Second half run helps Wildcats pull away from Cardinals

A big Blair-Taylor lead was threatened in the second half, but the Wildcats responded and pulled away with a lopsided win.

B-T led by 12 at halftime, but Eleva-Strum closed the gap to seven early in the second frame. The Wildcats responded with a run of their own and built up a 20-point lead with six minutes remaining in the game. The Norse continued to push as they went on to win 81-47.

Evan Nehring had a big game for the Wildcats as he scored 26 points while pulling down a career-high 19 rebounds. The senior also led the team with five assists and three steals. 

Nehring wasn’t alone, however, as Whitehall had four more players in double figures. Ethan Kniseley put in 18 points while Michael Waldera, Tavian Shramek and Jaren Swanson all scored 10.

“Evan really had a super night for us, but the guys really played well as a team,” coach Randy Storlie said.  “When you can get four guys into double figures and have 10 different guys score, that makes us hard to guard.”

B-T (11-9, 6-5) hit the road for a fourth straight time on Tuesday of this week when they went to Whitehall to play a Norse team that is undefeated in Dairyland Conference play. They return home to play Augusta on Thursday and on Friday will play at home again, welcoming Cochrane-Fountain City.

Friday’s game will also bring a bit of history to the Blair-Taylor gymnasium as the 1973 Blair Cardinals basketball team that played in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Tournament will be recognized prior to tipoff. That team lost to Luck, 61-51, in the Class B state semifinals at a time when there were just two divisions. 

B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-points) — Kniseley 7/14-0/0-3-18 Olson 1/1-0/0-0-3 Dummer 1/1-0/0-0-3 Waldera 3/6-2/2-1-10 Shramek 1/3-3/4-5-10 Arneson 1/1-0/0-0-2 Swanson 4/13-0/0-3-10 Wagner 1/1-0/0-0-2 Armitage 1/2-0/0-2-2 M. Nehring 0/0-0/0-2-0 E. Nehring 10/16-5/8-19-26 Stalheim 0/2-0/0-0-0