Eagles hit a rough patch

Sauk Prairie’s boys basketball team has gotten off to a terrific start this year. The Eagles hit some roadblocks last week, though, dropping two of three games. Sauk Prairie now sits at 6-3 on the season. Here’s a look back at the Eagles’ week: • Lake Mills 58, Sauk Prairie 47 — L-Cats standout Charlie Bender erupted for 27 points and Adam Moen added 12 as visiting Lake Mills rolled on Jan. 11. Brandt Wilson led the Eagles with 16 points and Tyler Uselman added 11. Lake Mills built a 25-20 halftime lead, then gradually pulled away in the second half. • Sauk Prairie 53, Portage 48 — Brandt Wilson poured in 27 points to lead the host Eagles past the Warriors on Jan. 14. “Brandt Wilson carried us offensively,” Eagles coach Sean McGann said. Sauk Prairie trailed, 22-20, after an uneven first half. But the Eagles made just enough plays in the second half to pull out a hard-fought win. “The Portage game was a gritty one,” McGann said. “We didn’t play well at all and Portage played much harder than us. We were able to make just enough plays to pull out a win. Credit to our guys for hanging in there and battling through the awkward stretches of the game.” • Wisconsin Dells 49, Sauk Prairie 46 — The Chiefs won their 32nd straight game and improved to 9-0 this season with a win at Sauk Prairie on Jan. 15. Wilson led the Eagles with 17 points and Devin Breunig added 11.  “Wisconsin Dells was one game that got away from us,” McGann said. “Obviously a team that has won 32 straight games doesn’t happen on accident, but we thought we had opportunities to win that one.” The Chiefs led, 28-25, at halftime then scored then scored the first seven points of the second half to take a 35-25 lead. The Eagles ripped off 10 straight points, though, and pulled even, 35-35. Wilson hit a three-pointer to start the run and Breunig had five points during that stretch. The Chiefs answered with an 11-3 burst, though, as the Dells took a 46-38 lead and never trailed again. “We had a chance at the end of the game, but it didn’t go the way we wanted and that is the beauty of the game,” McGann said. “It can come down to one-to-three plays sometimes. “Things can be so smooth and one play can literally change the entire momentum of the game. We need to find ways to battle through those game-changing moments and have more of them go our way.” • On deck: The Eagles hosted DeForest Monday, then host Baraboo Saturday at 2:45 p.m.   Jan. 15 WISCONSIN DELLS 49,  SAUK PRAIRIE 46 Wisconsin Dells .. 28 21 — 49 Sauk Prairie …….. 25 21 — 46 WISCONSIN DELLS (fg ft-fta pts) — M. Hoving 3 0-0 9, Michalsky 3 0-0 7, Funmaker 0 2-3 2, Slack 3 0-0 9, Rockwell 4 0-0 8, Witt 3 0-0 7, Nevar 2 1-2 7. Totals 18 3-5 49. SAUK PRAIRIE — Uselman 2 0-0 6, I. Breunig 2 0-0 4, Wilson 6 3-3 17, D. Breunig 5 0-2 11, Kerska 2 2-2 8. Totals 17 5-7 46. 3-point goals: WD 10 (M. Hoving 3, Slack 3, Nevar 2, Michalski 1, Witt 1); SP 7 (Uselman 2, Wilson 2, Kerska 1, D. Breunig 1). Total fouls: WD 14; SP 11. Fouled out: Kerska.   Jan. 14 SAUK PRAIRIE 53,  PORTAGE 48 Portage ………….. 22 26 — 48 Sauk Prairie …… 20 33 — 53 PORTAGE (fg ft-fta pts) — Brouette 5 2-2 16; Reichoff 2 1-1 5; Hensler 4 1-2 10; Michael 2 0-0 5; Roberts 3 6-8 12; Kopfhamer 0 0-2 0. Totals 16 10-15 48. SAUK PRAIRIE — Uselman 1 2-3 4; I. Breunig 1 0-2 3; Wilson 8 7-7 27; Ahmetaj 2 1-2 5; D. Breunig 2 1-2 5; Kerska 2 0-0 6. Totals 18 10-18 53. 3-point goals: P 6 (Brouette 4, Hensler 1, Michael 1); SP 7 (Wilson 4, Kerska 2, I. Breunig 1). Total fouls: P 18; SP 14.