Break on through

It took a few weeks for Sauk Prairie’s boys basketball team to field a full-squad after some early-season injuries played a role in an 0-4 start. But senior forward Trevor Spray scored a career-best 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lift the host Eagles to a 59-51 victory over Mount Horeb in a Badger North Conference game on Dec. 17. The Eagles then ended the week with a tough 56-55 loss at DeForest to head into the holiday break with a 1-5 record overall, including 1-3 in league play. Against Mount Horeb, Sauk Prairie opened the game on a 9-0 run capped by a steal and fastbreak layup by sophomore guard Sam Drescher. After several slow starts, Sauk Prairie coach Sean McGann said the fast start was a welcome relief. “We needed that one,” McGann said of the Eagles’ first overall and conference victory of the season. “We were so much tougher. Our practices have emphasized just wanting it more. It’s starting to show. It’s validating that if we practice hard, this is what happens..”  The Eagles stormed out to a 31-19 halftime lead behind Spray’s 20 points and then held off a late charge by Mount Horeb (4-3, 3-1). Sauk Prairie made 17 of 24 free throws in the second half, including 8 of 10 by Spray The Vikings got within 40-35 but that was as close as they could get.  Spray, who shot 9 of 17 from the field, also finished with two steals and two blocked shots.  “We couldn’t take him out,” McGann of Spray. “That was the best game that I’ve seen him play. He was just dominant in all facets. Against Mount Horeb, which always plays tough defense, that was big-time.” Junior Brandt Wilson added 13 points and four assists for the Eagles. Senior point guard Ben German returned to the lineup after being sidelined three games with an injury and finished with eight points. Senior Owen Ziegler led Mount Horeb, scoring 15 of his 20 points in the second half. Junior Torin Hannah chipped in with 18, including 15 in the second half. “There are things we need to improve, but (Mount Horeb) was just scoring everything at the end and making it close,” McGann said. “It was good, though, because we needed to work on late game stuff and hadn’t an opportunity to do that.” • DeForest 56, Sauk Prairie 55 — Senior Trey Schroeder hit one of two free throws with 22 seconds remaining to help the host Norskies hold off the Eagles in a Badger North Conference game last Friday night. Brandt Wilson led Sauk Prairie (1-5, 1-3 Badger North) with a game-high 20 points. Trevor Spray added 14 points and a team-best six rebounds, four steals and three assists. Senior Parker Breunig chipped in with 10 points. Schroeder led DeForest (5-1, 4-0) with 15 points. Schroeder’s free throw gave the Norskies a three-point lead before a final 3-point attempt by Sauk Prairie missed and was rebounded for a tip-in at the buzzer. • On deck: Sauk Prairie will host Dodgeville (1-4) in a non-conference game on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.   Dec. 17 Sauk Prairie 59, Mount Horeb 51 Mount Horeb ….. 19 32 — 51 Sauk Prairie …… 31 28 — 59 MOUNT HOREB (fg ft-fta pts) — Carter Gilkes 2 2-2 6, Torin Hannah 6 5-6 18, Simeon Smith 0 1-2 1, Ray Woller 1 2-2 4, Owen Ziegler 6 5-5 20, Caden Thomas 0 2-3 2. Totals 15 17-20 51. SAUK PRAIRIE — Ben German 1 6-7 8, Isaac Breunig 0 2-2 2, Trevor Spray 10 9-11 30, Brandt Wilson 4 4-6 13, Parker Breunig 2 0-0 4, Sam Drescher 1 0-2 2. Totals 18 21-28 59. 3-point goals: MH 4 (Hannah 1, Ziegler 3); SP 2 (Spray 1, Wilson 1). Total fouls: MH 19; SP 17. Fouled out: Gilkes, Woller (MH); Wilson (SP).   Dec. 20 Deforest 56, Sauk Prairie 55 Sauk Prairie …........…. 22 33 — 55 DeForest ………........... 23 33 — 56 SAUK PRAIRIE (fg ft-fta pts) — Tyler Uselman 1 0-0 2, Ben German 0 0-0 0, Brandt Wilson 8 0-0 20, Trevor Spray 6 1-1 14, Parker Breunig 3 4-4 10, Kyle Breunig 2 1-2 6, Isaac Breunig 1 0-0 3. Totals 21 6-7 55. DEFOREST — Jahyl Bonds 6 1-2 13, Max Weisbrod 2 2-2 6, Jack Creger 1 4-6 6, Trey Schroeder 4 7-8 15, Nolan Hawk 2 0-2 4, Deven Magli 4 3-5 12. Totals 19 17-25 56. 3-point goals: SP 7 (Wilson 4, Spray 1, K. Breunig 1, I. Breunig 1); D 1 (Magli 1). Total fouls: SP 18; D 18.            GIRLS    BASKETBALL Senior guard Lexi Tobias scored a career-best 20 points, and junior guard Naomi Breunig finished with 20 points to power Sauk Prairie to a 71-51 victory at host Portage in a Badger North Conference game last Thursday night. The victory sent the Eagles (5-3, 2-2 Badger North) into the holiday break on a two-game winning streak overall and in league play. “That was a really nice win for us,” Sauk Prairie coach Amber Fiene said. Tobias was 7 of 12 from the field and also pulled down five rebounds for Sauk Prairie. “She came off bench ready to play just executed our game plan, and the ball was going in, which is nice,” Fiene said of Tobias. It wasn’t a good shooting night from the field for the Eagles, who shot 34.7% (26-of-75), including just 1-of-20 from three-point range. But Sauk Prairie shot 75 percent (18-of-24) at the free-throw line, and grabbed 41 rebounds, paced by sophomore point guard Faith Holler, who grabbed six boards to go along with four assists, five steals, five tips and two points. Five other players each grabbed five rebounds for the Eagles to spread the wealth. “That was something that we emphasized that we needed to get better at,” Fiene said of the work on the offensive and defensive glass. “It was good to see us take that on.” Sauk Prairie committed 22 turnovers, but also had 24 steals that led to Portage (0-9, 0-4) committing 39 turnovers. “We did a really nice job and had some girls clicking out there together,” Fiene said of the Eagles’ defensive performance. “I thought it was one of our best games of executing what our press really stands for and what it should look like.” Senior guard Ella Schad added 12 points for Sauk Prairie, and also had five rebounds, two assists and a team-leading eight steals and eight tips on defense. “That was her best game yet since I’ve coached her,” Fiene said of Schad. “She was doing everything I needed her to do, and she is a crucial part to the success of our run and jump.”  • On deck: Sauk Prairie is off for the holiday break and returns to action at two-time defending Badger North Conference champion Beaver Dam (7-1, 4-0 Badger North) on Friday, Jan. 3 at 7:15 p.m.   Dec. 19 Sauk Prairie 71, Portage 51 Sauk Prairie ................. 32 39 — 71 Portage .......................... 24 27 — 51 SAUK PRAIRIE — Lexi Tobias 7 5-8 20, Katelyn Fishnick 3 1-2 7, Naomi Breunig 9 2-2 20, Olivia Breunig 2 0-0 4, Faith Holler 1 0-2 2, Kassia Marquardt 0 0-0 0, Madi Pertzborn 1 0-0 2, Lauren Wideen 0 2-2 2, Ella Schad 3 6-6 12, Olivia Paukner 0 2-2 2, Makenzie Breunig. Totals 26 18-24 71. PORTAGE — Bri Brandner 3 0-1 6, Katelyn Belleau 2 3-4 7, Callie Krueger 0 0-2 0, Genna Garrigan 1 0-2 2, MaKenna Bisch 6 0-1 15, Hilary Nelson 2 2-2 6, L.J. Middleton-Harris 0 0-0 0, Emma Kreuziger 3 3-7 9, Cameron Ratz 2 1-2 6, Payton Woodhouse 0 0-1 0. Totals 19 9-22 51. 3-point goals: SP 1 (Tobias); P 4 (Bisch 3, Ratz 1). Fouls: SP 19; P 14.   BOYS SWIMMING The Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights swimming team held its annual Alumni meet last Friday night with the Alumni holding off the Eagles’ varsity squad 87-81. The Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights’ JV squad, though, easily won its’ portion of the meet 100-18. In the varsity meet, the Alumni recorded first-place finishes in six individual events and the 200-yard medley and 100-yard freestyle relays. The Eagles’ varsity got first-place finishes from sophomore Matthew Loy in the 500 freestyle (5 minutes, 19.40 seconds), freshman Sam King in the 50 breaststroke (:31.12) and the 400 freestyle relay of Loy, senior Daniel Bakhchevnikov, and juniors Adam Stecker and Sam Beattie (3:13.19). • On deck: Next up for Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights is the eighth annual Sauk Prairie Invitational on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.