A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Cromwell-Wright's Dylan Nyberg fights through defense by Carlton/Wrenshall's Matthew Shaw as the Cardinals defeated the Raptors Tuesday in Carlton.
Cromwell-Wright's JJ Shalko-Olesiak takes it to the net against the Raptors.
Carlton/Wrenshall's Matthew Shaw is guarded via the air by Cromwell-Wright's Tucker Korpi, left, and and Drew Nyberg Tuersday.
Coming off a tough loss last Friday night to Barnum, the Cromwell-Wright boys basketball team picked up its seventh win of the season Tuesday, defeating the Carlton/Wrenshall Raptors 80-48 in Carlton. Carlton/Wrenshall was fresh off its first win of the season, also last Friday, over the Floodwood Polar Bears.
"This was a big bounce back win over the Raptors," said head coach Bill Pocernich. "We had a tough loss last game with Barnum, and it was nice just to come out and play well."
The Cardinals started fast, building up a 20-point lead at the break, when the score was 43-23. Brady Dahl and Dylan Nyberg each contributed 10 first-half points while Brenden Gronner hit two three-pointers in the first half.
"Our kids fought very hard tonight," said head Raptors coach Shawn Filipiak. "We just didn't shoot well when we had the opportunity to score, and the turnovers hurt us tonight."
The Cardinals extended their lead in the second half, outscoring Carlton/Wrenshall 37-27. Cromwell-Wright shot the ball very well. The Cardinals had three players finish in double digits, including Dylan Nyberg, who ended with 21 points, Dahl with 17, and Gronner with 10 points. Other scorers included Drew Nyberg (9), JJ Skalko-Olesiak (5), Carson Hill (9), Jack Irving (2) and Tucker Korpi (7). The Cardinals improved to 7-3 on the season.
"It was nice that we could get some of our younger players in the game and allow them to get some extended playing time," Pocernich said.
The Cardinals will now square off with McGregor Friday night at home.
Jackson Korpela was the top Raptor scorer, with 20 points, followed by Karl Tuttle with 15. Also scoring for Carlton/Wrenshall were Merric, Springer (2), Matthew Shaw (9) and Bryce Bartczak (2).
Even though the Raptors fell to 1-8 overall, Filipiak said it was nice "to see our team improve game to game. They are getting better, and their basketball IQ is continuing to improve.
"We will continue to put in the hard work and prepare for March," he added.
The Raptors will host Two Harbors Friday night at home.
