B-T boys team loses to Mel-Min, Bangor
The Blair-Taylor boys basketball team got off to a couple of slow starts as it lost two games last week.
The Wildcats managed just 15 first half points in a 46-35 loss in Melrose-Mindoro last Friday. Their offense picked up the next day at home against Bangor, but B-T’s defense struggled in an 80-48 loss.
With the losses, B-T fell to 4-6 (1-3 in Dairyland Conference play). They’ll head to Cochrane-Fountain City on Friday before hosting Bangor on Saturday. This coming Tuesday, the Norse head to Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran.
Mel-Min 46 B-T 35
The Mustangs scored the first 16 points in the game and the Wildcats couldn’t climb out of the hole.
“We just could not hit a shot in the first half and when you dig a hole like that to a good squad like the Mustangs have you are in for a long night,” B-T coach Randy Storlie said.
That run would be the difference in the first half as the Mustangs took a 31-15 lead into halftime. The Wildcats closed the gap a bit in the second half, but it still ended up being an 11-point loss.
The Wildcats shot 37.5 percent from the field and attempted just one free throw in the game. Evan Nehring led B-T with 13 points and nine rebounds.
B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-points) — Kniseley 4/9-0/0-2-9 Waldera 1/4-0/0-2-3 Shramek 2/5-0/0-4-4 Swanson 2/8-0/0-2-6 Armitage 0/0-0/0-1-0 Smith 0/0-0/0-2-0 E. Nehring 6/14-1/1-9-13
Bangor 80 B-T 48
B-T rebounded offensively with 26 points in the first half, but they still trailed by 14 at halftime.
“We played so poorly overall,” Storlie said. “Give the credit to Bangor as they outplayed us in all phases of the game.”
The Wildcats still couldn’t stop Bangor in the second half as the Cardinals put up 40 more points to come away with a lopsided win.
B-T shot 36.5 percent from the field and attempted just four free throws. Evan Kniseley led the team with 16 points while Jaren Swanson added 13.
B-T — Kniseley 6/13-2/2-3-16 Olson 0/1-0/0-0-0 Waldera 2/3-0/0-0-6 Shramek 0/4-0/0-3-0 Arneson 1/3-0/0-1-2 Swanson 5/12-2/2-3-13 Armitage 0/1-0/0-0-0 M. Nehring 2/4-0/0-3-5 E. Nehring 3/10-0/0-7-6 Stalheim 0/1-0/0-0-0
