Scotties Find Redemption Against Wolf Point After Sweep by Malta

The first half of the season flew by with a blink of an eye. The Scotties will face all of their opponents again in the coming weeks, looking for revenge or repeat wins, all the while seeking to get on the same page with their offensive minds and peak as tournament time comes.

Here is how District 2B is shaking out at mid-season. Both Glasgow and Poplar are 2-2, behind Malta's undefeated 4-0. Wolf Point and Harlem, both 1-3, are at the bottom of the pack. If Glasgow had been able to defeat Harlem back on Jan. 9, it would be holding a strong second place now. Harlem was defeated by both Poplar and Wolf Point, which were both defeated by Glasgow.

According to head coach Norm Braaten, the fourth- and fifth-place teams are to have a one-game playoff to determine who will get into the district tournament. The tournament will be hosted by GHS on Feb. 18-20.

With a loss to Malta and a victory over Wolf Point last week, the Scotties came away from the split knowing what they need to work on. Braaten points out that while the boys are doing strong defensive work, the offense is coming together slowly. As he has said repeatedly, he would like to see the kids "relax, slow down mentally, see the whole floor and make better decisions."

This week the team will have two opportunities to practice just that. The Sidney Eagles come to town on Thursday, Jan. 21, then the Scotties travel to Saco to take on the North Country Mavericks on Friday, Jan. 22.

The Scotties lost to Sidney, 49-34, back on Dec. 17. Unforced turnovers were the biggest culprit and the Scotties will want to take care of the ball this time. The 66-33 victory over the North Country on Dec. 18 at home was the Scotties' first win. Expect Maverick high scorer Trace Simonson, who was absent in that game, to make noise for the Mavericks.

Scottie junior Luke Breigenzer is out for three weeks with a foot injury.

Malta 58, Glasgow 39

The rivalry pulled three key Malta players into foul trouble early on, and Malta picked up seven team fouls five minutes into the first quarter. Scottie sophomore Bryce Legare took advantage and went 4-6 from the free-throw line in the first half.

As the game settled, so did the Mustangs' control over the floor and the Scotties found themselves fighting to gain and keep possessions, which had become slippery with 25 turnovers.

The third quarter was a bright spot. Aggressive drives from the Scotties allowed Glasgow to keep pace with the Mustangs by scoring 17 points, with contribution from every player of the seven-man rotation. Glasgow had been outscored by Malta by 8, 6 and 5 points in the other three quarters. Coach Braaten noted that his crew did an admirable job with defense.

The lop-sided game was not without some highlights. Ethan Etchart drained a buzzer-beating jumper at the end of the third quarter, and Tyler Hersom followed suit with a three at the fourth. Junior Brayden Ross came off the bench in the fourth quarter and got the G-town fans clapping when he blocked a shot off of Allen Williamson. Ross later scored a bucket himself.

It was freshman Cade Myrick who led the Scottie scoreboard with eight points and six rebounds. Zach Miller added 6, Legare 6, Etchart 5, Hersom 5, Trent Herbert 5, Chase Hughes 2, and Ross 2. The team went 8-10 from the free-throw line.

Allen Williamson was the high scorer for the Mustangs with 21 points, followed by Devon Raybon 14, Ostin Welch 8, Nate Costin 6, Hunter Love 5, Jace Bishop 2, and Tyson Carney 2. Raybon had nine rebounds. The Mustangs as a team had 16 turnovers.

Glasgow 45, Wolf Point 34

After a tight first quarter which tied briefly 9-9 and ended with Glasgow up by two, the Scotties worked steadily to put the Wolves away, and picked up a nice conference victory on the home court.

The Wolf Point team is under the direction of new head coach Scott Nasner, a Wolf Point native who had previously coached the Trinity Christian School in Williston, N.D. Former head coach Kelly Nieskens resigned from his post last year.

Both teams were evenly matched in size and speed. Knowing that defense was the key to win going into the game, the Scotties were able to neutralize the Wolves' perimeter shooting with good coverage on the outside.

They also stayed disciplined with the Wolves' inside game, sending the Wolves to the free-throw line only six times (3-6). Senior Zach Miller drew a charge on Wolves freshman Joseph Williamson. The Scotties' own free-throw shooting was 7-14, or 50 percent.

The boys moved the ball well, and offense was balanced between perimeter and the paint. They outscored the Wolves in every quarter: 15-13 in the first quarter, 11-6 second, 6-3 third, 13-12 fourth.

Each of the seven-man rotation contributed to scoring. Leading the team was Ethan Etchart with 15 points, followed by Trent Herbert 9, Zach Miller 6, Bryce Legare 5, Cade Myrick 4, Tyler Hersom 4, and Chase Hughes 2.

Scoring for the Wolves were Brady Babb 9, Logan Nefzger 7, Nathan Hamilton 6, Joseph Williamson 4, Morgan Bauer 4, Owen Lepper 2, and Andrew Heser 2.