SHULLSBURG – Juniors Hunter Matye and Noah Wand combined for 25 of Shullsburg’s 37 second-half points to lead the host Miners over the Scales Mound Hornets, 59-53, in a non-conference boys’ basketball game at SHS on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
    Matye netted 15 of his game-high 24 points in the final 18 minutes of play to pace the Miners’ attack, while Wand added 10 of his 15 points in the second half of play.
    Already leading 22-19 at the half, the Miners opened the second half with a 20-7 scoring run to build up a 42-26 advantage.
    The Shullsburg lead swelled to as many as 19 on a pair of free throws by Wand with 3:35 remaining, but the game was far from over.
    Three straight 3-pointers by Hornet senior Kyle Wienen cut the gap to 56-46 with 1:49 to play and another 3 by Jalen Phillips with 1:03 to go got the Hornets as close as 57-51, but they could get no closer as the Miners held on for the win in their opener.
    “I thought we played the first 32 and a half minutes with great defensive energy and commitment to being in position. It took us a little while to find our groove offensively, but when we did we got on a good roll,” said Shullsburg head coach Mark Lierman. “The last three and a half minutes we lost our edge defensively and Scales Mound was able to make some uncontested shots.”
    Matye added seven assists, five rebounds and five steals along with his 24 points, while Wand chipped in with 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals.
    Junior guard Cameron Doyle tallied seven points and five assists for the Miners. Junior guard Lance Lierman added five points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, while junior center Joey Meyer provided five points, six assists, five steals and a blocked shot.
    “The keys to victory were our defensive team play and our movement of the ball on offense, especially in the second half,” Coach Lierman noted.
    Wienen sank six 3s on the way to a team-high 18 points, and Phillips added 16 points for the Hornets.
    Shullsburg hosts Belmont in a Six Rivers West game on Friday, Dec. 11, and the Miners remain at home to face Southwestern in a non-conference contest on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Both games are set to start at 7:30 p.m.
    “I think the Six Rivers West is going to be very competitive this year. It will be imperative that we are focused and ready to play every night,” stated Lierman.

Scales Mound… 19  34 – 53
Shullsburg…….. 22  37 – 59
    Scales Mound – Hall 2, Korte 4, Stadel 2, Phillips 16, Wienen 18, Winslow 2, Jakel 9. Totals – 12  5-6  53.
    Shullsburg – Lance Lierman 5, Hunter Matye 24, Noah Wand 15, Nathan Wedige 3, Joey Meyer 5, Cameron Doyle 7. Totals – 12  14-25  59.
    3-point goals– SM 8 (Wienen 6, Phillips 2), SH 7 (Matye 4, Doyle 2, Wand). Total fouls– SM 20, SH 11.