Offensive woes limit Warrior boys
Corey Weber contributed a team leading two assists in Central’s game versus Clayton Ridge. (Photos by Bev Hamann)
Dan McGreal takes the ball up the court in Central’s loss to Turkey Valley.
Charlie Wiedner makes an offensive move versus Clayton Ridge.
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
The Central boys basketball team lost three games last week, bringing their season record to 1-15 and just one game out of last place in the conference.
In the first game against Turkey Valley, the Warriors struggled offensively, scoring five points or less in all four periods and losing the game 54-12.
The Warriors committed 32 turnovers and were held to just 18 shots from the floor, where they made three of them, and shot 16.7 percent from the field. They added four more points via free throws.
Dan McGreal and Seth Bena each scored three points, while Ethan Palas, Corey Weber and Tate Berns scored two points apiece.
The defense was unable to stop the Trojans, who put up 60 shots, 25 of which were three pointers, allowing them to go 35 percent from the field. The Warriors grabbed two steals, one from both Weber and McGreal, and had more blocks than the Trojans, 4-0, but the shooting pace of the Trojans and the turnovers were too much for the team to overcome.
The Warriors looked to rebound against Clayton Ridge, but it played out much the same, as they were held to six points or less in each period and were defeated 59-20.
Central put up 39 shots, but made only 23.1 percent of them, and went 1-8 on three pointers and only took two free throw attempts.
McGreal led the team with six points, followed by Palas with five and Gabe Erickson with three.
The Warriors finished the game with six assists, led by Weber with two.
The defense could not handle the offensive pressure of the War Eagles, who shot a stunning 43.8 percent from the field, making 21 of 48 shots. The Eagles also benefited from Warrior fouls, as they attempted 18 free throws.
The Warrior defense came up with four steals, two by Caden Erickson, and three blocks, but turnovers, fouls and inconsistent offense caused problems throughout the game.
The Warriors performed better in the final game of the week against South Winneshiek, but were still held to 10 points or fewer in each period, including just four in the fourth. South Winneshiek won 50-31.
The Central offense shot better, at 31.7 percent from the field and 55.6 percent on three pointers, but failed to get to the free throw line more than twice and was still plagued by turnovers, committing 24.
McGreal had a team-high 19 points, along with five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Gabe Erickson added nine points and Bena scored three.
The defense grabbed eight steals, with three from Caden Erickson, and two blocks.
The Warriors have three games this week, starting with a home match-up versus North Fayette Valley (10-6) on Jan. 31. They’ll go on the road to MFL MarMac on Feb. 1, then will finish with another home game against Edgewood-Colesburg (12-3) on Feb. 3.
