Mount Horeb over Platteville

Got to my first game of the year taking in Platteville verse Mount Horeb. This was a match up of two teams ranked in the top ten in their divisions according to the Wisconsin Yearbook anyway. Both were ranked ninth in each division.

This game was very obviously the first game of the year for everyone involved. The shooting for both teams was extremely poor and their were a ton of fouls. Now the fouls I'm not going to put on the refs because this game was pretty sloppy which makes it pretty tough to officiate. Unfortunately due to the fouls that really became the story line as both teams dealt with foul trouble. In the first half Platteville couldn't buy a three pointer and then their two starting big men both 6'4 seniors Conor Riely and Trey Bartels got in foul trouble and spent more time on the bench then on the court. At one point it seemed Riley got himself going but, then the second foul occurred and sent him to the bench. I would guess that Platteville was probably under 20% from three point range as they only hit a pair of threes in the first half and with the big men on the bench they weren't getting any rebounds.

On the other side foul trouble struck Mount Horeb as well. Their top player 6'2 Gunnar Nortman was saddled with two fouls early on and sat a good portion of the first half. Mount Horeb was paced by 6'5 senior Jackson Larson who did a very nice job of scoring around the rim and finishing in a variety of ways. Mount Horeb also got a nice little run from 5'10 senior Logan Rasmussen who came off the bench and hit back to back threes at one point which led to a half time lead of 30-17.

In the second half this continued much the same, poor shooting and lots of fouls. Platteville took advantage of the early fouls in the second half to get into bonus early and try to crawl back into the game. Platteville though once again wasn't hitting the three as they really only hit one three in the second half until they hit a second in the final minute of the game when it was over. Just wasn't a lot to say about Platteville positively in this one. All their guards struggled shooting and big men were in foul trouble.

For Mount Horeb in the second half Larson got himself in foul and sat a good chunk but, Nortman and fellow 6'5 senior Bryce Farnsworth got themselves going. Nortman had a nice little run in the second half hitting a three and then a pair of mid range jumpers. Farnsworth hit a pair of threes and really controlled the boards on both sides as all the other big men were out with foul trouble.

Top Players
Jason Larson 6'5 senior Mount Horeb- Really does the dirty work for Mount Horeb. Kind of a glue guy too but, he can really finish around the rim. Had a pair of some nice reverse layups and when he was in he was crashing the glass.
Gunnar Nortman 6'2 senior Mount Horeb- Was hindered by the foul trouble but, showed some nice game in the second half. Has a very nice shot with very little excess movement goes straight up and down. Does a nice job of letting the game come to him and not pressing things.
Bryce Farnsworth 6'5 senior Mount Horeb- Despite his size really plays more like a guard. Moves very well for a big guy and has a nice shot from the outside whether off the bounce or off the screen.
Brandon Weigel 6'2 senior Platteville- Really the only bright spot for Platteville in my opinion. Saw big time minutes off the bench due to the foul trouble and made the most of the them. Really battled in the point rebounding and fighting for position which led to a 5-6 from the free throw line. Also had a pair of nice led mid range jump shots from either wing.

Box Score (again starters in italics)
Mount Horeb 60- Farnsworth 16 Nortman 13 Larson 12 Dustin Zenz 10 Rasmussen 6 Owen Ziegler 4 Carter Gilkes 0 Ethan Post 0 Simeon Smith 0 Gunnar Bagstad 0 Joey Henderson 0 Dylan Pierce 0 Cade Johnson 0 Zach Nelson 0 Trey Ryan 0
Platteville 44- Weigel 11 Cade Rohrbach 9 Isaih Oswald 6 Andy Eggers 5 Bartels 5 Riley 4 Gabe Tashner 3 Garrett Baxter 1 Austin Wein 0 Nathan Busch 0 Calvin Wernimont 0 Austin Shaffer 0 Tyler McClain 0

Will be about another week before I'll see another game but, just some final thoughts. Platteville have a ways to go but, if their big men can come to play they will have a very good season in D4 while Mount Horeb will be a good team in D3. A great team? Well I don't know about that but, a good season none the less and probably contend for conference with Waunakee not being as strong as the past.