Wildcats pull away from Beavers or first win

Augusta was within striking distance midway through the second half, but the Blair-Taylor boys basketball team put its foot down and took control of the game, winning 68-53.

B-T had a seven-point lead at halftime, but Augusta stayed close. The Beavers were within four with about nine minutes left in the game, but that’s as close as B-T would let them get. The Wildcats went on a run to go ahead by 11 and won by 15. 

“The guys found a way to win tonight, even though Augusta hit some really tough shots,” coach Randy Storlie said. “We just kept playing hard and did a lot of positive things tonight and finished the game on a strong note. I am proud of our effort tonight.”B-T shot 45 percent from the field and had four players in double figures. Ethan Kniseley led the team with 22 points, Ryan Oldendorf scored 14 and both Easton Arneson and Michael Waldera finished with 11. Oldendorf and Tavian Shramek both had 10 rebounds. 

The win put B-T at 1-3 on the season and 1-1 in Dairyland Conference play. They’ll play in Whitehall on Thursday and at Nekoosa on Friday. This coming Tuesday the team will play at Eleva-Strum before heading to Independence/Gilmanton at Friday. 

B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-points) — Kniseley 7/17-7/7-2-22 Waldera 4/8-0/0-5-11 Shramek 1/4-1/2-10-4 Arneson 4/10-3/6-5-11 Dummer 3/6-0/1-2-6 Oldendorf 5/8-3/4-10-14