TOMAH — The Central High School boys basketball team made seven first-half 3-pointers to build a big lead and pull away for a 67-48 MVC victory at Tomah on Friday.
The RiverHawks (5-2, 3-1) made 16 of 28 shots in the first half and 7 of 15 3-point attempts to gain control of the Timberwolves (6-3, 1-2) on their way to beating them for the 34th straight time.
Junior Gabe Servais scored a team-high 24 points and made 4 of the 8 3-pointers he attempted. Junior Ezra Wiese added 14 points and a share of the team lead in rebounds with five.
Junior Anthony Jones also had five rebounds and added seven points for Central, which lost to first-place Onalaska in its previous game. Junior Will Schilling led the team in assists with six.
Central’s defense also held juniors Quinn Gerke and Owen Laudon to 15 combined points after they entered the game with a combined average of 38.4. Gerke scored 14 of those, and Laudon missed all 10 of his shots as the duo made just 5 of 28 attempts from the floor.
Aquinas 80, Logan 71
LA CROSSE — The Rangers were able to hang with the Blugolds at the Steve Hole Field House but couldn’t collect their first conference win of the season.
Aquinas (9-1, 3-1 MVC) won its sixth game in a row and pulled away from a two-point halftime lead.
Junior Calvin Bahr scored a game-high 27 points for Aquinas, which is fourth in Division 3 for this week’s Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski Sports media poll. Bahr made two 3-pointers in the first half and had 14 points in the second.
Senior Logan Becker added 15 points — all of which came on 3-pointers — as second-place Aquinas remained a game behind first-place Onalaska (4-0) in the standings.
Senior Finley Strom added 11 and sophomore Will Dickinson 10 for the Blugolds.
Logan (1-7, 0-3) was led by a 22-point performance from senior Dio Leone. He made four 3-pointers in the game and scored 14 points in the first half. Junior Jameson Degenhardt and sophomore Tommy Check scored 15 and junior Harper Kendle 13 for the Rangers.
Onalaska 66, Holmen 48
ONALASKA — The Vikings got what they needed and tied the game at 30 on the first possession of the second half, but the Hilltoppers took over from there by scoring the next 19 points.
Holmen (7-4, 1-2 MVC) didn’t score again for more than nine minutes and went more than 10 until making its next field goal to end the run.
First-place Onalaska (7-0, 4-0), which is second in Division 2 for this week’s Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski Sports media poll, were led by sophomore Tyler Kowal’s 20 points, senior Ian Kowal’s 12 points and senior Trent Oyen’s 10 points.
Six players scored during the 19-0 run that created the separation for good.
Junior Jayden Bartels scored 15 points and senior Alex Berget 10 for the Vikings, who erased an early eight-point deficit and tied the game at 25 on a Bartels 3-pointer with 1:55 left in the first half.
West Salem 79, Westby 52
WEST SALEM — The first-place Panthers (7-1, 3-0 Coulee) won their second game in a row and overcame a slow start to beat the Norsemen (6-4, 1-2).
West Salem did take a 46-29 halftime lead after senior Tyson Labus scored 16 first-half points and senior Nate Dillaber and junior Drew McConkey combined for five first-half 3-pointers.
Labus finished with 22 points and McConkey 17 for West Salem, which has only lost a nonconference game to D.C. Everest nd had 11 players score against Westby.
Dillaber had nine on three 3-pointers and sophomore Tavaryies Henderson knocked down two 3s and added eight.
Onalaska Luther 67, Viroqua 43
VIROQUA — The Knights (5-4, 2-0 Coulee) won going away by outscoring the Blackhawks by 17 points in the second half.
Luthe made 10 3-pointers and had three scorers reach double figures.
Junior Logan Pierce led the way with 21 points with five of those 3s on 6-for-10 shooting. He also had three assists and three steals.
Seniors Max Huelskamp and Brody Greeno added 14 and 11 points, respectively, for the Knights, who occupy second place in the conference and are a half-game behind West Salem.
Junior Trent Berg and Huelskamp assured Luther of a solid rebounding advantage — 46-19 — after Berg grabbed 18 and Huelskamp 13. Berg had six offensive rebounds and added nine points and a team-high four assists.
