Blair-Taylor boys win regional title
Cain Fremstad of Blair-Taylor went in for a layup during their game against Independence last week Tuesday. (Times photograph by Andrew Dannehy)
Independence’s Tyler Kingsbury released a three pointer during their regional game against Blair-Taylor last Tuesday. (Times photograph by Andrew Dannehy)
The Blair-Taylor High School boys basketball team earned a regional championship last week, its 18th over the last three decades.
Blair-Taylor won all three of its regional playoff games, beating Independence in a first round matchup on Tuesday before handling Brookwood on Friday and winning the regional title over Royall on Saturday.
The second-seeded Wildcats (18-9) will face top-seeded Bangor (22-4) in a sectional semifinal game on Thursday in Arcadia. Bangor defeated Blair-Taylor 69-45 in their only matchup of the season on Jan. 8.
The winner of that game will play the winner of the game between Potosi (17-10) and Southwestern (19-7) on Saturday in Richland Center.
B-T 60 Independence 37
Senior Cain Fremstad and junior Jaren Swanson each scored in double digits last Tuesday as the Wildcats opened the playoffs with a win over the visiting Indees.
The Wildcats shot just 35 percent from the floor, but a strong defensive effort helped the hosts win big, coach Randy Storlie told the Times.
“Our defense won this game for us tonight,” Storlie said. “We didn’t run our offense very well or finish on the shots we took. Our defense limited their looks at the basket, and I was proud of that effort.”
Blair-Taylor took an 11-point lead into halftime and kept its gap throughout the game. Fremstad led all scorers with 19 points and was aided by 13 from Swanson. Senior Caden Kruse added 9 to go with 13 rebounds.
No statistics from Independence were reported to the Times.
B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-points)—Kniseley 3/9-0/0-2-7, Obieglo 1/3-0/0-2-6, Kruse 3/9-3/4-13-9, Swanson 5/6-0/0-2-13, Fremstad 8/24-2/2-8-19, Nehring 2/7-2/2-8-6.
B-T 54 Brookwood 40
Blair-Taylor advanced to its fourth straight regional final with a win over Brookwood on Friday. The offense again started slow for the Wildcats, and the hosts found themselves losing 20-12 early.
But after tying the game to close the first half, Blair-Taylor opened the second half on a 20-0 run to take the momentum back and win.
“We really came out flat tonight to start the game,” Storlie said. “We really came storming back in the second half as we made a couple of adjustments at halftime and the kids did very well with it.”
Three players finished in double digits for Blair-Taylor, led by 13 from Fremstad, 12 from Obieglo and 10 from Nehring. Kruse and Fremstad each had 12 rebounds.
B-T 69 Royall 58
The Wildcats hit seven of eight free throws in the closing minutes to hold off a late comeback bid by Royall on Saturday night, avenge a regular season loss and claim the regional title.
Blair-Taylor pushed to a four-point lead at halftime, eventually pushing the score to a 50-37 advantage with about 10 minutes to play. The Panthers cut the deficit to seven points with about three minutes left before the Wildcats won the battle of the felines behind late clutch shots.
“What a game and accomplishment for these guys,” Storlie said. “I am so proud of these guys and how we played.”
Fremstad exploded for Blair-Taylor, scoring 31 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He was helped by a 16-point night from Swanson and a 14 point night from Nehring.
Ball control, especially late, was the difference, Storlie said. This is the first time that both the Blair-Taylor boys and girls basketball teams have won regional championships in the same year.
“They did exactly what we wanted them to, and they did it as a team,” Storlie said of the win. “They played so well tonight, and we had to play well against a very good team in Royall.”
