LA CROSSE — Neither the Onalaska Luther High School nor Winona Cotter boys basketball team found a comfort zone Saturday morning at the La Crosse Center.
There were plenty of missed shots and turnovers as the Knights and Ramblers opened the second day of the Midwest Players Classic, but Luther senior Jackson Kendall found some success during a critical time of what became a 52-43 victory for his team.
The senior guard scored seven points during an important five-minute stretch that gave Luther the separation it needed to pick up a second victory in as many days.
“We just kind of woke up and relied on our high-energy defense,” said Kendall, whose drive to the basket was significant during a 7-0 Luther run after the game was tied at 29. “It was difficult, it was 9 (o’clock) in the morning. It’s tough to just wake up and play.”
Cotter was able to get within four after junior Brody Greeno’s putback on a missed free throw gave the Knights a 36-29 lead with 8 minutes, 2 seconds remaining, but Kendall scored five of his team’s next seven points and put it in front 43-32 on two free throws with 2:58 to go.
The victory was an important one for the Knights (9-4), who traveled to Viroqua on Friday riding a four-game losing streak. Luther won its first seven games before dropping four in a row.
A 79-33 win over the Blackhawks began the process of turning the corner, and Saturday’s win over the Ramblers — however awkward — kept the momentum going. While Luther certainly didn’t play its best offensive game of the season, it was solid defensively. Coach Dan Unke said that was also the case against Viroqua.
“I feel like our defense is really stepping up,” Kendall said. “It was frustrating (during the losing streak), and we know we’re better than that. We played some good teams but there were some games we feel like we should have won.
“It’s something most teams go through, and we just had to find a way to get through it.”
Senior Synclair Byus scored a team-high 15 points for the Knights, who also received 12 from senior Will Huelskamp and 10 from Kendall. Will Huelskamp also had 12 rebounds, and Luther received 11 more from his brother, Max. Kendall had five steals.
