Depth the difference as G-E-T earns win over Elk Mound

Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau senior Cody Schmitz rattled off three different names when asked which of his teammates he thought made the biggest difference in Thursday’s boys basketball sectional semifinal against Elk Mound.

Moments after securing a 61-55 victory that has G-E-T one win away from the WIAA Division Three state tournament, coach Jared McCutchen also credited multiple players for their work in the Wanek Center gymnasium at Arcadia High School on Thursday.

The Red Hawks will play Prescott at Eau Claire Memorial High School tomorrow at 1 p.m. with the winner earning a shot at a state title next weekend.

“We have a lot of heart, a lot of grit, and we’re never going to give up,” Schmitz, G-E-T’s leading scorer, said after the Red Hawks overcame a 13-2 deficit to open Thursday’s game.

“We came back from down 10 (points) with some big shots from some of our guys. Taylor (Haney) had a couple big shots, Braden Anibas had a nice couple shots and Mason (Brone) stepped up. I trust these guys, and they came up big.”

Elk Mound (22-5 this season) was near perfect in the opening minutes on Thursday to take an 11-point advantage.

Schmitz would answer with 10 first-half points before a three-pointer from Taylor Haney gave the Red Hawks their first lead of the game, 20-19, with two minutes remaining in the opening half.

Offense was more available for both teams after halftime, and Elk Mound again started strong—the Mounders scored six straight points to start the second half.

Anibas hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 27, and the G-E-T senior hit another corner jumper moments later to notch the score at 30.

“We just kind of do our thing, go out there, play as a team and take steps in the right direction when we need to,” Anibas said of the Red Hawks not panicking when trailing in important games.

When Elk Mound reclaimed the lead 32-31, Haney hit another shot from deep to give the advantage back to G-E-T. Anibas hit two more three-pointers with less than ten minutes left in the game to help offset a strong night from Elk Mound’s Kaden Russo.

Brone, a sophomore, made his presence felt in the biggest moment of the game.

A pair of free throws from Russo handed Elk Mound a one-point lead with two minutes to play, and G-E-T began to eat into the dwindling time on its next possession.

Brone drilled a shot from deep beyond the three-point line to give the Red Hawks a 55-53 advantage with less than 90 seconds remaining in the game, following it with two free throws to secure the win.

“I was hoping he shot it a little earlier, actually,” McCutchen said of Brone’s look. “I have all the confidence in the world in Mason shooting from anywhere. He’s shooting 60% in the last seven games from three, so right now we’re really good with Mason’s decisions on offense and tonight was another example of it.”

The Red Hawks know Saturday will be no easier than Thursday’s nail-biter.

Dallas Wallin averages more than 20 points per game this season for coach Nick Johnson and the Cardinals, who are 20-6 this season.

“We’ve got to bring our A-game. Right now we have a lot of confidence going into Saturday because it’s been so many different guys that have stepped up and that’s what makes it so special,” McCutchen said. “We’ve had Cody—who’s been unbelievable for the last four years—but you can see when a team comes together and is complete like we have showed the last month here, we can be pretty darn good.”

When the clock starts ticking tomorrow, the Red Hawks will carry extra motivation as they seek their first trip to state since 2016.

“It’s a dream come true really,” Schmitz said on Thursday regarding a chance at reaching state. “I’ve been dreaming about this watching the old G-E-T teams make it to this point. We want to be like them, and now we’re here. We’ll get back to work tomorrow, lock in and be ready for a good battle against Prescott.”