This story is sponsored by: Curves of Marshfield
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
Marshfield Columbus Catholic earned its third-straight Cloverbelt Conference East Division title this season and had all five of its starters earn all-conference honors as the 2017-18 All-Cloverbelt Conference East Division Boys Basketball Team was released following the season.
Senior guard Nick Malovrh and junior forward Jarred Mandel were first-team selections for the Dons, who finished a perfect 16-0 in Cloverbelt East play and ended up 24-3 overall and reaching the WIAA Division 5 sectional final before losing to Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran 57-56 on March 10.
Malovrh, who was named conference Player of the Year, averaged a team-high 19.7 points per game this season for the Dons and finishes his stellar career with 1,201 points, which is fourth on the school’s all-time scoring list. This is the second-straight year Malovrh was a first-team all-conference pick.
Mandel ranked second on the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game.
Junior Bryce Fuerlinger and senior Noah Hansen were second-team selections, and junior Noah Taylor was an honorable mention choice for Columbus Catholic.
Spencer senior Jack Bezlyk, who topped the 1,000-point mark in his career during a playoff victory over Athens, was also a first-team selection.
Bezlyk, a second-team pick last year, averaged 16.2 points per game for the Rockets, who finished 12-12 overall and 8-8 in the Cloverbelt East.
Junior Nate Karau and sophomore Austin Bacon were honorable mention all-conference selections for the Rockets.
Loyal senior Luke Bogdonovich, Neillsville sophomore Alex King, and Owen-Withee senior A.J. Ovyn were also picked to the six-player first team.
2017-18 All-Cloverbelt Conference East Division Boys Basketball Team
First team: Nick Malovrh, sr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Jarred Mandel, jr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Luke Bogdonovich, sr., Loyal; Alex King, so., Neillsville; A.J. Ovyn, sr., Owen-Withee; Jack Bezlyk, sr., Spencer.
Second team: Bryce Fuerlinger, jr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Noah Hansen, sr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Devin Toburen, sr., Greenwood; Jordan Radue, sr., Loyal; Braden Trunkel, fr., Neillsville; Brandon Bennett, sr., Owen-Withee.
Honorable mention: Nate Meyer, sr., Colby; Sawyer Stuttgen, jr., Colby; Mathew Stewart, jr., Colby; Noah Taylor, jr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Aaron Nagel, jr., Gilman; Eliot Genteman, sr., Loyal; Waylon Froeba, sr., Loyal; Logan Matson, sr., Neillsville; Derek Hubbard, sr., Owen-Withee; Nate Karau, jr., Spencer; Austin Bacon, so., Spencer.
Player of the Year: Nick Malovrh, Marshfield Columbus Catholic.