Basketball Recap

The Newark basketball team recently entered the best part of the season, March and the state playoffs. They played Paw Paw on Valentine’s Day, but after the cancellation of LaMoille they took a two-week break into the Regionals. The Norsemen were granted a two seed for their efforts in the regular season. They faced off in the semifinals against a familiar foe, Somonauk. In a back and forth affair, the Norsemen finally broke free after Steve McGrath’s steal and layup, putting them ahead by three with fifty seconds left in the game. The boys put Somonauk away after a flurry of free throws, and walked out with a 50–42 win, which put them in the Regional final, where the Mooseheart Ramblers waited. Mooseheart, with three players 6’7” or taller, were a tough opponent, and the team knew they would have to play an almost perfect game to win. The Norsemen slowed down the pace, taking three minutes off the clock with each possession. They went into the half trailing 11-10 having successfully slowed the game down and frustrating Mooseheart’s 6’10” center Makur Puou, holding him to three points at half and five total. The third quarter was higher scoring, with twelve points from Mooseheart and eight from Newark. Jack Clausel keyed a run with seven consecutive points in the stanza, and Grant Riehle-Moeller consistently out rebounded the much taller Ramblers. In the fourth, the game found its slower pace again. Matt Eike’s three-pointer early in the period was the lone basket of the entire quarter. The team had a shot to tie it with 4.7 seconds left, but the pass was intercepted and that ended the game. The Norsemen bowed out 25-22.

The team was proud of all the effort that they gave during the season, and they made many memories during the course of the season. Four of five starters return next year, with Grant Riehle-Moeller being the only senior this year. He will be missed; Grant was a great player during his time at NHS. Thanks to everybody who came out and supported the team during the season, the boys are very grateful for everything the community did for them this season.

By Jack Clausel and Zachary Robert Bond