Still a chance to eclipse .500

The Cedar Grove-Belgium High School boys’ basketball team has one chance to stop a two-week losing streak and get above .500 in the Big East Conference before the playoffs.

The Rockets, who have dropped their last six games, play at Kohler on Thursday in the regular season finale. They beat the Blue Bombers, 74-64, at home on Jan. 13.

The Rockets are 9-9 in the Big East and 10-11 overall. Kohler is 7-11 in the Big East.

“We’ve really got to get a win here. We’ve been practicing pretty hard,” coach Derek Wimmer said.

The Rockets’ latest two defeats came at home to the top two teams in the Big East.

On Feb. 15, the Rockets lost to league leader Sheboygan Lutheran, 100-74. They fell behind early and were down, 55-29, at halftime.

“In the second half, we finally picked it up,” Wimmer said.

Senior Logan Arrowood had 30 points on 14-for-21 shooting with 11 rebounds and three assists. Senior Sam Peiffer had 21 points on 9-for-19 shooting and six rebounds. Junior Parker Knight had 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting.

Last year’s Big East Player of the Year, Crusader Casey Verhagen, had 26 points, 14 assists and five rebounds.

On senior night last Friday, Wimmer started seniors Arrowood, Peiffer, Cole Ketterhagen and Tanner Kettenhoven in a 60-52 loss to Sheboygan Christian, which is second in the Big East at 11-7.

The Rockets held a 25-24 halftime lead but couldn’t keep up with forwards Michael Modahl and Noah Heinen. Modahl had 29 points and Heinen had 22.

“We just couldn’t stop the inside game,” Wimmer said.

Arrowood had 21 points, Peiffer had 16 and Ketterhagen had eight.

They are a No. 5 seed in the Division 4 playoffs and host No. 12 Random Lake on Tuesday, March 1. The rivals split the season series, both winning at home.