MILWAUKEE — After a disappointing end to its holiday tournament, New Glarus boys basketball rebounded for a 69-62 win over Pardeeville on Friday, Dec. 30 at the Fiserv Forum as a part of the Milwaukee Bucks Prep Series.
The series began in 1991-92 with two games and has expanded to host 32 high school teams for 16 games. Afterward, the teams and their fans get to enjoy a Bucks game.
Junior Jake Roth, who scored a season-high 10 points in the game, said its an experience he won’t forget.
“It was pretty cool playing on the Buck’s court — it’s not something every team gets to do,” Roth said. “It was a cool opportunity.”
Head coach Travis Sysko, who coordinated with Pardeville head coach Chris Lindert to schedule the game, echoed Roth’s thoughts.
“It was pretty exciting when you think about the quality of players playing out there on a regular basis,” Sysko said. “Getting a win makes it that much better. It’s one of the best basketball facilities, probably in the world, so for us to get an opportunity to play here was pretty special.”
Max Marty started the game by scoring seven of the Knight’s first nine points. New Glarus added to its lead with a 3-pointer from Breckyn Thompson and a bucket each from AC Strok and Lawrence Vasquez.
Pardeeville held close with free throws from Coy Haseleu, but Ethan Friedrich’s solo nine-point run gave the Knight’s a 28-16 lead. During the run, Friedrich grabbed a loose ball and sprinted down the court for a basket and scored another two points on a fast break.
Strok scored the remaining four points of the first half for New Glarus. He had control of the ball in the final seconds of the half, but his pass to the post was tipped. Friedrich grabbed the loose ball and put up a contested shot that missed the mark as the buzzer sounded.
The Bulldogs started the second half on a 10-1 run. Eli Achterberg scored back-to-back points, dribbling right through the Knight’s defenders. Caleb Gard and Austin Hohn then made a 3-pointer each.
Roth and Jack Leonard extended New Glarus’s lead to eight, as Roth completed a three-point play at the charity stripe. Leonard then took a charge from Haseleu and scored on the other end of the court. Pardeeville worked its way back to a two-point game, though, with threes from Achterberg and Gard.
With an 8-1 run, the Bulldogs took their first lead a 51-50. Haseleau completed a three-point play and Gard sank a three.
Thompson quickly gave new Glarus the lead back with a basket from beyond the arc, but Hohn tied the game at 53 with his own basket. Roth responded with a 3-pointer and from then on, the Knights never looked back.
Strok and Parman each converted a three-point play at the charity stripe for a five-point lead. Pardeeville drew within two, but Roth and Friedrich went a combined 7-for-8 from the free-throw line down the stretch to pull away for the win.
Friedrich paced the Knights with 17 points, while Roth, who has consistently seen more minutes as of late, finished with a season best 10 points.
“When your opportunity comes, you have to make the most of it, and he for sure did that today,” Sysko said. “When you make the most of those opportunities, that leads to more minutes. He was playing so well I didn’t want to take him out. It was a great opportunity for Jake, and I’m proud of him.”
Thompson, Parman and Strok all totaled 11 points. The remaining offense came from Leonard (seven points) and Vasquez (two points).
“We said from day one, this is going to be a special experience, and we wanted to give everyone an opportunity to say they played at Fiserv,” Sysko said. “Everyone stepped in and gave a contribution, which was great to see.”
Gard and Hohn paced Pardeeville with 18 and 17 points, respectively. The third player in double figures for the Bulldogs was Achterberg with 14 points.
