By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
LOYAL – Defense was the name of the game early for the Auburndale boys basketball team, and once the Apaches’ offense got rolling, Loyal couldn’t find an answer.
Auburndale forced four turnovers during a 12-0 run in the first quarter and went on to a convincing 58-39 nonconference win over Loyal on Monday at Loyal High School.
Auburndale forced nine turnovers overall in the first quarter and jumped out a 17-4 lead. Tyler Pankratz scored three straight baskets and freshman Austin Hawkins had inside hoops on each side of the run to help the Apaches (8-5) take control early and end its two-game losing streak.
“I thought we were really sloppy passing the ball (early), but I think it got better,” Auburndale coach Chad Weinfurtner said. “I thought our passing and our finishing got better.
“This year’s team, we don’t have a lot of talent as far as scoring goes, but our defense has been pretty consistent, with the exception of a few games. We’ve held teams to low shooting percentages and forced quite a few turnovers.”
The Apaches continued to turn up the defensive pressure in the second quarter and opened up a 31-12 lead by halftime. A steal and layup by C.J. Castellano and back-to-back 3-pointers by Garrett Nikolay in the final minute gave Auburndale a commanding 19-point lead at the break. Auburndale forced 11 first-half turnovers and held Loyal to just 4 of 19 shooting from the field.
“It was a good team effort,” Nikolay said. “We did a good job of getting in the lane, which opened up the defense. The posts did a good job on the backside and getting in position.”
Nikolay finished with 15 points and Hawkins came off the bench to score 14 for the Apaches.
Auburndale led by as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter, finishing off a win in the first of three games this week as the start of the second half of the season gets rolling.
“We’re trying to expand out bench a bit so we don’t wear down as much,” Weinfurtner said. “We’ve got a stretch of games here where we can really make a move. Our five losses have come against some really good teams, but we don’t have the signature win yet. We’re looking to improve and knock off one of those (top) teams in our conference.”
Nikolay said the Apaches played well together against the Greyhounds (5-9), and need to continue to do so going forward.
“We need to develop more as a team,” Nikolay said. “Sometimes we’re on different wave-lengths, but that will come.”
Auburndale plays at home against Nekoosa on Tuesday, then returns to Marawood Conference South Division action Thursday at home against Northland Lutheran.
Apaches 58, Greyhounds 39
AUBURNDALE (58): Garrett Nikolay 5-9 3-3 15, C.J. Castellano 3-8 4-4 10, Cale Weiler 0-0 0-0 0, Brian Hoffmann 0-2 0-0 0, Tyler Pankratz 5-12 0-0 10, Jacob Dorshorst 0-1 1-2 1, Kyle Greunke 0-3 0-0 0, Jake Hansen 1-6 0-0 2, Austin Hawkins 7-10 0-0 14, Adam Bauer 3-4 0-0 6. FG: 24-50. FT: 8-9. 3-pointers: 2-8 (Nikolay 2-5, Hoffman 0-1, Dorshorst 0-1, Greunke 0-1). Rebounds: 32 (Pankratz 6). Turnovers: 13. Total fouls: 9. Fouled out: none. Record: 8-5.
LOYAL (39): Anthony Schlagenhaft 3-8 0-0 7, Max Luchterhand 1-2 2-2 4, Mason Froeba 2-11 0-0 4, Kyle Genteman 4-11 0-2 10, Nick Schlagenhaft 4-7 0-0 9, Jeremy Schiller 1-4 3-4 5, Richard Oestreich 0-2 0-0 0, Cale Cuddie 0-0 0-0 0, Tyler Meyer 0-0 0-0 0. FG: 15-45. FT: 5-8. 3-pointers: 4-13 (Genteman 2-5, A. Schlagenhaft 1-3, N. Schlagenhaft 1-4, Oestreich 0-1). Rebounds: 22 (Schiller 7). Turnovers: 18. Total fouls: 8. Fouled out: none. Record: 5-9.
Contact Paul Lecker at paul@marshfieldareasports.com
