Schmitz hits 1,000 as G-E-T overcomes Sparta in opener


            Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau junior Cody Schmitz drove to the net in the second half of an 85-51 win at Sparta High School last week. Schmitz scored 30 points to lead all players in the same game that he hit 1,000 career points.        (Times photograph by Benjamin Pierce)

Cody Schmitz knew heading into the G-E-T boys basketball team’s season opener last Tuesday that he was just 13 points short of a major career milestone. 

A little more than a handful of minutes into the effort, Schmitz drove to the basket and sank an inside shot for 1,000 career points as fans roared and teammates surrounded the junior to celebrate one of the top players in the state.

The achievement was the exclamation point on a dominant 85-51 win for the Red Hawks over Sparta.

“I wasn’t really thinking about it. I really just wanted to get this win, and if 1,000 points came, it came,” Schmitz said. “When it did I was really happy. Words can’t explain my emotions, but super happy tonight.”

Schmitz continued to score on Tuesday to pace all players with a game-high 30 points despite limited minutes in the second half. The Red Hawks built a wide lead in the first half, outscoring Sparta 39-7 to open the game.

The Red Hawks were scheduled to visit Mauston on Tuesday before traveling to La Crosse Logan on Thursday.

A big part of Schmitz’s dominance comes on defense, where he forces multiple turnovers and wins the rebound battle as well. Coach Jared McCutchen said that commitment to defense is what separates Schmitz from other top scorers.

The Red Hawks forced many turnovers on Tuesday and used that to build their advantage, which sat at 50-23 at halftime. If they can keep that defensive commitment strong, they should be a tough team to beat, their coach thinks.

“When we’re active and when we’re getting deflections and when we’re finding bodies on shots and getting rebounds, we could have a pretty special defense,” McCutchen said.

Schmitz wasn’t the only player to have a big night on Tuesday, as junior Braden Anibas led G-E-T in the second half and finished with 18 points of his own after an offseason of working hard in the gym that both his coach and teammates recognized.

Nine different players scored for G-E-T. Seven to eight different players are likely to see time on any typical night for G-E-T this winter as they hope for a widespread attack, McCutchen said.

“When Cody cuts through the lane and things like that, the defenses kind of hone in on that, and that leaves a lot of guys open. Tonight we found the shooters and they did a nice job offensively,” McCutchen said.

The team’s leading scorer said he hopes the strong 1-0 start to the season is just the beginning for the Red Hawks, adding that he enjoyed watching other players score just as much — if not more — as he enjoyed hitting his own milestone on Tuesday.

This year’s team is very similar to last year on the roster, but Schmitz said they’ve improved.

“No doubt we can win 20 games this year, and that’s our goal,” Schmitz said. “We just want to keep winning and keep getting better. That’s the main thing. We’re the same team, but we’re a different team, too.”

G-E-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls-points)—K. Seiling 2/2-0/4-1-0-6; Mack 3/8-0/0-3-3-9; Puent 0/1-0/0-2-1-0; Burns 2/5-0/0-4-1-4; Brone 1/4-2/2-5-1-5; Stoner 0/0-0/0-2-0-0; Beedle 2/4-1/2-1-3-7; Caya 0/1-0/0-0-0-0; B. Seiling 2/4-0/0-0-0-4; Ebersold 0/0-0/0-1-1-0; Schmitz 9/12-11/12-5-3-30; Anibas 7/10-1/2-2-0-18; Corcoran 0/0-0/0-1-0-0; Repaal 1/1-0/0-1-0-2.

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