Bench play pushed Chargers by Cathedral

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- If you wanted to find a reason the Minnesota Valley Lutheran Chargers won their sixth straight game with a 20-point win over crosstown rival New Ulm Cathedral you only have to look at the what the starters did and what the reserves did in the game.

The Hounds' starters outscored MVL's starting five 48-42, but it was the bench scoring that propelled the Chargers over the top. MVL reserves outscored Cathedral's by a 29-3 margin led by 13 and 12 points, respectively, from Aaron Madson and Jacob Firle.

"I think that the depth and talent that we have showed," said Chargers coach Craig Morgan. "Jake Firle comes off the bench and does a super job for us on the offensive boards. And Aaron Madson came and played the best game that I have seen him play this year."

The Chargers needed that quality depth because they ran into foul trouble early in the game as Tom Metzger, Danny Liggett (who eventually fouled out of the game) and Jesse Pfiefer all had their second fouls in the first quarter.

"Jesse was sick yesterday with the flu and he was a step slow, " commented Morgan. "But we had people like Jake come in and step it up for him."

Cathedral succeeded in the first half slowing down the Chargers' up-tempo game, limiting MVL to nine first-quarter points. But it is something that the Hounds have done before.

"Last year, Dan (Wolfe, Cathedral coach) did the same thing and did a nice job with it," said Morgan. "But the kids adjusted to that even though that was not in our game plan."

UNKE HELD IN CHECK FIRST HALF: MVL's Dan Unke was held in check in the first half by a strong defense by Cathedral.

"I think he (Unke) was trying to get his rhythm," Morgan said. "I think that the whole team was struggling to get their rhythm. We did not have a good practice yesterday (Monday). But we caught our rhythm and it all started with our defense. We were a little impatient on offense (in the first half) and on defense we were a little slow."

MOELLER LEADS LATE SECOND-QUARTER RUN: MVL had the momentum when Unke canned a trey with (his only 3 of the game) for a 24-15 lead. But the Hounds came back led by senior guard Will Moeller, who continues to play solid each game. Moeller scored the final seven points of the quarter and his trey gave the Hounds their first and only lead of the game at 25-24 at halftime.

"Will is playing very good for Cathedral," said Morgan. "He is driving to the basket more than I have seen him drive and he can hit the outside shot really well." Moeller has scored 25 points in three of his last four games.

SECOND HALF DEFENSE LIFTS CHARGERS: Held to only 24 first-half points, MVL used a more intense defense in the second half. MVL totaled 12 steals in the game and grabbed 35 rebounds in the game.

"We did not give them as many second-chance put-back baskets in the second half,"Morgan said. "Both Dan and Jake did a nice job on the boards. And Jon Beilke played some nice defense. He anticipates the ball well."

UNKE ABSENCE HELPS TEAM: Morgan said having Unke out with an injury early in the season has helped his team overall. "With Dan out, we have had people who would have been followers now become leaders," he said. "It has made everybody play stronger and with more confidence."

And the Chargers are confident now. In their six-game winning streak, MVL has outscored opponents by an average margin of 72-45.

WOLFE CREDITS MVL: Wolfe said that while his team played a solid first-half defense, it was the Chargers' ability to run their up-tempo game in the second half that spelled the difference.

"They were able to run their fastbreak and we did not do the job that we needed to do in our transition defense," he said. "They came out and got three layups in a row, which gave them some momentum (to start the third quarter). Our kids came back and counter-punched, but in the end we turned the ball over to many times (13 times). Plus, we did not get the ball into the post as much as we wanted the second half (six points in the paint). That was due to MVL's defense, but we need to be more efficient on offense. We certainly have shown that we are improving and put four quarters together."

But Wolfe said in the second half, MVL pushed the ball and got the tempo of the game that they wanted.

SCHRIEBER PLAYS SOLID GAME: Wolfe commented that 6-foot-4 junior Billy Schrieber "played a solid game for us (eight points, eight rebounds). He did a great job on the offensive boards. And Will did about everything that he could to help us. We needed to do a few more things in the post. It was a great game and a great atmosphere for a high school game. It is what high school basketball is all about."

Wolfe said he is certain his team will get better. "We are committed to doing that. We will work hard and get ready for Springfield (at home tomorrow night)."

Wolfe said that while MVL's depth played a part in the game, it was the tempo that won the game. "We subbed quite a bit, but it was more tempo than depth. That tempo can take a toll on you."

HOLD SCHUGEL TO EIGHT POINTS: MVL's defense slowed down Joey Schugel for just eight points "He had to work real hard tonight," said Wolfe."When your man overplays you, you have to work hard to run off screens and keep working. Joey is a guy that we need in double figures. He has to work hard in practice to become not just a shooter but a scorer.

EAGLES MISS SCHMIDT IN LOSS: New Ulm High was without senior guard Matt Schmidt in Tuesday night's loss to Waseca. Schmidt was home sick.

"With Matt sick, we did not have the leadership on the floor and it showed," said Eagles coach Pat Burmeister, who saw his team fall to 1-4 in the South Central and 4-7 overall. They will host Fairmont Friday night in another SCC game.

"We did not get into our offense and did not execute well," he said. "We had our opportunities, but we missed some layups and free throws in the first half. It should have been a closer game."

Schmidt's absence forced Burmeister to move sophomore Eric Austvold to the guard spot and start John Witt on the wing. "They (Waseca) have a good team," Burmeister said. "They have three very good guards. They can all score and penetrate and have two good post players.

"In the (win) over St.Peter, we did a good job of rebounding and getting possession of the ball and not giving them any second shots. Against Waseca, we did not do that. We also forced some shots that we did not want to take on our offense. We had 18 turnovers in the game."