Tri-County Area Prep Boys Basketball Round-up: Fall Creek trying to stay on track for league title

Despite splitting two recent non-conference games, the Fall Creek High School Boys Basketball won the most important game it played in the last week.

The Crickets, 16-4 overall, held on to defeat Eau Claire Regis 44-40 on the road last week Friday, Feb. 4 to remain tied with Stanley-Boyd at 10-1 for first place in the Western Cloverbelt Conference.

FC has upcoming conference games Thursday, Feb. 10 at Cadott and at Thorp next Tuesday, Feb. 15. If they remain undefeated the Crickets will be on track for a showdown for the league title on Friday, Feb. 18 at home against the Orioles.

The Crickets jumped out to a big 26-12 lead on the Ramblers and put aside a late Rambler, 7-11 overall, rally. Bo Vollrath scored 20 points to lead the Crickets and teammate Cameron Martzke finished with 10 points while Jeffery Ritger scored six points.

Ritger led the Crickets in scoring for the first time this season with his 19-point effort vs. Wisconsin Dells in the Just A Game Classic in Just A Game Fieldhouse at the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells this past weekend. Vollrath finished with 18 points and had a team-best eight rebounds. Martzke finished with 11 points.

In an exciting, down-to-the-last-second contest pitting two of top teams in the region, Whitehall, 15-4 overall, was able to outlast FC at Fall Creek Monday, Feb. 7 by a 77-74 score. Vollrath's line was 26 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Martzke had 15 points and Leo Hagberg finished with 14 points. The Norse's Devon McCune led all scorers with 28 points.

On the same night Osseo-Fairchild, 4-14 overall, notched its fourth the win of the season 70-45 at Eleva-Strum, 3-15 overall. Ten players scored at least a bucket for the Thunder with two players in double figures, Ethan Wathke and Jack Steinke, both with 11 points each. Ashton Oliver finished with nine points. The Cardinals were led in scoring by Carter Gunderson, who led all scorers with 18 points. Cayden Lasher had nine points for Central. The Thunder were in front for the entire ballgame including 31-17 at halftime which was expanded throughout the second half.

O-F dropped a Western Cloverbelt contest at Chippewa Falls McDonell, 9-10 overall, Saturday afternoon 77-53. Brody Seefeldt led the Thunder in scoring with 17 points while Lucas Frase finished with nine points. The Macks were led in scoring by Eddie Mittermeyer's 22 points.

Eleva-Strum also fell at home to Blair-Taylor 63-36 last week Friday, Feb. 4. Brady Monson was the only E-S player in double figures with 14 points, which was the same number of points two Wildcat players, Cain Fremstad and Jaren Swanson, had as well. Four B-T, 13-7 overall, players were in double figures Central was held to just 11 points in the first half. The Cardinals did have a win last week at Independence on Feb. 1 by a 51-21 score. Monson finished with a team-best 20 points and Gunderson had eight points. Brady Olson grabbed seven rebounds.

Augusta started last week pushing unbeaten and No. 5 ranked Flambeau to the limit in a non-conference match-up at home on Feb. 1. The Beavers, 10-8 overall, led 37-33 at halftime but were outscored 33-23 in the second half as the Falcons eked out a 66-60 win. Dalton Robinson had 17 points for the Beavers and Tyler Brixsen finished with 16. Brennan King pulled down a team-best 13 rebounds and made a team-high five assists. Robinson finished with three steals. Harley Opchan and Dawson Kauffman led Flambeau in scoring with 19 and 18 points respectively and Falcons were able to survive watching two starters foul out midway through the second half. But Augusta couldn't take advantage going just 14-for-23 at the free-throw line.

The Beavers finished last week with a tough 74-47 loss at Cochrane-Fountain City, 10-9 overall, on Feb. 4. Brixsen led the way with 16 points and Robinson had 15 points and Aiden Anderson finished with eight points but this could not offset the 31-point effort by C-FCs Ethan Hunger. Three other Pirate players were in double figures as well as Cochrane-FC jumped out to a 42-24 lead at halftime.