Indee boys struggle defensively in losses

The Independence boys basketball team had a hard time getting stops last week.

Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran exploded for 44 points in the second half to break last Thursday’s game wide open with for a 75-39 win. The Indees were close on Friday thanks to a breakout performance from Tyler Kingsbury, but they still couldn’t quite keep up with Black River Falls, losing 64-56 on the road.

The losses dropped the Indees to 0-3 on the season before Monday’s home game against Coulee Christian/Providence. On Thursday, they’ll head to Alma Center Lincoln before hosting Greenwood this coming Monday. 

ECI 75 Independence 39

The Indees just couldn’t keep up with the Lancers as the home team exploded for 44 points in the second half.

The Lancers got off to a strong start with 31 points in the first half, but Independence wasn’t too far behind, trailing by 13 at the intermission. The lead quickly became insurmountable in the second half as the Lancers came out on fire and didn’t slow down until late as they pulled away for the lopsided win.

The Indees struggled from outside as they shot two-for-17 from beyond the arc. They were also seven-for-17 on free-throw attempts. In all, they shot 31.3 percent from the field and also committed 20 turnovers.

Ben Pyka led the team with 14 points and seven rebounds. Brandon Sylla added seven points and five rebounds, while Tyler Kingsbury scored six with four rebounds. Both Sylla and Kingsbury had four steals.

Independence (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-points) — Rajkowski 0/1-0/0-1-0-0 Kingsbury 2/15-2/2-4-6 B. Pyka 6/13-2/10-7-14 Sylla 3/4-0/0-5-7 Santillan 1/3-2/2-3-4 Montalvo 1/1-0/0-3-2 Mendoza Reyes 1/4-0/0-1-3 Pfaff 1/2-1/2-1-3 N. Pyka 0/2-0/1-4-0 Olson 0/2-0/0-1-0 Flores 0/1-0/0-0-0 

BRF 64 Independence 56

A big game from Kingsbury wasn’t enough against the Tigers’ efficient offensive attack.

Kingsbury had one of the highest-scoring games in recent school history as he put up 31 points, shooting 10-for-22 from the field, including nine made three pointers. But the Tigers had a more balanced and efficient attack.

Colin Zillmer scored 21 points, while Trey Cowley put in 20 and 10 rebounds. The Tigers shot nearly 56 percent from the field – compared to roughly 36 percent for Independence. 

The Indees got eight points apiece from Ben Pyka and Brandon Sylla as they shot 12-for-25 on three-point attempts in the game.

Independence (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-points) — Kingsbury 10/22-2/2-31 B. Pyka 3/13-1/4-8 Sylla 3/7-0/0-8 Rajkowski 1/6-0/0-2 Santillan 2/5-1/2-5 N. Pyka 1/3-0/0-2