MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Jan. 16–23)
SRW GIRLS BASKETBALL: River Ridge 67, #4 Potosi/Cassville 58
By A.J. Gates, Herald Independent
Timberwolves hand #4 Chieftains first conference loss
POTOSI — Trailing by as many as 12 points late in the first half, coach Jim Wagner’s River Ridge Timberwolves used an inspirational second half performance to pull off a 67-58 victory over the host Chieftains of Potosi in a Six Rivers West boys basketball battle last Friday night.
The win propelled coach Wagner’s Timberwolves to a league record of 5-2 and overall mark of 11-4, keeping them well in the hunt for this year’s conference title. It also avenged a one-point loss to the Chieftains earlier this season on Dec. 5.
After going unbeaten through the first go-around to their conference schedule, Friday night’s start to the second half brought with it the first conference loss for coach Mike Uppena’s Chieftains, who remain atop the league standings at 6-1, and are now 12-2 overall.
Friday night’s contest saw the host Chieftains jump out to an early 8-0 lead before the Timberwolves answered with seven consecutive points to pull back within one point six minutes into the contest.
Behind a 10-point scoring surge by senior Gavin Wunderlin, the Chieftains outscored River Ridge 22-11 in the next eight minutes to claim their largest lead of the game at 30-18 with 3:25 to play in the opening half.
River Ridge’s comeback effort essentially began with 3:13 to play in the first half, as a pair of 3-pointers from Brady Bunge sparked a 9-4 scoring run to close out the session for the Timberwolves, who trailed at the half, 34-27.
“The game didn’t start off to well for us as we got in foul trouble early,” said River Ridge coach Jim Wagner. “However, the guys that came off the bench all did a great job and we only trailed 34-27 at the half.”
The Chieftains, who never trailed in the first half, got a team-high 10 points from Wunderlin, and seven from Isaiah Groom, while River Ridge was led by Bunge’s 13 points, which included four 3-pointers.
The second half belonged to River Ridge sophomore point guard Brandon Davis, who after being held scoreless in the first half, netted 19 points in the second on six field goals and a 6-for-7 performance at the free throw line.
Behind Davis, the Timberwolves came out in the second half with a 10-0 scoring run, claiming a 37-34 lead with 14:28 showing on the clock. River Ridge never trailed again from that point on, and extended their lead to as many as 14 points with 35 seconds to play.
The Chieftains, who were outscored 40-24 in the second half, managed to pull within six points with 5:08 to play in the game, but from that point on were outscored 10-2 in the ensuing four and a half minutes.
Down the stretch, coach Wagner’s Timberwolves converted on 6-of-9 free throw attempts in the final two minutes, including Davis, who went a perfect 4-for-4.
Despite not scoring a single point in the first half, Davis led the Timberwolves Friday night with 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the floor and 6-of-7 from the line. He also chipped in four rebounds, two steals and a team-high five assists.
“We started the second half off well, coach Wagner said. “Brandon was hitting shots from both inside and out, and the team was 10-of-15 from the free throw line in the second half. It seemed every time Potosi hit a big shot, we had an answer.”
Brady Bunge was close behind with 18 points, going a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range, while Matthew Nies, who was in foul trouble throughout most the game, finished with nine point before fouling out.
After making 9-of-24 (37.5%) shot attempts from the field in the first half, the Timberwolves knocked down 13-of-21 (61.9%) in the second. They were 5-of-11 (45.5%) from downtown in the first session and 4-of-6 (66.7%) in the second.
“When you’re as good a team as they are, and you make nine 3-pointers and shoot it pretty well, it’s going to be pretty tough to get them,” Uppena said of the Timberwolves.
“We weren’t shooting well. WE had descent looks I thought in the paint, and we didn’t knock them down,” Uppena added. “We also turned the ball over too many times, which is something we need to clean up.”
Potosi, who has been making a living in the post this season, was outscored by the Timberwolves, 26-24, down low, and made 20-of-57 (35.1%) total shot attempts, including 5-of-16 (31.3%) from long range.
Wunderlin, who scored 10 points in the first half, finished with a team-high 18 on 6-of-17 shooting from the floor and 4-of-5 from the line. He also chipped in five rebounds, three assists and three steals in the loss.
Isaiah Groom, who was held to just four points in the second half, finished with 11, while also pulling down six boards. Dawson Weber chipped in eight points, followed by Aidan Uppena with seven.
The Chieftains remain atop the Six Rivers West conference standings and control their own destiny if they want to repeat as league champions.
“To go through a season without some losses is kind of unrealistic in this day and age,” explained coach Uppena. “We just have to keep working on our stuff and keep getting better as we go.”
River Ridge 67, #4 Potosi 58
(from Friday, Jan. 19 @ Potosi)
River Ridge.....27 30 — 67
Potosi...............34 24 — 58
River Ridge (11–4, 5–2) — Brandon Davis 19, Ty Adrian 5, Brady Bunge 18, Carter Copsey 6, Matthew Nies 9, Drake Barribeau 3, Andrew Nies 3, Luke Patterson 4. Totals — 22-45 14-24 67.
Potosi (12–2, 6–1) — Jaxon Oyen 6, Dawson Weber 8, Oliver Post 5, Isaiah Groom 11, Aidan Uppena 7, Gavin Wunderlin 18, Ryan Stoney 3. Totals — 20-57 13-18 58.
3-point goals — RR: 9-18 (Davis 1, Bunge 5, Copsey 2, Nies 1), P: 5-16 (Oyen 1, Uppena 1, Wunderlin 2, Stoney 1). Team fouls — RR: 18, P: 22. Fouled out: P: I. Groom.
