B-T boys split with Mel-Min, Bangor

After picking up a big Dairyland Conference win, the Blair-Taylor boys basketball team fell in a nonconference game.

The Wildcats scored an upset win over Melrose-Mindoro last week Tuesday. On Saturday, however, they went cold in a loss to Bangor.

B-T entered this week with a record of 5-4 and a 2-2 mark in Dairyland Conference play, behind Whitehall and Mel-Min in the DC-Large.

The Wildcats head t o Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran on Thursday and will go to Brookwood on Saturday for their fourth straight road game. This coming Tuesday they’ll host Gilmanton before playing at Whitehall next Thursday and Alma Center Lincoln next Friday.

B-T 52 Mel-Min 46

Defense was the key for the Wildcats as they took down what was the top team in the DC-Large.

B-T coach Randy Storlie said holding the Mustangs below 50 points was a “great accomplishment. 

“What an effort by our guys,” Storlie said. “We kept working on each possession and got it done tonight. Our defense was very strong.”

B-T held a slight advantage at halftime before breaking the game open early in the second half. The Wildcats led by 19 with less than a quarter of the game left before the Mustangs made things interesting. A few B-T turnovers were paired with three-point shots, allowing Mel-Min to cut into the lead.

The Wildcats still led by five with two minutes left and made free throws down the stretch to come away with the upset win.

B-T got a big game from Evan Nehring, who led the charge with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Jaren Swanson added 12 points while Cain Fremstad scored eight with a game-high 14 rebounds.  Ethan Kniseley added five points, Caden Cruse, three and Kyle Obieglo, two with 10 assists. 

B-T shot roughly 39 percent from the field, assisting on 16 of their 19 field goals. 

B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls) — Kniseley 2/10-0/4-3-5 Obieglo 0/3-2/3-1-2 Kruse 1/4-0/0-3-3 Swanson 4/8-0/0-4-12 Fremstad 4/6-0/1-14-8 Nehring 8/20-3/6-11-22 

Bangor 69 B-T 45

The Wildcats came out strong, but Bangor took control of the game early in the second half.

B-T led 19-12 midway through the first half, but the Cardinals would shut down the Wildcats offense the rest of the half and surge ahead to take a 38-28 lead into the intermission.

Storlie said his team couldn’t buy a basket in the second half as they managed just six field goals, while shooting a “dismal” 25 percent for the game. 

“Bangor is very good and we started out well and then we just couldn’t buy a basket after that,” Storlie said.  “Our guys played well and defended well, but you have to score points to win and we didn’t.”

Jaren Swanson led B-T with 19 points, nobody else scored more than seven.

B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-points) — Kniseley 2/10-0/1-5-6 Huseboe 0/1-0/0-0-0 Obieglo 1/5-0/0-3-3 Kruse 0/6-1/2-8-0-1 Swanson 6/10-1/2-2-19 Fremstad 3/12-1/1-5-7 Armitage 1/2-0/0-0-2 Bautsch 0/1-0/0-0-0 Nehring 2/11-0/2-8-4 Stalheim 1/2-0/0-0-3