todd@toddcouleesports.com
WEST SALEM — They pulled down rebounds by boxing out, and they used their athleticism for controlled tips on others.
The members of the West Salem High School boys basketball team were aggressive when came to securing the loose ball and made Logan pay for it all night as both teams opened a new season Monday.
The Panthers dictated the pace — it was fast — and the tone — it was physical — on their home court and made that pay off in the form of an 80-52 nonconference victory.
West Salem made 10 3-pointers and gave itself all the attempts they desired through a very successful night on the offensive boards.
“I don’t know the numbers yet, but I’d guess we probably gave ourselves another 20 attempts just on offensive rebounds,” West Salem coach Mark Wagner said. “The guys were aggressive.”
The Panthers (1-0) routinely gave themselves multiple shots at the rim and had at least one possession with five attempts and another with six. They built a 17-point lead by halftime and stretched it to as many as 36 points in the second half while burying the Rangers under a pile of quick shots.
Seniors Kyle Hehli and Carter Pontius scored 13 points, and junior Landon Michlig added 11 as 10 West Salem players scored in a seventh win in the past six seasons over Logan.
“We’ve got to do better at getting our shots to fall and play better defense,” Michlig said. “I think we have a good team this year with a lot of good players back from last year, but we know there are lot of things we have to do better.”
Seven Panthers made at least one 3, and Hehli, Nathan Karr and Jesse Miller made two apiece. Karr and Tyson Labus added eight points for West Salem.
The Rangers (0-1) were led by senior Jacob Hackbarth’s game-high 15 points. Junior Adrian Bye added 10 and sophomore Bubba Leaver nine.
West Salem put the game away with a 21-4 run start to the second half. That stretched a 45-28 lead to 66-32 with 11 minutes, 51 seconds remaining, mostly with dominant rebounding and successful transition.
“I think our defensive pressure was able to wear them down a little bit, and you could tell (the Rangers) got started a little late due to their good football run,” Wagner said. “They didn’t quite have their basketball legs yet, and I think our pressure had an impact on them.”
Michlig, a 6-foot-5 forward, said the rebounding performance was no accident, and Wagner said the athletic makeup of his players should dictate that as a team strength.
“We do a lot of rebounding drills in practice, and one of our goals is to get extra (shots and) points on offense,” Michlig, who averaged 6.6 points per game and made 24 3-pointers as a sophomore. “We try to be physical. In those drills, we are boxing out, and that’s not easy because everyone is being so physical.”
West Salem begins its Coulee Conference schedule with a home game against Viroqua on Thursday. Logan plays at Menomonie on Thursday and hosts G-E-T in its first home game of the season on Dec. 10.
