Gary Seymour, sports@wolfrivermedia.com
Photo by Jen Kuhn Menominee Indian’s Ron Frechette III looks to dish over the outstretched arms of Gresham’s Christian Haffner during Gresham’s 59-43 CWC-10 victory Tuesday night.
Photo by Jen Kuhn Dustin Waupoose of Menominee Indian rolls in a neat layup Tuesday night during the Eagles’ 59-43 CWC-10 loss to Gresham.
If ever there was a time when the Gresham Community School boys basketball team appeared ripe to be upset, it might have been Tuesday night.
The Wildcats, matched against a tough, athletic Menominee Indian club seeking to end a three-game losing streak, were without the services of three regulars and suited only seven players.
Ultimately, though, the seven Gresham coach Jeff Zobeck ran out were enough.
Christian Haffner rattled home 19 points, Neal Cerveny added 16 and sophomore center Derek Bowman turned in a strong floor game as the Wildcats rode a fast start to a 59-43 victory.
“We were a little short-handed, but we did alright with the players we had out there,” Zobeck said. “In the first half, I thought we gave up some offensive rebounds that we shouldn’t have, and settled for some shots that maybe we shouldn’t have. But we’re a good shooting team.”
Gresham (16-2, 12-2 CWC-10), the No. 6-ranked team in Division 5, raced in front 9-0 and took an 18-5 lead after one quarter. With Haffner dropping in 16 of his game-high total in the first half, including the last seven points scored in the half, the Wildcats looked ready to blow out Menominee Indian (10-7, 7-7).
Behind Alphonso Smith Jr. (14 points, eight rebounds), Dustin Waupoose (nine points), Mike Pecore (nine points) and an effective fullcourt press, the Eagles fought back, trimming a 20-point deficit to 53-41 with 4:01 left in the fourth quarter.
“That’s one thing we can say, we didn’t quit,” Menominee Indian coach Brandon Frechette said. “Their fast style of play gave us a lot of trouble. We prepared for their man-to-man defense. We haven’t seen them play a lot of zone, so that might have thrown us off a bit. But they’re a solid team and they run well. If you don’t hustle and get back on defense, it’s going to cost you. And it did to us tonight.”
The Eagles couldn’t get the big play when they needed it, as evidenced when Adam Waukau hit an apparent long 3-pointer that would have cut Gresham’s lead to 11, only to have the bucket whistled off when it was ruled he’d stepped out of bounds on the shot. Waupoose made one of his four steals moments later but Menominee Indian turned the ball right back over.
Gresham’s Kalen Fischer made his presence felt off the bench, scoring eight points, including six in a row during one stretch of the third quarter.
Zobeck joked about his team’s No. 6 rank, pointing out that the Wildcats had twice previously climbed as high as No. 3 — only to lose their next game both times.
“We don’t want to be ranked third anymore,” he said. “But we still want to contend for a conference title, and be playing our best basketball when it’s time for the regionals. Every time we’ve had some kind of adversity this season, we’ve always had guys step up.”
Gresham (59)
Ile 2 0-0 5, C. Haffner 6 4-5 19, Cerveny 4 7-7 16, Fischer 4 0-0 8, Bowman 3 0-0 6, D. Haffner 2 0-0 5
Menominee Indian (43)
Corn 2 0-0 5, Pecore 3 2-2 9, Waupoose 3 1-2 9, Penass 2 0-0 4, Frechette III 0 2-2 2, Smith Jr. 5 3-5 14
Gresham 18 17 11 13 — 59
Menominee Indian 5 12 9 17 — 43