In a battle of size vs. marksmanship, shooting accuracy won out.
     Platteville buried seven 3-pointers and converted 16 of 19 attempts from the free throw line to defeat the much bigger Iowa–Grant Panthers 61–51 in a non-conference boys-girls double header at Platteville High School last Tuesday.
     Senior guard Nick Tashner did a little bit of everything to lead the Hillmen charge finishing with 21 points, three 3-pointers, five rebounds, five steals and four assists.
     He hit back-to-back triples early in the third quarter to give Platteville a 10-point lead at 33–23 with 5:41 left in the third.
     Tashner’s three-point play with 2:35 remaining in the game squelched a 9–4 Panther run and pushed the Hillmen lead to 11 at 54–43.
     “Nick had a great night,” said Platteville head coach Mike Huser. “That was one of the better all-around games he has played in the last two years.”
     Senior guard Derek Schambow added 14 points, four assists and had four of Platteville’s 13 steals in the game.
“We knew their size with 6-foot-9 Leverton and Connor, who is 6-foot-6, was going to give our defense some problems, but our perimeter defense put pressure on the ball and made their guards play faster than they wanted to,” added Huser.
     Leverton had a nice game with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds, but Platteville held Connor to six points and five boards.
     “They transitioned on offense very well and knocked down their shots at critical junctures,” said I–G head coach Toby Tripalin. “They out-hustled us and were able to capitalize on their easy basket opportunities where we missed numerous point blank shots.”
     On Saturday Platteville’s hot shooting to start the season went ice cold.
     The Hillmen shot just 17 percent (8-of-47) in a 48–28 loss to Mauston in another non-conference boys–girls doubleheader at Just A Game Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells.
     “That was just one of those games,” said Huser. “We just couldn’t get out of our own way. We committed 22 turnovers and shot only 2 of 20 from two-point range.”
     Platteville will travel to River Valley on Friday to open SWC play. The Hillmen will host Richland Center on Tuesday.
Iowa–Grant dominated the rebound battle Thursday night, but couldn’t overcome a 12–0 deficit to start the game as host Mineral Point held on to win by that same 12-point margin, 69–57 in the SWAL opener for both teams.
     Five-foot-11 junior Trevor Wendhausen and 5–10 sophomore Sy Staver combined to score 45 points and make five 3-pointers in the win. Wendhausen finished with 25 points and three triples, while Staver added 20 points for the winners.
     “We came out flat and then tried to establish the inside and had some success, but their two guards are outstanding and enforced their will on us,” said Tripalin. “Wendhausen and Staver are very talented and beat us with long range shots and with penetration throughout the game.”
     Leverton had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead Iowa–Grant, but the Panthers never fully recovered from their slow start. Junior guard T.J. Anderson added 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
     The Panthers will host Southwestern on Friday.

Platteville 61, Iowa–Grant 51
(from Tuesday, Nov. 27 @ Platteville)
Iowa–Grant    12      7    17    15     –  51
Platteville       15    10    22    14     –  61
Iowa–Grant (0–1) — Logan Leverton 18, Isaac Anderson 7, Tony Deutsch 2, Zach Price 7, Eli Wienkes 6, T.J. Anderson 2, Colin Conner 6, Kyle Trevorrow 3. Totals — 23 4-12 51.
Platteville (3–1) — Derek Schambow 14, Nick Tashner 21, Kevin Wruble 6, Ben Kroll 2, B.J. Cooley 4, Blake Wagner 4, Tanner Ames 6, Adam Brogley 4. Totals — 22 16-19 52.
3-point goals — IG: 1 (I. Anderson); P: 7 (Schambow 2, Tashner 3, Wruble 2). Team fouls — IG: 18, P: 17. Fouled out - none.

Mauston 48, Platteville 28
(from Saturday, Dec. 1 @ Wisc. Dells)
Platteville    7      3    10      8     –  28
Mauston    16    10      7    15     –  48
Platteville (3–2) — Derek Schambow 7, Nick Tashner 6, Kevin Wruble 12, Ben Kroll 1, Adam Brogley 2. Totals — 8 6-15 28.
Mauston (4–3) — Heesch 13, Manthe 12, Thompson 9, Stoughtenger 5, Reicks 5, Nelson 4. Totals — 18 9-16 48.
3-point goals — P: 6 (Schambow 2, Tashner 1, Wruble 3); M: 2 (Manthe 1, Stoughtenger 1. Team fouls — P: 9, M: 11. Fouled out - none.

Mineral Point 69, Iowa–Grant 57
(from Thursday, Nov. 29 @ Mineral Point)
Iowa–Grant       12    12    14    19     –  57
Mineral Point    20    15    14    20     –  69
Iowa-Grant (0–3, 0–1) — Logan Leverton 18, Isaac Anderson 5, Tony Deutsch 2, Zach Price 6, Eli Wienkes 4, T.J. Anderson 14, COlin Conner 6, Kyle Trevorrow 2. Totals — 27 5-9 57.
Mineral Point (3–1, 1–0) — Staver 20, Ewers 4, Poad 6, Wendhausen 25, Leonard 2, Schultz 12. Totals — 28 18-28 69.
3-point goals — IG: 2 (I. Anderson, T. Anderson); MP: 5 (Wendhausen 3, Staver 2). Team fouls — IG: 23; MP: 11. Fouled out — IG: Deutsch, Wienkes.