NEW GLARUS - New Glarus boys basketball coach Travis Sysko said his team knew Marshall was a talented team coming into Thursday's Capitol South matchup.
Unfortunately for his eighth-ranked Glarner Knights, "they proved how talented they could be tonight."
Marshall (9-3, 3-1 Capitol South) seemingly couldn't miss a shot and New Glarus (9-2, 2-1) had trouble getting to the boards on both ends of the court in the Cardinals' 81-60 blowout win.
"(Marshall) played well," Sysko said. "They were the better team tonight."
Marshall started scoring right away, with Alex Koeller's (21 points) basket off the tip. The Knights answered right away when Logan Lockard connected from the corner, and New Glarus jumped out to a 7-4 lead.
But that was the only lead the Knights would have. Marshall finished the first-quarter with a 15-4 run and a lead that left the Knights' crowd a little shocked.
"I felt like for most of the game we stood around and watched," Sysko said.
The Cardinals continued making baskets and grabbing rebounds in the second quarter.
A Marshall 3-pointer and putback basket in consecutive possessions put the Cardinals up 33-19 and forced Sysko to call his second timeout.
"I thought (Marshall) did a good job of owning the glass and getting on the offensive boards," Sysko said.
Marshall led 39-25 at halftime, and continued to pull away in the second half. The Cardinals opened the half with a 3 from Greg Haag (20 points).
New Glarus opened the half with more intensity. Senior Jake Bast tried to take over the offense, driving to the hoop for a basket then hitting a 3 moments later. But despite his team-high 19 points, Marshall kept on rolling.
"Marshall's a good team. "If they get a lead on you, they're not going to let up," Sysko said. "They kept taking it to us, and rightfully so."
The Cardinals took a 19-point lead with 3:33 left in the third after a 3-pointer by Max Franklin (16 points). New Glarus cut the score to 54-39 before Marshall dropped another eight-point run.
By the start of the fourth quarter, Marshall led 62-41 and was out of reach.
The Cardinals built their biggest lead at 69-41 with 5:56 left before the benches started to empty.
"We didn't shoot as well as we have. But at the same time, we can't expect every ball to go down and we need to get on the glass ourselves," Sysko said.
New Glarus has won with its high-powered offense and balanced scoring. Typically, the Knights have three to five players in double figures. But on Thursday, only Lockard (11 points) and Bast scored in double figures.
New Glarus now has eight days off before its next game, Jan. 30 at conference leader Cambridge (5-4, 2-0).
"We certainly have a lot of work ahead of us. We don't play until next Friday, so we're going to have a lot of practice time now and get back to the basics," Sysko said. "We need to move forward. We're still sitting in a good position right now in conference. We need to worry about just one game at a time."
Unfortunately for his eighth-ranked Glarner Knights, "they proved how talented they could be tonight."
Marshall (9-3, 3-1 Capitol South) seemingly couldn't miss a shot and New Glarus (9-2, 2-1) had trouble getting to the boards on both ends of the court in the Cardinals' 81-60 blowout win.
"(Marshall) played well," Sysko said. "They were the better team tonight."
Marshall started scoring right away, with Alex Koeller's (21 points) basket off the tip. The Knights answered right away when Logan Lockard connected from the corner, and New Glarus jumped out to a 7-4 lead.
But that was the only lead the Knights would have. Marshall finished the first-quarter with a 15-4 run and a lead that left the Knights' crowd a little shocked.
"I felt like for most of the game we stood around and watched," Sysko said.
The Cardinals continued making baskets and grabbing rebounds in the second quarter.
A Marshall 3-pointer and putback basket in consecutive possessions put the Cardinals up 33-19 and forced Sysko to call his second timeout.
"I thought (Marshall) did a good job of owning the glass and getting on the offensive boards," Sysko said.
Marshall led 39-25 at halftime, and continued to pull away in the second half. The Cardinals opened the half with a 3 from Greg Haag (20 points).
New Glarus opened the half with more intensity. Senior Jake Bast tried to take over the offense, driving to the hoop for a basket then hitting a 3 moments later. But despite his team-high 19 points, Marshall kept on rolling.
"Marshall's a good team. "If they get a lead on you, they're not going to let up," Sysko said. "They kept taking it to us, and rightfully so."
The Cardinals took a 19-point lead with 3:33 left in the third after a 3-pointer by Max Franklin (16 points). New Glarus cut the score to 54-39 before Marshall dropped another eight-point run.
By the start of the fourth quarter, Marshall led 62-41 and was out of reach.
The Cardinals built their biggest lead at 69-41 with 5:56 left before the benches started to empty.
"We didn't shoot as well as we have. But at the same time, we can't expect every ball to go down and we need to get on the glass ourselves," Sysko said.
New Glarus has won with its high-powered offense and balanced scoring. Typically, the Knights have three to five players in double figures. But on Thursday, only Lockard (11 points) and Bast scored in double figures.
New Glarus now has eight days off before its next game, Jan. 30 at conference leader Cambridge (5-4, 2-0).
"We certainly have a lot of work ahead of us. We don't play until next Friday, so we're going to have a lot of practice time now and get back to the basics," Sysko said. "We need to move forward. We're still sitting in a good position right now in conference. We need to worry about just one game at a time."
