LA CROSSE — The Central High School boys basketball team used a suffocating defense to run its winning streak to 10 games on Tuesday.
The RiverHawks limited Medford to 13 field goals and 26-percent shooting in posting a 67-37 nonconference victory at the Mark Sutton Memorial Gymnasium.
Central — eighth in Division 2 for this week’s Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski Sports media poll — allowed 19 points in the first half and 18 in the second and haven’t lost since a home defeat at the hands of third-ranked Onalaska on Jan. 6. The RiverHawks (14-2, 7-1 MVC) and Hilltoppers (13-1, 7-1) play at Onalaska on Thursday with first place on the line.
Junior Will Schilling made a pair of 3-pointers and led four Central players in double figures with 14 points. Junior Gabe Servais and Anthony Jones followed with 12, and Jones grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
Senior Max Davis scored 10 points by making 5 of 6 shots, and sophomore Jorden Calvert had eight rebounds and six points for Central.
West Salem 79, Black River Falls 45
BLACK RIVER FALLS — The Panthers, who are 10th in Division 2 for this week’s media poll, remained unbeaten in the Coulee Conference with a win over the Tigers in a game that had running clock the final nine minutes.
West Salem (15-2, 8-0) had 11 players score while completing a season sweep of Black River Falls and led 54-18 by the end of the first half.
Senior Tyson Labus scored a team-high 17 points and had 15 of them in the first half.
Junior Drew McConkey added 15 points — all in the first half — and senior teammate Nate Dillaber made four 3-pointers on his way to 13 points — all in the first half.
\West Salem has won four games in a row and 10 of 11 heading into Friday night’s home game against second-place G-E-T (16-2, 6-1). The Panthers won the first meeting between the teams 80-58.
Marshfield 88, Holmen 53
MARSHFIELD — The Vikings (11-7) ran into a buzzsaw that is ranked fourth in Division 1.
Senior Alex Berget scoffed 12 points, and sophomore Cohen Kendhammer added 11 to go with a team-high nine rebounds. Berget, Kendhammer and Brody Wilber all made two of the team’s nine 3-pointers.
Holmen shot just 30 percent from the floor (15 of 50) and was outscored by 15 points in the first half and 20 in the second.
