Eagles fly high

Four games into the young season, it’s clear where Sauk Prairie’s boys basketball team will hang its hat this winter. “The identity of our team is our defense,” Eagles coach Sean McGann said. “We hold the standard very high on that end of the floor, and this group is so coachable.” Boy, are they ever. The Eagles have raced to a 4-0 start, largely because they’re allowing just 41.8 points per game. Sauk Prairie continued its early-season excellence on defense with a 58-52 win over River Valley on Dec. 15 and a 54-44 victory over Watertown on Dec. 18. “They don’t whine or complain ever,” McGann said of the defensive demands. “They just compete. My assistant coaches Allan Ballweg and Garrett Schwarz have been outstanding with holding kids accountable in practice.  “The kids don’t always love it at the time, but we talk about how they will appreciate the people who pushed them to be better later on in life. That’s what my assistant coaches do. They’re awesome.” The Eagles were certainly awesome in the early going against River Valley. Sauk Prairie raced to a 33-19 halftime lead, then held off a mini-charge in the second half. Brandt Wilson led the Eagles with 26 points and Devin Breunig added 18. Devin Kerska chipped in with six. Despite the win, McGann wasn’t thrilled afterwards. “River Valley game was not a game I loved,” he said. “We got off to a great start and it almost seemed like we took our foot off the gas. Elliot Drew was able to come in and give us an awesome spark off the bench. Always great to learn those lessons in wins.” McGann was much happier after Sauk Prairie’s win over Watertown. Devin Breunig led the way with 20 points, while Wilson scored 12 and Isaac Breunig added 11. Sauk Prairie built a 22-19 halftime lead and continued to extend that advantage during an impressive second half. Sauk Prairie also held Oliver Meyers — the Gosling’s top scorer — to just nine points. Lucas Been, Kyle Been and Tyler Uselman led the way on Meyers. “Watertown was a great team effort,” McGann said. “Most people would think that his primary defender must’ve done a good job, but we are a team defense. Great win against a solid Watertown team.” In all, McGann is extremely pleased how his team has performed to begin the year. Sauk Prairie’s average margin of victory is 6.0 points per game and its largest win has been by 10 points. But the Eagles haven’t flinched in any of their nailbiters. “We have managed to make some big plays in close games this season,” McGann said. “The hard thing about late game situations is that it’s very difficult to simulate in practice. “We still can be better with our decision making in late games. We need to be tougher with the ball and make teams pay for pressuring us so far out from the basket. We will learn from our four games so far and keep growing in that area.” The Eagles are also making gains on offense, as players other than Wilson are seeing their roles increase. “Brandt has scored the ball exceptionally well so far for us, but we have had some great contributions from Devin Breunig, as well,” McGann said. “Devin is a kid who can score out of his defense and attacks the rim really hard.  “We will continue to get Isaac Breunig going, as well. He has proven to be a player who can carry us at times offensively.  “Devin Kerska also created a great spark for us off the bench against Watertown. I’m super excited about Kerska. He has a lot to learn, but nobody on our team loves basketball more than Devin Kerska. He’s the first kid I ever had to kick out of the gym for being in there too often. You need kids like that.”   Dec. 15 SAUK PRAIRIE 58,  RIVER VALLEY 52 Sauk Prairie …… 33 25 — 58 River Valley …… 19 33 — 52 SAUK PRAIRIE (fg ft-fta pts) — Been 0 2-2 2; Uselman 0 1-2 1; I. Breunig 0 3-4 2; Wilson 10 4-4 26; Drew 1 0-0 2; D. Breunig 7 2-3 18; Keska 2 1-3 6. Totals 19 13-18 58. RIVER VALLEY — Nachreiner 2 3-5 8; Hying 6 0-0 13; Alt 2 1-2 6; Gloudeman 5 6-8 16; Smith 3 2-3 9. Totals 18 12-18 52. 3-point goals: SP 7 (Wilson 4, D. Breunig 2, Keska 1) RV 4 (Nachreiner 1, Hying 1, Alt 1, Smith 1). Total fouls: SP 23; RV 17. Fouled out: I. Breunig, Smith.   Dec. 18 SAUK PRAIRIE 54,  WATERTOWN 44 Watertown …….... 19 25 — 44 Sauk Prairie ……. 22 32 — 54 WATERTOWN (fg ft-fta pts) — Wehner 1 1-2 3; Meyers 3 3-4 9; Shelton 2 0-0 2; Lampe 2 0-0 2; Gapinski 5 1-2 12; Roberts 5 0-0 10; Clifford 2 0-0 4; Totals 19 5-8 44. SAUK PRAIRIE — K. Been 2 0-0 2; I. Breunig 4 2-2 11; Wilson 5 2-3 12; D. Breunig 8 4-5 16; Kerska 1 6-9 9. Totals 19 14-20 54. 3-point goals: W 1 (Gapinski); SP 2 (Kerska 1, I. Breunig 1). Total fouls: W 16; SP 18. Fouled out: Gapinski.