By Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
On Monday night the Merrill boys basketball team hosted Shawano in a non conference match-up. Prior to the game Merrill honored Quinn Steckbauer who is now fourth all time in points in Merrill basketball history.
The contest would prove to be a very high scoring game with the Jays coming out on top by a final score of 105-79.
The first half of action saw Merrill score 59 points to Shawano’s 33, led by Steckbauer who scored 16. Michael Casper had a good first half, coming away with nine points. Nate Woller scored eight points and Chase Bonnell and Kordell Renken each scored seven.
The Jays would come out of halftime with a big lead and would add on to it, outscoring Shawano 46-44 to take the win.
Steckbauer finished the game with 27 points to lead all scorers. Casper finished the game with 17 points, Bonnell scored 14 on the night, Woller had 11 and Piersen Pyan scored nine.
Bringing down the Big Cats
Saturday evening the guys welcomed D3 powerhouse Northwestern to the MHS Field House Headed into the match-up, the Tigers stood as the 10th ranked Division 3 team in the state. The Bluejay defense would prove to be the driving force behind the 78-59 win.
“It is always a big deal to beat a team ranked in the top 10 in the state,” comments Merril head coach Jake Schalow, “I thought our defensive intensity to start the game was key for us to have a good start and build a nice lead. Our defense lead to some great looks in transition.”
Merrill built the majority of their lead in the first half of play, outscoring Northwestern 38-21. Quinn Steckbauer led the offense charge for the Jays, scoring 11 points in the half. Michael Casper did his part as well, tallying 10 first half points.
The second half of action was more tightly contested, with the Jays outscoring Northwestern 40-38. Steckbauer continued his solid game with 10 more points in the second half. Casper would match his first half total, also scoring 10 more points.
“I was happy with how our bench provided a spark,” adds coach Schalow, “Dan Pepke had a very nice stretch where he scored on three consecutive possessions and hauled in a couple defensive rebounds. It was nice to get Nate Woller back from injury, and get him some varsity minutes. I would still like us to clean up our turnovers and value our possessions better.”
The Jays now have a record of 15-4 with a conference record of 7-2. Merrill will be back in action on Friday as they travel to D.C. Everest for a conference match up with the Evergreens.