Best of the West: Branch over Liberty
by Kristen Huntley, reporter · Sports · February 12, 2020
Although the West Liberty Comets had home-court advantage, West Branch clenched another win over the Comets Feb. 4; the game ended 55-36.
The first quarter of the game did not start out strong for West Branch. They gave the Comets a few offensive rebounds, leading to easy points. The Bears found their footing and increased their lead in the second quarter. The second quarter ended with West Branch leading by double at 22-11.
“Defensively, we were really good, besides the first quarter there,” Coach Jason Kern said. “Offensively, it took us awhile to get in the flow, but once we started getting some shots and getting it high, low, and inside out, I thought the guys executed pretty well tonight.”
West Branch came out strong in the third quarter with Simon Palmer scoring almost immediately, followed by Gavin Hierseman scoring as well. They followed up their consistent scoring with a block against the Comets, and a fast break down court, letting Matt Whaley complete a scoring lay-up bringing the score to 28-15.
The Comets fought back by stealing the ball from the Bears, only Tanner Lukavsky stole it back and took it down for the Bears to make a play. West Branch went on a roll of continuous fast breaks, securing their lead over the Comets.
Two of the fast breaks included the West Liberty fouls, giving the Bears an opportunity to score an extra two points.
Matt Whalety stole the ball and as he made a fast break down the court for a lay-up, the Comets executed a technical foul, where Whaley made both free throws. The next play for West Branch happened when Peyton Miller stole the ball and went down for a lay-up, only both him and Lukavsky were fouled, bringing the score to 36-18.
In the last play of the third quarter, the Comets managed to steal the ball and go in for a three pointer, only to be blocked by West Branch sending it into a jump ball for the Comets.
“We have to make sure our bench is ready, with losing two guys we aren’t as deep so trying to really get these bench guys in the game so they are ready to go when playoffs come, and they’re comfortable in that position and they can come in off the bench and give us some good quality minutes,” Coach Kern said.
Throughout the entire game, West Branch played a tough defense, and the fourth quarter was no different. They played well and secured a good 20-point lead over West Liberty, including several points they acquired from fast breaks.
Due to the 20-point lead, Kern made the decision to put in his second- and third- string players to keep the lead. In doing so, he showcased a well-rounded team. They kept the lead until the end, finishing at 55-36.
1 2 3 4 T
WL 8 3 14 11 36
WB 6 16 20 13 55
West Branch Stats: Peyton Miller 3 1-1 9, 2 fouls; Brady Knoop 2 0-0 6, 1 rebound, 2 fouls; Matt Whaley 5 4-5 15, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 4 steals; Trey Eagle 2 1-2 7, 5
Rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 fouls; Cael Fiderlein 0 0-0 0, 1 rebound; Gavin Hierseman 2 0-0 4, 1 assist, 2 fouls; Tanner Lukavsky 0 3-4 3, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 fouls; Drake Berry 0 0-0 0, 1 rebound; Simon Palmer 3 5-7 11, 2 rebounds, 1 foul. Team Totals 17 14-19 55, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 6 steals, 1 block, 12 fouls.
West Liberty stats: Ty Jones 0 0-0 0, 2 rebounds; Caleb Wulf 4 2-2 10, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals; Brodie Kilburn 1 0-0 3, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 fouls; Hector Adames 3 0-0 7, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 foul; Austin McMichael 2 0-0 4, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 foul; Gavin Chown 4 4-6 12, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 4 fouls; Bryson Iske 0 0-0 0; Chance Thrasher 0 0-0 0, 4 rebounds, 1 foul; Ty Brooks 0 0-0 0; Jofrael Rodriguez 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 14 6-8 36, 26 rebounds, 10 assists, 6 steals, 4 blocks, 10 fouls.
West Branch 55, Marquette
Catholic 28
Feb. 3
West Branch stats: Peyton Miller 2 0-0 6, 1 rebound; Brady Knoop 1 0-0 3, 1 steal, 1 foul; Matt Whaley 3 0-0 7, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 4 steals, 2 fouls; Trey Eagle 2 0-0 5, 7 rebounds; Cael Fiderlein 0 0-0 0, 1 steal; Kelby Burger 0 0-0 0, 1 rebound; Gavin Hierseman 5 3-3 15, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 fouls; Tanner Lukavsky 4 1-2 9, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 fouls; Bryce Pickett 1 0-0 2; Andy Henson 0 0-0 0, 1 steal; Simon Palmer 4 0-0 8, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 fouls. Team Totals 22 4-5 55, 27 rebounds, 7 assists, 14 steals, 10 fouls.
Marquette Catholic stats: Nicholas Saeugling 0 0-0 0, 1 rebound; Evan Scott 0 0-0 0; Jake Anderson 0 0-0 0, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 fouls; Nolan Tracy 0 0-0 0; Aza Berthel 0 0-0 0, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 foul; Carson Michels 6 2-3 15, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 foul; Nick Hager 1 0-0 2, 4 rebounds, 1 foul; Tristan Pfiffner 0 0-0 0, 2 rebounds, 1 foul; Parker Mueller 0 0-0 0, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 foul; Matthew Brinker 4 2-2 11, 8 rebounds. Team totals 11 4-5 28, 25 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, 7 fouls.
West Branch 41, Mid-Prairie 47
Feb. 7
West Branch stats: Peyton Miller 1 0-0 3, 1 rebound, 2 steals; Matt Whaley 1 5-5 7, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 foul; Trey Eagle 3 0-0 7, 4 steals, 2 fouls; Gavin Hierseman 2 4-4 8, 4 rebounds, 3 fouls; Tanner Lukavsky 3 0-0 6, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 fouls; Simon Palmer 4 1-2 10, 1 rebound, 1 steal. Team Totals 14 10-11 41, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 9 steals, 9 fouls.
Mid-Prarie Stats: Brad Tornow 1 0-0 3,4 assists, 1 foul; Chris Miller 0 0-0 0, 1 rebound; Luke Boyse 0 0-0 0, 1 assist, 1 foul; Jacob Nonnenmann 1 0-1 2, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 fouls; Brody Miller 0 0-0 0, 1 rebound; Ethan Trimpe 1 0-0 3, 5 rebounds, 1 foul; Jack Baker 2 0-0 4, 1 rebound, 1 foul; Carter Harmsen 8 1-1 17, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 foul; Aidan Rath 8 0-0 18, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 fouls. Team Totals 21 1-2 47, 21 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 9 fouls.
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