CASSVILLE — Behind a double-double effort from sophomore Ethan Groom, the Potosi varsity boys’ basketball team picked up a 61–53 win over host Cassville in a Six Rivers West conference contest last Thursday night.
Groom led the Chieftains with 16 points and 10 rebounds to go along with a team-high three assists, as Potosi improved to 2–1 in league play and 3–2 overall with the win.
Fellow sophomore’s Brady Curtis and Will Bierman chipped in 13 and 12 points respectively, as the sophomore trio accounted for 41 of their team’s 61 points.
Just missing out on a double-double of his own was Potosi junior Alex Udelhofen, who chipped in eight points and pulled down 10 boards.
Defending their home floor, Cassville held a slim two-point halftime lead of 24–22, but was outscored by the Chieftains 39–29 in the second half as coach Mike Uppena’s squad pulled away for the eight-point win.
The loss dropped coach Jacob Bernetzke’s Comets to 0–6 overall and 0–2 in the Six Rivers West.
Sophomore guard Mason Infield led Cassville with a game-high 22 points, while fellow sophomore Ty Bausch added 16 for the Comets. On an interesting note, 85 of the 114 total points scored in the game were scored by sophomores.
On the night, Potosi made 18 of 54 (33 percent) shot attempts, including 3 of 12 (25 percent) from 3-point range. The Chieftains were 16 of 26 (62 percent) from the free throw line, committed 15 turnovers and came away with seven team steals.
Two nights prior to Thursday night’s meeting, the Chieftains hosted a very strong Pecatonica team, which left town with a 69–52 non-conference victory.
The Six Rivers East co-leading Vikings got 37 points from A.J. Hendrickson, who propelled his team to a 35–27 halftime lead and the 17-point victory.
Hendrickson, the 2016 Six Rivers East co-Player of the Year, has been a handful for the opposition all season, leading the conference in scoring at 29.8 points per game. Kole Kent added 14 points and Coleten Schaepfer chipped in nine for the Vikings (7–1).
Groom and freshman Nick Edge led Cassville in scoring was, while Curtis was close behind with 11. Curtis also pulled down eight rebounds to go along with four assists and two of his team’s five steals.
Coach Uppena’s squad made 21 of 52 (40 percent) shot attempts from the field, including 6 of 18 (33 percent) from 3-point range. They were 4 of 6 (67 percent) from the free throw line and committed 17 turnovers.
Following this past Tuesday night’s home game with Benton, the Chieftains will travel to Cuba City Thursday night. Potosi will then have a two-week holiday break before hosting Albany on Tuesday, Jan. 3.
Pecatonica 69, Potosi 52
(from Tuesday, Dec. 13 @ Potosi)
Pecatonica 35 34 — 69
Potosi 27 25 — 52
Pecatonica (6–1) — Colten Schraepfer 9, Cory Linder 1, Evan Prust 2, Jake Dearth 2, Kole Kent 14, A.J. Hendrickson 37, Logan Green 2, Zach Eaton 2. Totals 69.
Potosi (2–2) — Alex Udelhofen 8, Will Bierman 2, Brady Curtis 11, Jaydon Carbone 2, Austin Schmitz 2, Ethan Groom 12, Brett Muench 3, Nick Edge 12. Totals 15-52 4-6 52.
3-point goals — Pec: n/a; Pot: 6 (Curtis 1, Groom 2, Muench 1, Edge 2). Team fouls — Pec: n/a, Pot: 19. Fouled out — none.
Potosi 61, Cassville 53
(from Thursday, Dec. 15 @ Cassville)
Potosi 22 39 — 61
Cassville 24 29 — 53
Potosi (3–2, 2–1) — Alex Udelhofen 8, Will Bierman 12, Brady Curtis 13, Jaydon Carbone 4, Nic Spriggs 4, Austin Schmitz 2, Ethan Groom 16, Nick Edge 2. Totals 21-66 16-26 61.
Cassville (0–6, 0–2) — Colin Esser 2, Ty Bausch 16, Jack Jensen 11, Mason Infield , Brandon Kinyon 2. Totals 17 15-17 53.
3-point goals — P: 3 (A. Udelhofen 1, Curtis 2); C: 4 (Bausch 1, Jensen 3). Team fouls — P: 20, C: n/a. Fouled out — none.
