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Friday Cranberry Classic: Columbus Catholic, Assumption post wins

11/27/2022, 2:30pm CST
By Mark Miller

Surviving an outside shooting barrage that would have made Steph Curry proud, Columbus Catholic began its season Friday with a hard-earned 80-74 victory over Port Edwards in the opening round of the 38th annual Cranberry Classic at Assumption High School in Wisconsin Rapids. 

Columbus Catholic, ranked No. 1 among Division 5 schools in the state by the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook, overcame a remarkable 16 made three-point shots by Port Edwards with some clutch plays and free-throw shooting down the stretch.

In the other opening-round contest, Assumption broke free from a 31-31 halftime deadlock with Nekoosa about halfway through the second half to register a 64-54 win. 

Balanced scoring lifts Columbus Catholic


Emmitt Konieczny

With Port Edwards making every shot in sight, Columbus Catholic relied on a balanced scoring attack to overcome the hot-shooting Blackhawks. 

The talented junior quartet of guards Charlie Moore (6-0), Emmitt Konieczny (6-1) and Blake Jakobi (5-9) along with forward Lucas Kreklau (6-2), simply refused to allow the Dons to lose their season opener. 

Moore made five three-points and scored 21 points while Konieczny got to the basket in the second half and finished with 20 points thanks in large part to his ability to connect on all seven of his foul shots. 

Jakobi ran the Dons' offense and got into the lane to either score or pass off to an open teammate. He finished with 17 points while Kreklau did an excellent job on the glass and contributed 11 points. 

After the contest, Columbus Catholic coach Joe Konieczny said he had never won a game when the opponent connected on 16 three-point shots. 

"They shot it extremely well," he said. "I thought defensively we had some breakdowns. But tip your hat to that team. They shot is very, very well."


Blake Jakobi

Trailing the entire second, Port Edwards pulled even at 72 on a baseline three-point basket from junior Carsen Orheim (6-0) with just under two minutes remaining, but Columbus Catholic responded.

Kreklau, a terror on the glass all night, came up with an offensive rebound and was fouled. He made one of the two charity tosses to make it 73-72. 

After a turnover on the other end, it was Jakobi's turn from the foul line. He swished a pair to make it 75-72. Port Edwards got an inside basket from Orheim to close the gap to one.

Port Edwards then fouled junior Cy Becker and he split a pair of free throws to make it 76-74. 

Port Edwards star Nathan Gibbs missed a turnaround jumper in the lane and Koneiczny later drilled two foul shots to put the game away. 

"I was impressed with how we handled things down the stretch," coach Konieczny said. "We did miss a couple of foul shots, but we played stingy defense and only allowed them one shot."

Columbus Catholic played without expected starter Grant Olson (6-1), a senior forward who is out with a hamstring injury but hopes to return to the lineup in the next week or two. 

Emmitt Konieczny scored 15 of his 20 points after intermission, mostly on crafty moves to the basket.

"I thought Emmitt picked his spots to attack better in the second half," his father and coach said. "He got to the basket. It helps when Charlie and Blake shoot it so well from the perimeter. It opens up some lanes for Emmitt to drive."

Port Edwards got 16 points from Gibbs, all in the second half. His ability to swish deep triples seemed to rub off on his teammates and Timothy Tranel, Brynden Beck and Orheim all finished with at least three triples of their own. 

"We tried our best to take Nathan away, but his length helped him," coach Konieczny said. "We had some smaller guards on him and he was able to shoot over them at times. He's a heck of a player."

Tranel, a hard-working, extremely active 5-foot-11 senior guard, led Port Edwards with 22 points. 

Beck, a 5-11 sophomore guard, also turned in a strong showing for the Blackhawks with 11 points while Orheim finished with 11. 

Port Edwards fell behind by double figures on a few occasions, but the Blackhawks shredded the Dons' zone defense with their torrid shooting, willingness to share the ball and all-out hustle.

Shaw propels Assumption past Nekoosa


Ryan Shaw

Now a four-year varsity performer for the Assumption basketball program, senior Ryan Shaw (5-10) shrugged off some early foul trouble to score a team-high 16 points in lifting the Royals past Nekoosa.

Shaw's presence on the court for the majority of the second half seemed to have a calming influence on his Assumption teammates.

The Royals, who slowly pulled away from the Papermakers in the final 18 minutes, also received double-figure scoring efforts from seniors Nick Leberg (13 points), Blake Lobner (10) and Frank Matott (10).

But it was Shaw who set the table for the Royals, adding nine rebounds, six assists and three steals to his team-high point total.

"Ryan is our guy," Assumption coach Josh Paltz said. "He's our go-to player and a four-year varsity guy. He finished with a very impressive stat line tonight. He's just a great all-around competitor for our team." 

Assumption got a boost off the bench from promising freshman JT Schalefer, a fearless 5-foot-11 guard who scored six points in his varsity debut.

"JT is the most athletic kid we have and the most offensive talented kid we have," Paltz said. "Offensively, he can do some things you can't teach."

Nekoosa, meanwhile, started three sophomores -- Nash Krcmar (6-0), Francisco Vaga (6-3) and Anders Kolar (6-3) -- and remained within striking distance of the Royals until the final few minutes. 

Krcmar, a starter a year ago, finished with a game-high 22 points and connected on three baskets from outside the arc. Senior Jaden Hughes (6-3) added 12 points for coach Steven Genrich's squad.

"Nekoosa is a much improved team," Paltz said. "Krcmar is tougher than nails. He presents a match-up problem because of his size and skill."
 

For the latest and most up to date boys' basketball news and recruiting information, follow Mark on Twitter @wisbbyearbook. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Mark by clicking here.

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