ALBANY - A flurry of third-quarter scoring gave the Albany boys basketball team the lead against Shullsburg Tuesday, but the Comets could not hold and fell 51-44 at home.
Albany junior Isaiah Shell led the way for the Comets with 18 points, and he scored 15 of them in the second half. Shell's second-half surge was indicative of the Comets' up-and-down play.
After entering the locker room down 28-15, Albany surged back in the third quarter by outscoring the Miners 18-2. The tables turned in the fourth quarter, though, as Platteville outscored the Comets 21-11 to claim the victory.
Albany head coach Derik Doescher said patience was the deciding factor in the momentum swing at the end.
"The biggest difference in the fourth quarter was they were patient with the basketball ... and we were not," Doescher said. "We forced a lot of shots."
Doescher said Shell had a tough time getting started offensively but was key in getting the Comets back in the game.
"He struggled from the get-go," Doescher said. "But he certainly got us back in the game. Obviously as the game wears on (the opponent) is gonna do things to take him away, and we gotta get guys to step up."
Doescher said one player that showed promise of complementing Shell was center Tyler Van Dusen, who finished with nine points. The senior scored his nine points in about 10 minutes of play but got into foul trouble. He eventually fouled out.
"He was definitely doing some positive things," Doescher said "but we gotta keep him on the floor."
The Comets take on Beloit Turner at home on Saturday night.
Platteville 52, Juda 41
PLATTEVILLE - The Juda boys basketball team made a fourth-quarter charge against Platteville Tuesday night, but by that point the game was out of reach and the Panthers fell 41-52.
Both teams struggled out of the gate, with Juda leading only 8-2 at the end of the first quarter. Juda head coach Mike Armitage said the early struggles were typical for the first game of the season.
That said, he didn't want to chalk the loss up to it being their first game or any other excuse.
"To be honest with you, I don't think we ever settled in," Armitage said. "I think (Platteville is) going to be a decent team. I think we got beat by a decent team but not a great team. Being our first game, it definitely showed. We are certainly a long way from where we want to be."
Senior Kade Allen led all Panthers in scoring with 11 points, followed by fellow senior Matt Trotter who had nine points. Sophomore Cory Segner, senior Cody Suiter and junior Pat Bergum all scored six points.
Platteville got to the free throw line often against the Panthers and put down most of their shots, hitting 16 of 19 at the line.
Armitage said his team played different in the final quarter, but he's looking for that same intensity over the entire game.
"We need to learn to play 32 minutes," he said. "I don't know where that was the entire game. That intensity wasn't there. When push came to shove we started doing some things.
"We gotta get much closer to 32 and that's not going to happen in one game or two games. The good part is I think we have kids that are up to the challenge."
Lakeside Lutheran 80, New Glarus 61
NEW GLARUS - New Glarus senior Gabe Noyce scored 23 points, but the Glarner Knights fell at home to Lakeside Lutheran, 80-61.
Junior Patrick Elzen, in his first varsity start, added 16 points, and New Glarus coach Travis Sysko was pleased with both his and Noyce's performance.
"I thought that was a great start to the year for Gabe. I'm really happy for him," Sysko said. "Patrick was definitely a bright spot for us. He's our point guard, and Lakeside is a tough team (for point guards) to play against."
Senior Jason Eternick led the way for the Warriors with 20 points, and junior guard Micah Torgerson added 18 points.
Sysko liked some of the things he saw from his team the first game of the season but noted there are still things to work on.
"I thought we did some good things tonight," Sysko said. "I thought our toughness was good tonight. It was a pretty physical game, and I thought we handled ourselves well. It's more some of the fundamentals we gotta work on."
The Glarner Knights will host Monticello on Saturday.
Clinton 63, Brodhead 51
BRODHEAD - The Brodhead boys basketball team dropped their conference opener to Clinton Tuesday night, 63-51.
Josiah DeLorme led the Cardinals with 23 points. Griffin Day was another key contributor for Brodhead, scoring 14 points.
Clinton was led in scoring by Eric DeLong, who recorded 20 points.
Brodhead's next game is against Palmyra-Eagle on Nov. 29.
Albany junior Isaiah Shell led the way for the Comets with 18 points, and he scored 15 of them in the second half. Shell's second-half surge was indicative of the Comets' up-and-down play.
After entering the locker room down 28-15, Albany surged back in the third quarter by outscoring the Miners 18-2. The tables turned in the fourth quarter, though, as Platteville outscored the Comets 21-11 to claim the victory.
Albany head coach Derik Doescher said patience was the deciding factor in the momentum swing at the end.
"The biggest difference in the fourth quarter was they were patient with the basketball ... and we were not," Doescher said. "We forced a lot of shots."
Doescher said Shell had a tough time getting started offensively but was key in getting the Comets back in the game.
"He struggled from the get-go," Doescher said. "But he certainly got us back in the game. Obviously as the game wears on (the opponent) is gonna do things to take him away, and we gotta get guys to step up."
Doescher said one player that showed promise of complementing Shell was center Tyler Van Dusen, who finished with nine points. The senior scored his nine points in about 10 minutes of play but got into foul trouble. He eventually fouled out.
"He was definitely doing some positive things," Doescher said "but we gotta keep him on the floor."
The Comets take on Beloit Turner at home on Saturday night.
Platteville 52, Juda 41
PLATTEVILLE - The Juda boys basketball team made a fourth-quarter charge against Platteville Tuesday night, but by that point the game was out of reach and the Panthers fell 41-52.
Both teams struggled out of the gate, with Juda leading only 8-2 at the end of the first quarter. Juda head coach Mike Armitage said the early struggles were typical for the first game of the season.
That said, he didn't want to chalk the loss up to it being their first game or any other excuse.
"To be honest with you, I don't think we ever settled in," Armitage said. "I think (Platteville is) going to be a decent team. I think we got beat by a decent team but not a great team. Being our first game, it definitely showed. We are certainly a long way from where we want to be."
Senior Kade Allen led all Panthers in scoring with 11 points, followed by fellow senior Matt Trotter who had nine points. Sophomore Cory Segner, senior Cody Suiter and junior Pat Bergum all scored six points.
Platteville got to the free throw line often against the Panthers and put down most of their shots, hitting 16 of 19 at the line.
Armitage said his team played different in the final quarter, but he's looking for that same intensity over the entire game.
"We need to learn to play 32 minutes," he said. "I don't know where that was the entire game. That intensity wasn't there. When push came to shove we started doing some things.
"We gotta get much closer to 32 and that's not going to happen in one game or two games. The good part is I think we have kids that are up to the challenge."
Lakeside Lutheran 80, New Glarus 61
NEW GLARUS - New Glarus senior Gabe Noyce scored 23 points, but the Glarner Knights fell at home to Lakeside Lutheran, 80-61.
Junior Patrick Elzen, in his first varsity start, added 16 points, and New Glarus coach Travis Sysko was pleased with both his and Noyce's performance.
"I thought that was a great start to the year for Gabe. I'm really happy for him," Sysko said. "Patrick was definitely a bright spot for us. He's our point guard, and Lakeside is a tough team (for point guards) to play against."
Senior Jason Eternick led the way for the Warriors with 20 points, and junior guard Micah Torgerson added 18 points.
Sysko liked some of the things he saw from his team the first game of the season but noted there are still things to work on.
"I thought we did some good things tonight," Sysko said. "I thought our toughness was good tonight. It was a pretty physical game, and I thought we handled ourselves well. It's more some of the fundamentals we gotta work on."
The Glarner Knights will host Monticello on Saturday.
Clinton 63, Brodhead 51
BRODHEAD - The Brodhead boys basketball team dropped their conference opener to Clinton Tuesday night, 63-51.
Josiah DeLorme led the Cardinals with 23 points. Griffin Day was another key contributor for Brodhead, scoring 14 points.
Clinton was led in scoring by Eric DeLong, who recorded 20 points.
Brodhead's next game is against Palmyra-Eagle on Nov. 29.
