Tigers are MBC champs for first time since 1994

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The New Richmond boys basketball team locked up a share of the Middle Border Conference title, its first conference title since 1994, when the Tigers beat Prescott 59-43 last Friday.

The Tigers will be looking to lock up sole ownership of the 2007-08 MBC title in their next conference game, which will be played this Thursday at Ellsworth. The Tigers will also be playing at home next Monday in an MBC game against Baldwin-Woodville that is a makeup of a previous postponement.

In Friday’s win over Prescott, the Tigers had their usual scoring burst at the start of the game, getting out to a 12-4 lead in the first five minutes of the game.

The Tigers then got a little lackadaisical in taking care of the ball. They turned the ball over several times without getting a shot, and Prescott took advantage. By early in the second quarter, the score was tied 13-13.

The bench played a big role in the Tigers re-establishing their lead. Reserves Derek Sabby, Lance Bauer, John Peper and Jerrod Berget did all of the team’s scoring in the second quarter. By halftime the Tigers were able to re-establish their lead, at 24-18.

“The guys six through nine (the team’s top four reserves) keep working hard and I have no reservations going to them,” said Tiger coach Rick Montreal. “I think the bench has turned into one of the strengths of the team.”

The Tigers started the second half with a 10-1 run and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the game.

In the second half the Tigers did a much better job of establishing themselves around the offensive hoop. They scored off several offensive rebounds in the second half. They also made a concerted effort to score from the low post in the second half.

The Tigers went to their “four-out” offense, with four players on the perimeter and one player locked up one-on-one in the low post. Montreal looks at which player has the most favorable matchup for working in the post. As in many of the games, it was guard Hayden Zimmerman who got most of the turns in the low post.

“Hayden finishes very well from the low block,” Montreal said. With Zimmerman’s strength and jumping ability, most guards can’t stand their ground against Zimmerman on the low block.

Senior Brett Anderson led the Tigers with 19 points. Anderson was a big part of the Tigers’ fast start, scoring seven points in the first quarter. Zimmerman finished with 10 points and Berget and Bauer each scored seven points.

The seeding for the WIAA boys basketball regionals is scheduled to be done this weekend. The Tigers are close to being a lock as the number one seed in the region, with a 15-1 record. The first round of WIAA boys tournament play will come on Tuesday, Feb. 19.

New Richmond 59, Prescott 43

PRESCOTT (43)

(FG-FT-FTA-PTS)

Seifert 2 0-0 4, Harris 3 2-2 9, Hei 0 1-2 1, Krings 1 0-0 2, Huebner 1 2-4 4, Soberg 1 0-0 3, Mossong 0 0-0 0, Resch 3 5-6 14, Jerrick 1 0-0 2, Olson 2 0-0 4. Totals 14 X10-14 43.

NEW RICHMOND (59)

Peper 2 1-2 5, B.Anderson 8 2-2 19, Mitchell 0 0-0 0, Berget 2 1-1 7, Zimmerman 4 2-3 10, T.Anderson 0 0-0 0, Sabby 2 0-0 4, Bauer 3 0-0 7, McCarthy 0 0-0 0, O’Flanagan 1 0-0 2, Stovall 1 0-4 2, Kittel 0 0-0 0, Emerson 0 0-0 0, Hansen 1 1-2 3. Totals 24 7-14 59.

Prescott 8 10 14 11 43

New Richmond 12 12 19 16 59

Three-point goals -- Harris, Soberg, Resch 3, B.Anderson, Berget, Bauer. Fouled out -- none. Total fouls -- Prescott 11, New Richmond 11.

Tags: sports, basketball, mbc, champs