LA CROSSE — The Central High School boys basketball team used consistency and its patented defense for a 744-52 MVC victory over Aquinas at the Mark Sutton Memorial Gymnasium on Tuesday.
The RiverHawks (9-2, 5-1 MVC) maintained sole possession of second place in the conference and sit a half-game behind first-place Onalaska (10-0, 5-0) after taking charge of the Blugolds after a slow start.
Aquinas (12-2, 3-2) scored 10 of the first 12 points before an immediate Central run got it back in the game. The RiverHawks extended a 23-19 halftime lead by outscoring Aquinas by 18 points in the second half.
Junior Gabe Servais scored a team-high 22 points for Central, which has won five straight games since a loss to Onalaska on Jan. 6.
Junior Anthony Jones added 18 points, while senior Joey Pretasky and junior Will Schilling scored 11 each.
Schilling led the RiverHawks with eight rebounds, and Jones had seven assists.
The Blugolds — ranked fifth in Division 3 for the Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski Sports media poll — received 14 points from senior Finley Strom, 12 from senior Logan Becker and nine points and eight rebounds from junior Calvin Bahr.
Holmen 96, Logan 54
HOLMEN– The Vikings (10-4, 3-2 MVC) won their third game in a row and made 18 of 32 attempts from the 3-point line in doing it at the Bernie L. Ferry Fieldhouse.
Junior Jayden Bartels made 5 of 9 attempts, and senior Alex Berget made all four of us as they tied the Holmen’s scoring lead with 18 points. Bartels also had six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Sophomore Cohen Kendhammer went 4 for 7 from the 3-point line and added 14 points for Holmen, which had a 60-35 halftime lead. Six Vikings made at least one 3-pointer in the game.
Junior Boston Popp had three of those 3s and added 12 points for the Vikings.
The Rangers (1-11, 0-5) were led by senior Dio Leone’s game-high 21 points. He made 5 of 8 attempted 3-pointers. Sophomore Tommy Check added seven points.
Onalaska 82, Winona 59
WINONA — The Hilltoppers (10-0), who are first in Division 2 for the Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski media poll, remained unbeaten by pounding the Winhawks.
Sophomore Tyler Kowal scored 30 points for Onalaska, which also received 16 points from sophomore Gavin McRoberts and 12 from senior Ian Kowal.
Tyler Kowal has averaged 27 points over his past two games after getting 24 in a 78-54 win over Caledonia on Saturday.
West Salem 80, Viroqua 39
VIROQUA — The Panthers (10-1, 5-0 Coulee) maintained their conference lead and had a 31-point lead by the end of the first half.
Twelve players scored for West Salem, which was paced by a 15-point performance from senior Tyson Labus. Junior Elliott Corcoran added 11 points and senior Spencer Kammel 10 for a team that won its fifth game in a row.
Senior Nate Dillaber added nine points and junior Drew McConkey and sophomore Carter Alexander eight apiece for the Panthers.
Westby 59, Luther 56
WESTBY — The third-place Knights (7-5, 3-1 Coulee) had a three-game win streak ended by the Norsemen.
Senior Max Huelskamp made 5 of 9 shots and scored 25 points to lead Luther, which was outscored by three points in the second half after the game was tied at 26 after one half. Huelskamp made 5 of 7 attempted 3-pointers and had five rebounds and two steals.
Freshman Javon Zenke had 11 points and five rebounds for the Knights, and junior Logan ierce added nine.
Caledonia 62, Chatfield 54
CHATFIELD — The Warriors (9-6) bounced back from two consecutive losses to beat the Gophers.
Junior Jacoby Hammell scored a team-high 18 points, and sophomore Grant King added 12 for Caledonia, which lost its previous two games to Lewiston-Altura and Onalaska.
Sophomore Colin Stemper added 11 points with three 3-pointers for the Warriors, who trailed 28-23 at halftime before outscoring Chatfield 39-26 the rest of the way.
