Boys’ hoops wins third straight

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The Wildcat boys’ basketball team won its third straight game and improved to 5-2 overall with a 56-53 nonconference victory over Osceola last Tuesday at the high school gym.

Friday’s scheduled game against Rice Lake was postponed due to the cold weather and will be made up on Monday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m., at the high school.

This week the Cats hosted Hill-Murray (Minn.) Tuesday and resume Big Rivers Conference play Friday at Eau Claire North (6-4, 4-1 BRC). Tuesday, Jan. 27, they travel to Chippewa Falls (5-5, 1-3). River Falls is 2-2 in BRC play.

A week ago Tuesday against Osceola (6-2), Sean Gilbert scored 20 points and hit three big free throws down the stretch to help the Cats hold on for the three-point win.

“It was a good high school game,” Wildcat head coach Greg Gaulke said. “We were coming off two wins and Osceola is a good club. They only had one loss. Osceola shot the ball well but we made some good defensive adjustments.”

Gaulke said he was pleased to see the Cats make good decisions on offense when the Chieftains came out in a triangle-and-two zone.

“We’ve been making better decisions since the break,” he said.

The score was tied, 13-13 after one quarter of play before Gilbert scored nine of the Cats’ 16 second quarter points to stake them to a four-point lead, 29-25, at halftime.

River Falls extended its lead to 43-35 at the end of three, aided by a pair of Lance Westberg three-pointers, but Osceola hit three three-pointers in the final quarter to make a run. A couple of big baskets by Westberg and three straight free throws by Gilbert allowed the Cats to hold on.

“Sean hit critical free throws at the end that really helped,” Gaulke said. “It’s always good to put them away at the line.”

Westberg finished with 12 points in the victory while Marty Herum chipped in with eight. Zach Pavlichek contributed five points, Eric Gilbertson scored four, McLane Sherman added three and Ben Wunrow and Jack Herum finished with two each.

Osceola, which hit seven three-pointers in the game, was led by Garrett Johnson with 15 points.

Tags: wildcat, boys, basketball, bob, burrows, ri er, falls