blazers dropped a close 43-34 decision. The winning margin developed in the first quarter, but the Blazers cut that to two, 24-22, in the third quarter before losing ground again.
“The girls stepped up and played great defense tonight,” said Knipper. “We took a lot of good shots that just did not fall. The girls need to find some intensity back and play to the level they are capable of meeting.”
Leading scores was Wessels with nine, followed by Schlarmann and Boeckenstedt with seven, Reitzler and Engelken four and Hoffman three. Other stats were: rebounds — Palmer seven, Engelken five, Wessels four, Reitzler, Hoffman and Trenkamp three; steals — Wessels and Boeckenstedt four, Mensen and Engelken two, Hoffman and Reitzler one.
