Heights boys drop two of three

Wisconsin Heights’ boys basketball team dropped two of three games last week. Richland Center defeated the Vanguards, 50-42, on Dec. 9. Heights rebounded to down St. Ambrose Academy, 64-48, on Dec. 10. Lodi then toppled the Vanguards, 74-33, last Friday. Heights is now 1-3 on the young season. Here’s a recap of the Vanguards’ week. • Richland Center 50, Wisconin Heights 42 —  Mike Fancsali had 19 points and two steals to lead the Vanguards, but it wasn’t enough. Brayden Van Riper had six rebounds and four assists, while Zach Sander added two steals. “I was pleased with our defensive effort the entire game, especially against a bigger and stronger team such as Richland Center,” Heights coach Nolan Krentz said. “We kept them scoreless the final 5+ minutes of the game, but struggled on the other end of the court the entire night.” Richland Center built an early 13-point lead, but the Vanguards closed the half on a 6-0 run and pulled within 29-22 at the break. “Unfortunately, we could not keep the momentum going in the second half,” Krentz said. That’s because Richland Center extended its lead to as many as 17 points before the Vanguards rallied late. Heights finished with 23 turnovers and struggled with Richland Center’s 2-2-1 press.   “Their size gave us fits as well in the halfcourt, altering many of our shots inside,” Krentz said. • Wisconsin Heights 64, St. Ambrose Academy 48 — Logan Duhr and Mike Fancsali both had 11 points to power the Vanguards to their first win of the year. Fancsali also added eight rebounds and two blocks, while Duhr had six assists. “All in all, it was a great getting our first win of the season and something to build on moving forward,” Krentz said. Reed Adler chipped in with 10 points, while Zach Sander had eight points and four steals. Brayden Van Riper also added eight points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Ethan Myers had eight points, seven rebounds and four steals. “Our scoring was extremely balanced against St. Ambrose as we had six players score eight or more points,” Krentz said. Heights jumped to a 16-5 lead and held a 27-19 advantage at halftime. The Vanguards’ defensive switch allowed them to rebound much better, and they went on a 25-8 burst to pull away. “We played a 2-3 zone in the first half as St. Ambrose had struggled shooting early in the season, but switched to our man-to-man defense to begin the second half and that seemed to energize us,” Krentz said. • Lodi 74, Wisconsin Heights 33 — Mike Fancsali had 15 points in a losing effort for the Vanguards. “We knew going into this game Lodi would be a tough matchup on fresh legs, let along playing our third game of the week,” Krentz said. “Unfortunately, they came out with much more intensity and we were no match for their physicality or pressure.” Brayden Van Riper had four rebounds and two assists, while Jayden Starcer added four rebounds. Lucas Lemke had three steals and two assists, while Ethan Myers had two assists and a blocked shot. Heights entered the game allowing just 54.0 points per game, but trailed, 51-17 at halftime. The Vanguards played better in the second half, but shot just 35.1% from the field for the night. “Our defense had been solid through our first three games … but that was not the case in the first half,” Krentz said. “Offense was a struggle, as well. We did a better job taking care of the ball against Lodi, but couldn’t get shots to fall and they did a great job limiting our second chance opportunities as we finished with only five offensive rebounds for the game.” • On deck: Heights was at Wonewoc-Center Tuesday, then travels to River Valley Thursday for a 7 p.m. game.