BY TINA L. SCOTT The Merrill Bluejays Boys Varsity Basketball Team was at Wisconsin Rapids on Jan. 29 for a game against Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, and the Red Raiders took the win on that one. Merrill was down 20-26 at halftime and lost with a final score of 51-64. “We started our busy two-week stretch at Rapids and played alright for the most part,” said Troy Pieper, Merrill Varsity Boys Basketball Head Coach. “I liked how we played on defense.”
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“Rapids was 21-26, while we only went to the charity stripe 5 times making 4,” Pieper said. “I think both teams were aggressive.”
“It was a frustrating night to say the least,” he said. “So many guys in foul trouble (five guys with 4 or 5 fouls each) makes finding any flow very difficult.”
“We are getting closer to putting a full game together I think,” Pieper said. “I think on defense, minus all the fouls, we executed our game plan very well.”
“EJ Weix (22 pts, 8 FG, 3 3pt, 3 FT, 2 ast, 1 stl) had a nice night with another double double,” he added. “Twenty-two points and 10 rebounds.”
Carter Baade (7 pts, 3 FG, 1 3pt, 2 ast, 1 stl) contributed seven points to the night, and Carson Woellner (6 pts, 3 FG, 1 ast) put up six points.
Box Score
Merrill 51 @ Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln 64
The boys were back on the road Jan. 30 for a game against the Antigo Red Robins. This time they brought home the win. Although they were down 14-24 at the halftime, they pulled it out in overtime to bring home a 50-49 victory for the Merrill Bluejays.
“Going on the road back-to-back nights isn’t easy,” Coach Pieper said. “And with the second night being against your rival down the road, it makes it even more tough, knowing they are going to give you all they got, and we got all they had.”
Feb. 1 was a home game for Merrill, with the Elcho High School Boys Basketball Team on-site for a matchup with the Bluejays. This was another exciting win for Merrill. The Bluejays were up 37-24 at halftime and went on to win the game 77-45.
“I thought during the first half, we were sort of going through the motions,” Pieper said, “playing a team that only had six active players, and a team that we were a big favorite to win, so I think the guys just thought they would roll over, but they didn’t. Elcho played hard all night and didn’t back down a single bit, which is a credit to them and their coach.”
“The second half was better; we had much better energy,” he said. “I set a couple goals for the guys to meet in the second half and the defense was really on point more. Offensively we were really efficient tonight. we had more than one point per possession, and that is a sign of being solid and taking care of the ball and getting good shots.”
“Tyson Ott (14 pts, 5 FG, 2 3pt, 2 FT, 2 ast, 1 stl) had a nice night,” Pieper said. “He was aggressive and confident. Each game out you see it more and more; at times you forget he’s only a Freshman with some of of the stuff he can do, and the no-fear he plays with doesn’t seem like a Freshman at all.”
“Carter Baade (21 pts, 8 FG, 3 3pt, 2 FT, 5 ast, 6 stl) followed his 19-point performance against Antigo with another very solid effort, scoring 21 points and dishing out 5 assists,” he said.
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