This story is sponsored by The Williams-Gray Co.
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
SPENCER – The Marshfield Columbus Catholic went through some growing pains early in the season, but since mid-December the Dons are nearly unbeatable.
On Monday, the Dons made nine of their first 10 shots, five coming from 3-point range, and opened up a double-digit lead en route to a 76-62 victory over Spencer at Spencer High School.
Since starting the season 5-4, Columbus is 11-1 and improves to 16-5 overall and wrap up the Cloverbelt Conference East Division schedule with a 13-5 record.
Spencer is now 7-14 and ends up 6-12 in the Cloverbelt East.
Both teams will play in Cloverbelt East-West crossovers on Friday. Game time and opponent will be announced Tuesday.
Jared Fleischmann scored eight of his game-high 19 points in the first 5 minutes for the Dons as they took a 23-8 lead by making nine of their first 10 shots. Fleischmann had two 3-pointers and Alex Baierl, Derrick Green and Alex Larson added shots from 3-point range to open up the big lead.
“We shot it really well and when (center) Jake (Puent) went out (with two fouls), we made some outside shots and that was important,” Columbus coach Joe Konieczny said.
From that point, the game was fairly evenly played.
Spencer cut its deficit to 23-13 by the end of the first quarter and Columbus Catholic’s lead fluctuated between seven and 11 points over the middle two quarters before the Dons went up by as much as 17 again in the fourth.
The early deficit was just too much to overcome for Spencer.
“We made a couple of runs at them, but they are a good team and a quick team,” Spencer coach Randy Reckner said. “They exposed us a little bit on defense.”
Joe Meyers scored 16 points and Jeremiah Cattanach added 12 for Spencer.
A bright spot for the Rockets was a 3-pointer made by senior Justin Hahn at the buzzer – his only varsity points of his basketball career.
Spencer loses no regulars from its team this year, and while Reckner is still focused on the upcoming playoffs, which the Rockets open with a WIAA Division 4 regional quarterfinal at Pittsville on Feb. 19, he knows his young team has grown a lot this year and looks forward to the future.
“What I like the most, our JV team has been doing well, and I told them that we’re going to have plenty of competition,” Reckner said. “People are going to be pushing everybody for spots next year.
“We have to go play hard every game. In tournament time, stranger things have happened. We’re hoping for that stranger thing.”
Columbus also has a young squad, with only two seniors on its roster, neither of which played on Monday. The Dons gelled following back-to-back losses to Cloverbelt East leaders Augusta and Neillsville in early December and have lost just once – 40-37 to Neillsville on Jan. 29 – since.
“We lost a really good senior class (last year) and the kids had to really find their way, as far as roles go,” Konieczny said. “Kids like Christian Payant and Bryce DeSmet, kids that didn’t play much last year, were stepping into a role.
“Fleischmann has always been that guy that solid piece that holds us together, with Green and Puent who had a little bit of experience, but some guys have stepped up to work in around those guys to make us pretty solid.”
Dons 76, Rockets 62
Columbus 23 22 12 19 – 76
Spencer 13 19 14 16 – 62
COLUMBUS (76): Jared Fleischmann 6-13 5-6 19, Jake Puent 6-6 4-4 16, Derrick Green 6-10 1-5 15, Alex Larson 1-5 5-8 8, Christian Payant 2-3 1-2 7, Alex Baierl 2-3 0-0 6, Bryce DeSmet 1-2 1-2 3, Sam Studinger 1-3 0-0 2. FG: 25-45. FT: 17-27. 3-pointers: 9-19 (Payant 2-2, Baierl 2-3, Green 2-3, Fleischmann 2-6, Larson 1-5). Rebounds: 19 (Green 5). Turnovers: 7. Fouls: 18. Fouled out: none. Record: 16-5, 13-5 Cloverbelt East.
SPENCER (62): Joe Meyers 5-9 4-4 16, Jeremiah Cattanach 3-11 6-9 12, Mitchell Susa 5-11 0-1 11, Cody Esser 3-5 2-6 8, Bobby Pilz 2-4 0-0 5, Justin Hahn 1-2 0-0 3, Calvin Lenz 0-1 3-4 3, Miles Weber 1-6 0-0 2, Spencer Susa 0-0 1-2 1, Ryan Busse 0-0 1-3 1, Ben Grieser 0-0 0-0 0, Nate Mercier 0-0 0-0 0. FG: 20-49. FT: 17-29. 3-pointers: 5-18 (Meyers 2-5, Pilz 1-2, Hahn 1-2, M. Susa 1-4, Cattanach 0-4, Lenz 0-1). Rebounds: 25 (M. Susa 6). Turnovers: 11. Fouls: 21. Fouled out: none. Record: 7-14, 6-12 Cloverbelt East.