Merrill Boys Basketball ends season with loss in Regional Semi-Final
TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
The Merrill Varsity Boys Basketball Team made it to the Regional Semi-Finals where they played Mosinee on Friday, March 3, 2023. Unfortunately, the Bluejays lost that game, 47-78, effectively ending their 2022-2023 season.
“It was a rough night to say the least,” said Troy Pieper, Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach. “They were shooting lights out and we couldn’t really get anything going on offense for ourselves.”
“They shot it really well from outside, and when they did miss, we struggled to keep their bigs off the offensive glass,” he said. “They have a couple big guys who crash the boards aggressively.”
“It’s not for a lack of trying,” Pieper said. “The guys were doing the best they could, but we just couldn’t control the glass enough.”
“I thought Bradyn Pieper (15 pts, 3 3pts, 1 ast, 1 stl) had a nice game,” he said. “He probably feels he could have finished a few more drives off, but all in all, I thought he played well for his final high school game. All year we’ve had multiple guys in double figures every night. [In this game] Bradyn was our lone double figure scorer.”
“I think Tyson Glisch (6 pts, 4 FT, 2 ast) should have got to the line multiple times,” Pieper said. “He took it at their bigs and probably deserved a few more calls, but there will be nights where the 50/50 calls just don’t go your way. That’s part of the game.”
Troy Mootz (6 pts, 2 FT, 2 ast, 2 stl) also put up six points in the game.
“We played hard, we were ready for the moment, but sometimes you have nights where the ball doesn’t fall, and tonight was one of those nights,” he said. “I am very proud of the guys effort, and very proud of the Merrill community. We had an amazing turnout for the game. The place was packed and half of the crowd was wearing black and from Merrill. That was very neat to see.”
Regional Semi-Final
Merrill 47 @ Mosinee 78
“I would like to thank my Seniors,” Pieper said. “It’s a very special group to me personally. I’ve been watching or coaching this group since they started playing the game and coached some of them in youth baseball, as well. Each one of them are like family to me. They know if they ever need anything, they can call or text me, and I will do whatever I can to help them out. I’ve seen them grow into the leaders they have become, I’ve seen the highs and lows, I’ve seen the frustrations, I’ve seen it all on and off the court. Through everything, they never flinched, they never complained, they showed up each and every day including the summer stuff and worked hard, and showed the underclassmen what hard work and dedication looks like. I can’t thank them enough for making a lasting impact on the program and myself. It makes me emotional even talking about this group; to say I will miss them is a huge understatement. Thank you, Seniors.”
“This ends my third year back coaching in Merrill,” he said, “and I like the state of the program right now. A big reason for that is I have been lucky enough to have three awesome Senior groups who have been great leaders on and off the court.”
“I am excited for the future of the program,” Pieper said. “The youth program has great numbers and is in a great spot, as well. Again, that is a credit to the high school players and coaches for being present and helping the youth program develop, and also a huge credit to the dedicated youth coaches. The future is very bright, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds. We have some of the hardest working and most dedicated athletes in the basketball program. Hard work and dedication will bring success.”
The end of this season is still fresh and still hurts, but in a blink of an eye, we will be starting summer ball and seeing who is going to step up to fill the losses of our amazing Seniors,” he said. “The philosophy doesn’t change: Do the 3 E’s (Energy Effort Execute) at a high level each and every day, on and off the court, and great things will come. I’m very proud of this team, I will sure will miss our Seniors.”
Merrill Boys Basketball ends season with loss in Regional Semi-Final
TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
The Merrill Varsity Boys Basketball Team made it to the Regional Semi-Finals where they played Mosinee on Friday, March 3, 2023. Unfortunately, the Bluejays lost that game, 47-78, effectively ending their 2022-2023 season.
“It was a rough night to say the least,” said Troy Pieper, Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach. “They were shooting lights out and we couldn’t really get anything going on offense for ourselves.”
“They shot it really well from outside, and when they did miss, we struggled to keep their bigs off the offensive glass,” he said. “They have a couple big guys who crash the boards aggressively.”
“It’s not for a lack of trying,” Pieper said. “The guys were doing the best they could, but we just couldn’t control the glass enough.”
“I thought Bradyn Pieper (15 pts, 3 3pts, 1 ast, 1 stl) had a nice game,” he said. “He probably feels he could have finished a few more drives off, but all in all, I thought he played well for his final high school game. All year we’ve had multiple guys in double figures every night. [In this game] Bradyn was our lone double figure scorer.”
“I think Tyson Glisch (6 pts, 4 FT, 2 ast) should have got to the line multiple times,” Pieper said. “He took it at their bigs and probably deserved a few more calls, but there will be nights where the 50/50 calls just don’t go your way. That’s part of the game.”
Troy Mootz (6 pts, 2 FT, 2 ast, 2 stl) also put up six points in the game.
“We played hard, we were ready for the moment, but sometimes you have nights where the ball doesn’t fall, and tonight was one of those nights,” he said. “I am very proud of the guys effort, and very proud of the Merrill community. We had an amazing turnout for the game. The place was packed and half of the crowd was wearing black and from Merrill. That was very neat to see.”
Regional Semi-Final
Merrill 47 @ Mosinee 78
“I would like to thank my Seniors,” Pieper said. “It’s a very special group to me personally. I’ve been watching or coaching this group since they started playing the game and coached some of them in youth baseball, as well. Each one of them are like family to me. They know if they ever need anything, they can call or text me, and I will do whatever I can to help them out. I’ve seen them grow into the leaders they have become, I’ve seen the highs and lows, I’ve seen the frustrations, I’ve seen it all on and off the court. Through everything, they never flinched, they never complained, they showed up each and every day including the summer stuff and worked hard, and showed the underclassmen what hard work and dedication looks like. I can’t thank them enough for making a lasting impact on the program and myself. It makes me emotional even talking about this group; to say I will miss them is a huge understatement. Thank you, Seniors.”
“This ends my third year back coaching in Merrill,” he said, “and I like the state of the program right now. A big reason for that is I have been lucky enough to have three awesome Senior groups who have been great leaders on and off the court.”
“I am excited for the future of the program,” Pieper said. “The youth program has great numbers and is in a great spot, as well. Again, that is a credit to the high school players and coaches for being present and helping the youth program develop, and also a huge credit to the dedicated youth coaches. The future is very bright, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds. We have some of the hardest working and most dedicated athletes in the basketball program. Hard work and dedication will bring success.”
The end of this season is still fresh and still hurts, but in a blink of an eye, we will be starting summer ball and seeing who is going to step up to fill the losses of our amazing Seniors,” he said. “The philosophy doesn’t change: Do the 3 E’s (Energy Effort Execute) at a high level each and every day, on and off the court, and great things will come. I’m very proud of this team, I will sure will miss our Seniors.”
