SHULLSBURG — The #10th-ranked Potosi Chieftains held on to their comfortable two-and-a-half game lead atop the Six Rivers West standings after muscling past the Shullsburg Miners, 59-47, in a physical prep boys’ basketball battle at SHS on Tuesday, Jan. 30.
    Junior guard Jacob Berendes returned to Shullsburg’s line-up after missing the team’s previous two games to pour in a game-high 25 points, including a 9-for-11 performance from the foul line.
    Potosi (12-5 overall, 8-0 SRW) had nine different players score in the opening half to lead the team out to a 28-23 halftime lead.
    Berendes netted 10 points in the first half, while juniors Kyle Klotz and Alex Wand chipped in with five and four points, respectively, to keep the hosts on the Chieftains’ heels.
    Sophomore Ryan Kruser scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the second half, sinking all three of the team’s 3-pointers in the period, to keep the Chieftains in the lead. Senior Alex Udelhofen chipped in with five of his 11 points in the period.
    Shullsburg scored 14 of their 24 second-half points from the free throw stripe, but the Miners were limited to just four field goals in the second half as Potosi remained unbeaten in West play with a 12-point victory.
    The Miners out-shot the Chieftains from beyond the 3-point arc, 7-3, and matched them at the foul line with 18 made free throws. However, Potosi held a 16-4 edge on made shots inside the arc to earn the win.
    “It was a very physical game. Both teams shot a ton of free throws. We did a good job of being aggressive and getting to the line,” said Shullsburg head coach Luke Tyson. “I thought we played a solid game against a very good Potosi team. We just weren’t able to make enough plays to get the job done.”
    Klotz finished with seven points for the Miners.
    Ethan Groom tallied 10 points and Nick Edge added eight for the Chieftains.
    Benton’s Rock The Gym make-up game against Shullsburg was postponed once again on Monday night due to the wintry weather. It has been rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 10. The junior varsity game will start at 1 p.m. 
    Next up, Shullsburg has a SRW game at Belmont (1-14, 1-8) on Thursday, Feb. 8.


Shullsburg…….. 23   24 – 47
Potosi……......... 28   31 – 59
    Potosi – A. Udelhofen 11, Bierman 3, Curtis 4, Carbone 3, Kruser 15, Schmitz 1, Groom 10, B. Udelhofen 4, Edge 8. Totals – 19  18-30  59.
    Shullsburg – Jacob Berendes 25, Alex Wand 4, Joseph Turpin 1, Dylan Heim 1, Griffin Wiegel 2, Kyle Klotz 7, Oren Charles 2, Oscar Ortiz 3, Isaac Hoppman 2. Totals – 11  18-24  47.
    3-point goals– S 7 (Turpin 1, Ortiz 1), P 3 (Kruser 3). Total fouls– S na, P na Fouled out– na.