Augusta starts new year with a win, O-F remains unbeaten

Augusta got the new year off to a good start and has the opportunity to keep it going.

The Beavers downed Alma/Pepin at home on Monday, Jan. 5 by a 62-46 score. AHS dominated the first half against the Eagles (4-4 overall), leading at halftime 37-14 and held that margin through the second half. Augusta made 7-of-14 threes with junior Owen Lee making three trifectas for 14 points and senior Bryce Buttke sinking tow of them as part of a team-best 18-point effort. Senior Isac Monney led the Beavers in rebounds with nine and Lee had eight. He also added four steals to his growing season-totals. And he led the team in assists with five.

Augusta is 3-5 overall but has a chance to make a winning streak to get to .500 as they are at winless Independence/Gilmanton on Thursday, Jan. 8 in Independence and host one-win Cadott on Tuesday, Jan. 13.

Osseo-Fairchild stayed undefeated at 7-0 by taking down Lincoln at home on Monday, Jan. 5, 74-48. The win gives O-F victories over several of the top teams in the Dairyland Conference: Blair-Taylor, Cochrane-Fountain City and Lincoln with Whitehall, just behind them in the Large DC standings upcoming Friday, Jan. 9 at Whitehall.

The contest was competitive in the first half and part of the second before O-F pulled away and then some with 10 minutes to go in the game. The Thunder had four players in double figures led by junior Brooks Koxlien's 18 points, 14 for senior Noah Sullivan, 13 for senior Mason Schmidt and 12 points for junior Mason Knudtson. Lincoln was led again in scoring by the Stetzer brothers: senior Jay with 11 points and sophomores Drew and Sean with nine and six points respectively.

O-F was strong defensively and dominated on the glass, lots of rebounds on both offense and defense. This result fits the team according to first-year head coach Ryan Leis.

"You could see their ability on video but since the start of the season what's been true is how coachable they and how well they learn," Leis said. "We put in a new defense for them and while at times in each game it hasn't been perfect they've still been able to play it will enough with the capacity to keep going in a long season. Likewise with rebounding, the effort and ability is certainly there for them, but they also do a good job of knowing where to be on the floor in position to get a rebound, doing their jobs in contesting for one and what to do when you do get the ball both ways. Rebounding is a combination of effort and understanding."

O-F hosts Eleva-Strum on Thursday, Jan. 9. The Cardinals (4-5) fell at Blair-Taylor on Monday, Jan. 5 by a 77-57 score. Senior Noah Martinson led E-S in scoring with 13 points. Teammates, sophomore Noah Semingson and junior Bo Windjue had 11 and 10 points respectively. B-T (3-5) got the edge on the Cards in the first half 43-23 and never let go although E-S outscored them 35-34 in the second half. The Wildcats had lost four of five before this contest. Sophomore Afton Flynn finished with team-best eight rebounds and six assists. The Cardinal also lost last week on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at Wausau Newman 57-54. Flynn had a double-double 16 points, 11 rebounds and teammate sophomore Cashton Kulig scored 13 points. Newman seniors Quincy Pfender and Lucas Piffner combined for 44 of Neman's points (25 and 19 respectively). New outscored E-S at the foul line 10-2 and made 14 steals against them.

Fall Creek (5-1) is back in action Friday, Jan. 9 at home vs. winless Bloomer. The Crickets will look to challenge for the top of the West Cloverbelt standings next Tuesday at Chippewa Falls McDonell.

Boys Basketball Standings

West Cloverbelt
Team W-L
Chippewa Falls McDonell 2-0
Eau Claire Regis 3-0
Stanley-Boyd 2-1
Elk Mound 1-1
Thorp 1-1
Fall Creek 1-1
Bloomer 0-3
Cadott 0-3
Last Week's Games
Tuesday, Dec. 30
Eau Claire Regis 75, Stanley-Boyd 57
Friday, Jan. 2
Chippewa Falls McDonell 66, Bloomer 45
This Week's Games
Tuesday, Jan. 6
Cadott at Chippewa Falls McDonell ppd.
Bloomer at Eau Claire Regis ppd.
Elk Mound at Stanley-Boyd ppd.
Fall Creek at Thorp ppd.
Friday, Jan. 9
Thorp at Elk Mound
Bloomer at Fall Creek
Chippewa Falls McDonell at Eau Claire Regis
Next Week's Games
Monday, Jan. 12
Elk Mound at Cadott
Tuesday, Jan. 13
Fall Creek at Chippewa Falls McDonell
Thursday, Jan. 15
Stanley-Boyd at Bloomer
Elk Mound at Chippewa Falls McDonell
Cadott at Thorp

Large Dairyland
Team W-L
Osseo-Fairchild 5-0
Whitehall 5-2
Eleva-Strum 3-3
Melrose-Mindoro 2-3
Augusta 2-4

Small Dairyland
Team W-L
Cochrane-Fountain City 3-1
Lincoln 4-2
Blair-Taylor 3-3
Alma/Pepin 2-3
Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran 1-3
Independence/Gilmanton 0-6

This Week's Games
Friday, Jan. 2
Lincoln 67, Alma/Pepin 61
Next Week's Games
Monday, Jan. 5
Augusta 62, Alma/Pepin 46
Blair-Taylor 70, Eleva-Strum 59
Melrose-Mindoro 80, Whitehall 60
Osseo-Fairchild 74, Lincoln 48
Tuesday, Jan. 6
Cochrane-Fountain City at Augusta ppd.
Thursday, Jan. 8
Osseo-Fairchild at Eleva-Strum
Augusta at Independence/Gilmanton
Melrose-Mindoro at Lincoln
Blair-Taylor at Alma/Pepin
Friday, Jan. 9
Osseo-Fairchild at Whitehall
Saturday, Jan. 10
Cochrane-Fountain City at Alma/Pepin
Next Week's Games
Tuesday, Jan. 13
Whitehall at Cochrane-Fountain City
Eleva-Strum at Melrose-Mindoro
Alma/Pepin at Osseo-Fairchild
Blair-Taylor at Independence/Gilmanton
Lincoln at Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran