Ozaukee starts week on right foot

The Ozaukee High School boys’ basketball team got a much-needed win Monday, outpacing visiting Milwaukee School of the Arts, 53-38, in a nonconference battle.

The Warriors raced to a 26-4 lead to start the game and cruised.

“Everyone played substantial minutes and had the opportunity to contribute to the win,” coach Bob Domach said.

“Braxton Gahan and Matt Miller both played a key role in the victory. They were tough to stop in the post and both rebounded well.”

Miller was in the groove and led the Warriors with 18 points and six rebounds.  Gahan scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Sawyer Kowalkowski finished with 11 points. Mason Norwood and Mason Pantle each had seven rebounds, and Bret Hamm scored seven points.

For Milwaukee School of the Arts, Jason Eaton scored 20 points and Daniel Vaulx had 13.

The two-week Christmas break was not kind to the Warriors.

On Jan. 4, the Warriors played a lackluster game at Two Rivers and lost, 62-50.

Last Friday, the Warriors traveled to Random Lake in a contest between the two teams at the bottom of the Big East Conference South Division standings.

The Rams escaped with a 57-55 victory on a last second put-back for their first Big East win of the season.

A comedy of errors in the final minutes at Random Lake cost Ozaukee the game.

“We played hard but just couldn’t finish enough plays,” Domach said.

“We have to eliminate mistakes that put us in an unfavorable position at the end of the game.”

There were plenty of mistakes, and they weren’t limited one or two players.

In the final 3 minutes, 39 seconds, the Warriors missed three layups, turned the ball over three times and committed three fouls.

The Warriors led, 50-48, at the time. Connor Rennicke missed a layup, and the Rams made  a pair of free throws to tie the game, at 50.  

An errant pass by Ozaukee’s Jesse Schauer turned the ball over six seconds later.

Random Lake’s Matt Merlo missed the front end of a bonus free throw opportunity and Gahan grabbed the rebound.

At the 2:33 mark, Miller missed a layup and the Rams rebounded.

After another Ozaukee foul, Mitchell Hiller drained a pair of free throws to give Random Lake a two-point lead with 2:32 left.

Rennicke turned the ball over five seconds later.

Miller rebounded a Rams’ miss and was fouled, but he missed the front end the bonus.

Hamm got the rebound and the Warriors got a three-point basket from Rennicke at the 2:05 mark to put Ozaukee up, 53-52.

After a Rams’ miss, Rennicke was fouled and connected on a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 55-52 with 1:52 to play.

Rennicke missed another layup with 1:17 to play.

With 56 seconds left, Gahan blocked a Rams’ shot and got the rebound, but Hamm turned the ball over with 38.6 remaining.

Random Lake got the winning shot from Mitchell Spaeth with just .4 seconds remaining. He caught an air-balled three-point attempt and laid it in.

Rennicke scored a game-high 26 points, including six three-pointers, and he went 6-for-6 at the free throw line.

“Connor Rennicke’s shooting kept us in the game.  It was nice to see him have a break out game.  He always stays after or comes in early to get extra shots up.  Hard work does get rewarded,” Domach said.

Hamm finished with nine points and eight rebounds. Gahan had 10 rebounds.  

“Braxton has really started to become a beast on the boards,” Domach said.

The Rams were led by Merlo with 16 points. Will Bichler scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Hiller and Mitchell Huiras each scored nine points.

The Rams used their height to their advantage. Bichler, 6 feet, 6 inches tall, and 6-4 Mitchell Spaeth each had three blocked shots.  Spaeth also had 15 rebounds.

The Warriors returned to the court after the holiday break on Jan. 4 at Two Rivers in a nonconference game.

“We played terrible.  There was a lack of energy. I think the long break really hurt us.  It was a game we should have won,” Domach said.

This game was decided beyond the three-point line.

Two Rivers scored 12 three-point baskets to just two for Ozaukee.

The Warriors led at the break, 28-24, but the last time they led in the game was midway through the second half after a basket by Hamm gave them a 39-38 lead.

The Raiders went on an 8-1 run and never looked back.

Two Rivers was led by Brady Richards with 18 points and eight rebounds. Zander Popp added 17 points and Orian Gauger scored 16.

Hamm led the Warriors with 13 points and three steals. Gahan had 11 points and 10 rebounds.  Schauer grabbed six rebounds and Chase Miller dished out four assists.

The Warriors, 2-5 in the Big East standings and 4-6 overall, play at Sheboygan  (4-3 Big East) Christian on Thursday and host Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah (3-4 Big East North) on Thursday, Jan. 18.