NEW GLARUS - Tyler Kreklow scored 17 points as the New Glarus boys basketball team opened its season with a rousing 62-44 win over Waterloo.
"I came out to play my game," Kreklow said.
Kreklow, a junior guard known for his leadership on the court in terms of running the offense, made Waterloo's guards pay with his vicious defense.
"He is as quick as anyone that's come through here," Coach Travis Sysko said of Kreklow. "He is tough to defend on offense, but he stepped it up on 'D' tonight. It made me really happy."
Both teams played sloppy in the first half, accumulating dozens of turnovers and 20 fouls in the first half alone. Possibly the biggest spark in the game came from senior guard Braden Pittman, who scored the Glarner Knights' first basket 1 minute, 5 seconds into the game on a 3-pointer.
"It was our first game and we had to get into the flow of things," Sysko said. "Braden, he's a shooter. That opened things up on offense for the other guys."
Pittman had finished the opening frame with three 3s, helping boost New Glarus' offense to an 18-10 lead.
"He hit some huge 3s," Kreklow said. "We want to hit those kinds of shots early and that's what he did."
Waterloo, playing with two players taller than 6-feet, 5-inches tall (Tanner Holzhueter and Everett Butzine), had a noticeable advantage in the paint. New Glarus put Chris Pickett (6-1), Tyler Dorn (6-0) and Kirbe French (6-3) in the post to challenge on defense. The trio held the Pirates' big men to just 16 points in the game.
"We played great against them. They were big and played physical. We wanted to out-run them and then get our shots on the offensive end," Kreklow said.
New Glarus held a 30-21 lead at the half, thanks to a 5-0 run to close out the second quarter. In the third, the Knights bombarded Waterloo with a flurry of points.
Dorn took a dish from Pittman and drilled a shot from beyond the arc and then returned the favor a minute later. Mason Lockard then buried a 3 of his own to push the lead to 41-27. Kreklow took a steal coast to coast for a layup and then French put in two shots in the lane, forcing a Pirate timeout with 1:43 left in the frame and the Knights on top 47-27.
"Guys stepped up tonight and knocked down some shots," Sysko said.
New Glarus will take what it learned from the opener and try to adjust before the Knights host Lakeside Lutheran Tuesday.
"We're going to keep working hard when we come back (to practice) on Monday," Sysko said. "The Lakeside Lutheran game will be a track meet. Both teams like to push the ball up the floor and shoot some shots from 3."
"I came out to play my game," Kreklow said.
Kreklow, a junior guard known for his leadership on the court in terms of running the offense, made Waterloo's guards pay with his vicious defense.
"He is as quick as anyone that's come through here," Coach Travis Sysko said of Kreklow. "He is tough to defend on offense, but he stepped it up on 'D' tonight. It made me really happy."
Both teams played sloppy in the first half, accumulating dozens of turnovers and 20 fouls in the first half alone. Possibly the biggest spark in the game came from senior guard Braden Pittman, who scored the Glarner Knights' first basket 1 minute, 5 seconds into the game on a 3-pointer.
"It was our first game and we had to get into the flow of things," Sysko said. "Braden, he's a shooter. That opened things up on offense for the other guys."
Pittman had finished the opening frame with three 3s, helping boost New Glarus' offense to an 18-10 lead.
"He hit some huge 3s," Kreklow said. "We want to hit those kinds of shots early and that's what he did."
Waterloo, playing with two players taller than 6-feet, 5-inches tall (Tanner Holzhueter and Everett Butzine), had a noticeable advantage in the paint. New Glarus put Chris Pickett (6-1), Tyler Dorn (6-0) and Kirbe French (6-3) in the post to challenge on defense. The trio held the Pirates' big men to just 16 points in the game.
"We played great against them. They were big and played physical. We wanted to out-run them and then get our shots on the offensive end," Kreklow said.
New Glarus held a 30-21 lead at the half, thanks to a 5-0 run to close out the second quarter. In the third, the Knights bombarded Waterloo with a flurry of points.
Dorn took a dish from Pittman and drilled a shot from beyond the arc and then returned the favor a minute later. Mason Lockard then buried a 3 of his own to push the lead to 41-27. Kreklow took a steal coast to coast for a layup and then French put in two shots in the lane, forcing a Pirate timeout with 1:43 left in the frame and the Knights on top 47-27.
"Guys stepped up tonight and knocked down some shots," Sysko said.
New Glarus will take what it learned from the opener and try to adjust before the Knights host Lakeside Lutheran Tuesday.
"We're going to keep working hard when we come back (to practice) on Monday," Sysko said. "The Lakeside Lutheran game will be a track meet. Both teams like to push the ball up the floor and shoot some shots from 3."
