Different, but the same for Ozaukee

The Ozaukee High School boys’ basketball team opened its season with a pair of Big East Conference victories that came in decidedly different fashion.

The Warriors opened with a win over host Random Lake, 53-43, on Nov. 27.

Last Friday, Ozaukee claimed a 97-26 rout over visiting Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah.

When the Warriors traveled to Random Lake for their opener, they knew their opponent had already played two games this season.

“I think the first game nerves held us back a little, but it was nice to not play that great and walk away with a win,” coach Bob Domach said.

Ozaukee’s defense kept them close and their offense did enough to put them over the top.

“I was very happy with our intensity and how hard we are working on defense,” Domach said.

“We are playing well together. The kids are having fun together.”

Sophomore Noah Miller, scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds. Brent Hoffmann tallied 14 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Braxton Gahan pulled down nine rebounds and scored nine points. Mitch Weyker scored eight points.

The Rams were led by Cole Borchardt and Jason Bares, who each scored 11 points.

When Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah came to Fredonia on Friday, the much younger team was clearly overmatched from the opening tip.

The Resorters have just four seniors on their roster. The rest of their team is made up of three sophomores and five freshmen.

The Warriors raced out to a 35-0 lead before the Resorters found the basket with 7:34 left in the first half.

“I was very happy the whole team was able to get a lot of playing time,” Domach said.

“We played hard for the entire game. We didn’t let up. We shot very well. We were able to take advantage of the hot start and build momentum.”

Every Ozaukee player scored, and eight Warriors scored at least five points.

Ozaukee drained a total of 13 three-pointers, nine of them in the first half.

The Warriors had four players in double digits as they recorded one of the highest offensive efforts in school history.

Miller led with 18 points, seven steals, five assists and four rebounds. He scored all of his points in the first half.

Weyker scored 15 points. Jotham Higgenbotham had 11 points, and Simon Bares scored 10. Ivan Garcia and Blake West both tallied nine points.

The Warriors were up 43 points at halftime and maintained a running clock for the entire second half. When a scoring difference is 40 or more, the clock only stops for timeouts, free throws and injuries.

The only thing to go wrong for the Warriors was health. Brent Hoffmann sprained his ankle and is expected to miss significant time.

The Resorters were led by Zach Bauer with 12 points, and Brady Hassinger had 10. The pair was responsible for all but two buckets of their team’s scoring.

The Warriors took their 2-0 record into Tuesday’s nonconference game at Campbellsport. On Thursday, Ozaukee will play at Oostburg. On Tuesday, Dec. 11, Manitowoc Lutheran will come to Fredonia.

Game times begin at 7:15 p.m.