Boys Basketball

The Norsemen continued their strong conference play as they took on Leland-Earlville on January 15th. Coach Tollefson said, “I felt like it was a slow game. We didn’t seem like we were playing well at all. Then I looked up at the score board, and we were winning by 30.” The team rode that wave of momentum into their matchup with Kirkland Hiawatha. The Norsemen had a very exciting game, winning by a score of 100-35. However, the varsity players did not achieve this on their own but received aid from JV players. After the starters were taken out with three minutes to play in the third quarter, the reserves stepped up and scored the final 30 points in the ball game.

A week later the Norsemen began Little Ten Conference Tournament play against the Huskers of Serena. After a mere eight-point victory over the Huskers in early January, the Norsemen were ready for a big win. After a slow first half, the Norsemen picked up the pace. Two early third-quarter three-pointers by Joe Hughes and Grant Riehle-Moeller gave Newark a double-digit advantage, and they never looked back. The win advanced the Norsemen to the semifinals where they faced the Indian Creek Timberwolves. The score was neck and neck down to the wire. Freshman center Jack Clausel followed up a missed three-pointer with a layup at the buzzer to force play into overtime. However, the Norsemen were not able to hold off a late run by the Timberwolves, and lost by one point. The Norsemen looked for revenge in the third place game, but once again fell short, this time at the hand of the Paw Paw Bulldogs.

The Norsemen were able to bounce back after these losses with a big win at Streator-Woodland. They overcame the rough physical play to come out with a 20-point victory. However, in that contest the team was dealt a blow when junior guard Grant Riehle-Moeller suffered a concussion, his second of the season. The Norsemen continued conference play with a commanding 36-point victory over LaMoille. The team then traveled to Riverton High School for their annual Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout. The team was matched up with Athens High School. They produced one of their most stellar games of the season, winning 62-45. Freshman Jack Clausel won the “Outstanding Player of the Game” award.

By Brett Anderson