This story is sponsored by: The Marshfield Tiger Booster Club
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield boys basketball team played its third-straight state-ranked team to start the 2021-22 season on Friday, taking on La Crosse Central, the fourth-ranked team in Division 2 by the Wissports.net Coaches Poll.
The Tigers led for most of the first half, but like the two previous games where Marshfield played tough, it didn’t have enough in the end, and fell 46-41 to Central at the Chips Hamburgers Fieldhouse at Marshfield High School.
Central is now 2-0, while Marshfield falls to 0-3 heading into its Wisconsin Valley Conference opener next Friday, Dec. 10, at home against Merrill.
Chase Hinson had a pair of 3-pointers, Brooks Hinson added another, and Luke LeMoine had a three-point play in the opening seven minutes as Marshfield raced out to a 17-8 lead.
The Tigers wouldn’t score another field goal for six minutes and Central was able to scratch away at the deficit, cutting it to 23-19 at halftime following a 3-pointer by Henry Meyer.
Central came out firing in the second half, pulling ahead 27-25 after four baskets in the first 2½ minutes.
Marshfield responded with a 3-pointer from Brooks Hinson and a basket by Chase Hinson to regain the lead, but again went through a drought of five minutes without a field goal and this time it cost them.
Nic Williams scored four of his team-high 12 points and Meyer hit another 3-pointer to help the Riverhawks take a 40-34 lead with nine minutes left.
Marshfield got as close as three at 44-41 after a 3-pointer by Gavin Fravert with 11 seconds left, but Central was able to break the pressure and Boston Brindley made a layup with seven seconds to go to put away the win for the Riverhawks.
Devon Dielding added 10 points, and Porter Pratasky had seven points and nine rebounds for La Crosse Central.
LeMoine had 11 points and seven rebounds, and Chase Hinson added 10 points for Marshfield.
Riverhawks 46, Tigers 41
La Crosse Central 19 27 – 46
Marshfield 23 18 – 41
LA CROSSE CENTRAL (46): Colin Adams 1-2 0-0 2, Adam Olson 0-3 0-0 0, Nic Williams 5-8 2-2 12, Devon Fielding 4-10 0-0 10, Quinn Servais 0-1 0-0 0, Bennett Fried 3-8 1-2 7, Henry Meyer 2-5 0-0 6, Porter Pretasky 3-6 1-2 7, Tyler Young 0-0 0-0 0, Boston Brindley 1-3 0-0 2. FG: 19-46. FT: 4-6. 3-pointers: 4-21 (Fielding 2-6, Meyer 2-3, Pretasky 0-1, Williams 0-1, Adams 0-1, Servais 0-1, Olson 0-2, Brindley 0-2, Fried 0-4). Rebounds: 30 (Pretasky 9). Turnovers: 15. Fouls: 15. Fouled out: none. Record: 2-0.
MARSHFIELD (41): Chase Hinson 4-13 0-0 10, Gavin Fravert 1-3 1-3 4, Carson Kvernen 3-8 0-0 8, Luke LeMoine 4-6 3-5 11, Trevor Foemmel 0-0 0-0 0, Brooks Hinson 3-9 0-0 8, Carston Freis 0-1 0-0 0. FG: 15-39. FT: 4-8. 3-pointers: 7-22 (Kvernen 2-5, B. Hinson 2-6, C. Hinson 2-9, LeMoine 0-1, Freis 0-1). Rebounds: 20 (LeMoine 7). Turnovers: 15. Fouls: 12. Fouled out: none. Record: 0-3.