Warriors whip Two Eagle to get back on track
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
PABLO — Warrior coach Clyde Tucker was nervous about how his team was going to respond to their first loss of the season – his team laid all his worries to rest Tuesday night.
John Sansavere hit two early 3-pointers to give the Warriors a 6-0 lead and they never trailed on their way to a 72-46 District 14-C victory at Two Eagle River.
“Coming off of a loss, I was kind of scared of how we were going to show up, but the kids showed up and that’s a good deal,” Tucker said. “We were a little tense early. You could tell we were a little tight, but once we got a lead we relaxed a little bit and played like we are capable of,” Tucker said.
After only shooting 40 percent and having one Warrior finish in double figures in Lincoln’s cramped gym in their 50-48 inaugural loss of the season, back on a regulation-sized court the Warriors got back in form and looked like the team that rattled off 11 wins to start the season, shooting 51 percent from the field and having 10 players combine for their second highest offensive output of the season – just finishing behind the 80 they scored against Superior in early January.
After a frustrating game in Lincoln, where Warrior leading scorers Kyle Felsman and Kody Morigeau were held to seven points or less, the senior leaders responded against Two Eagle with both of them finishing in double figures.
Felsman, who was held to a season-low six points against the Lynx, finished with a team-high 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and also led the team in rebounds, pulling down eight of their 34. Tucker said that Felsman came into the game with the same mindset he does every game, it’s just on Tuesday night things were working for him.
“He’s steady all the time. He does what he does. In Lincoln he kept plugging away, things just weren’t going his way, but against Two Eagle things were clicking for him,” Tucker said.
Coming off a seven-point performance against Lincoln, Morigeau went 5-for-8 at the line and finished with 11 points.
Kept silent against Lincoln, Sansavere finished with 11 points and got the Warriors rolling with a couple of 3-pointers to start the game.
“John hit a couple of 3s early and that seemed to get everybody going. After that it seemed like we had a pretty good handle on things and the things we’ve been working on all year, were working the way they should,” Tucker said.
Fueled by Sansavere’s pair of treys, the Warriors took a 16-6 lead into the second quarter and had pushed it to 32-16 by the break. Tucker said that a 16-point lead is never safe against a good-shooting team like Two Eagle and was proud of how his team kept the defensive pressure on the Eagles in the second half to put the game away. The Warriors finished with 12 steals.
The Warriors’ second-half surge was bolstered by their bench play. The Warrior bench combined for 27 points, with Kasey Bridgewater leading the way with eight. Trevor Rubel came off the bench to add five. Trae Burland, who was coming off two 16-point performances, Beau Couture and Thomas McClure each pitched in with four points. All 11 Warriors saw playing time, with 10 of them finishing on the scorer’s sheet.
“It’s nice to have five or six kids that can come off the bench and get the job done,” Tucker said.
With the victory, the Warriors remain perfect in conference play with a spotless 7-0 record. The win should also give them a little momentum heading into a long break. The Warriors don’t play again until Feb. 4, when they travel to Hot Springs. They finish up the week by hosting Charlo Friday night.
Summary
Arlee 72, Two Eagle River 46
Arlee 16 16 15 25–72
Two Eagle 7 9 14 16–46
ARLEE - Kasey Bridgewater 8, Kyle Felsman 16, Thomas McClure 4, Jesse Pfau 9, Junior Sansavere 2, Trae Burland 4, John Sansavere 10, Beau Couture 4, Trevor Rubel 5, Kody Morigeau 14.
TWO EAGLE RIVER - T.J. Cutfinger 14, Luke Butterfly 1, James Maestas 16, Clayton Malatare 3, Trevor Butterfly 6, Shun Ikegai 6.
