Bonduel boys basketball team earns big CWC-East win

The Bonduel High School boys basketball team secured a big Central Wisconsin Conference-East Division victory on Feb. 1 in Bonduel, using a late surge to top Iola-Scandinavia 62-57 in front of an energy-filled gym that made it feel like a playoff game.

The matchup was a game of runs, with Bonduel building comfortable leads before Iola-Scandinavia rallied.

After Iola-Scandinavia went on a 25-8 run to tie the game at 49 with just over six minutes to play, Bonduel answered with the game-deciding run.

Freshman Noah Weier got the Bears jumpstarted with a 3-pointer and then Bonduel buckled down on defense.

Iola-Scandinavia missed the front end of a 1-and-1 free-throw opportunity with 2:39 to play before Jon Sell converted a shot to put Bonduel up 54-49.

After the visiting Thunderbirds scored, Sell converted two more shots to push the lead to seven, 58-51. Again, Iola-Scandinavia responded, hitting a field goal before making a free throw. After Bonduel missed a free throw, Iola-Scandinavia converted two more free throws to make it a two-point game, 58-56.

Weier delivered again in the clutch for the hosts, knocking down two free throws before the Thunderbirds got a point back at the free-throw line.

“The seniors, especially our captains Carson (Robaidek) and Garrett (Engel), they’re confident in me and it helps me be confident in myself,” said Weier of hitting some clutch shots. “I know I can do it and and it just helps so much that my teammates think that I can do it.”

Bonduel’s Garrett Engel then delivered the dagger, getting behind the visitor’s press and converting a layup to make it a five-point game and eventual final score.

“The game is a bunch of runs, that’s how basketball is,” said Engel. “What I tell everybody is ‘every single possession counts, every single one.’ We executed with that and a lot of people were hitting big shots.”

The game was a big one for the CWC-East standings, as both teams entered with just one conference loss.

The Bears are now tied atop the conference standings with Shiocton. Bonduel and Shiocton will meet on Feb. 4.

“We haven’t even really talked about that — we were picked to be fourth in our conference this year,” said Bonduel coach Duke Copp. “Good things are happening for us. Our kids our playing the right way and good things are happening. We look up and hey, we’re in first place. It’s a cliche, but we’re taking it one game at a time, we can’t do anything else.”

Bonduel started the game clicking on all cylinders on its way to a 16-2 lead. Engel, Robaidek and Weier combined to hit four 3-pointers on the run.

Iola-Scandinavia trimmed Bonduel’s lead to just four, 20-16, before the Bears capped the half on a 14-6 run, with Reece Stoltenow and Engel hitting 3s during the stretch.

The Bears then opened the second half on a 7-2 run to push the lead to 17 before Iola-Scandinavia went on its big run.

Iola-Scandinavia 22 35 — 57

Bonduel 34 28 — 62

Bonduel (62): Carson Robaidek 2-3 10, Garret Engel 2-2 14, Reece Stoltenow 0-0 10, Noah Weier 2-2 16, Jon Sell 2-2 12.

Iola-Scandinavia (57): Isaiah Hoyord 0-0 4, Parker Prahl 1-3 13, Kaden Jueds 4-6 12, Brock Wester 2-2 6, Will Tappa 0-0 4, Brye Hardel 2-2 10, Marcus Jaworski 1-2 8.

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