Curtis Thompson Jr Leads Charge vs Bruce Red Raiders

Winter Warriors vs Bruce Red Raiders, Boys Varsity BasketballPhoto byExplore Southern Sawyer County

Winter Wisconsin - The Winter Warriors traveled to Bruce Wisconsin for more Lakeland East Conference boys basketball action. The Winter Warriors enter the game 8-6 overall, and 5-3 in Lakeland East competition. The Bruce Red Raiders enter the game 6-8, and 5-5 in conference play. Bruce is equipped with 2022-2023 All-State selection and Lakeland East Conference Player of the Year, Ryan Popowich. However, the Winter Warriors have won 6 of their last 7 games averaging 86.9 points per game, and giving up 59.6, good for a 27.3 point margin of victory.

The Warriors started off hot with a 27-11 lead with 9:33 left to play in the first half. The next 4 minutes included a 13-0 run by the Red Raiders to close to the gap to 27-23 in favor of the Warriors. The Warriors wouldn't score again until the 5:28 mark. Adam Bednorski rips off 5 straight points to give the Warriors the 32-27 lead which was followed by a Trace Thome 3 to give close the gap to 32-30, Warriors. The Red Raiders tie the game 37-37 with 2:26 to remain in the first half. The Warriors make a run in the last 2 minutes to take the lead going into the half on a buzzer beater 3 from Adam Bednorski to give the Warriors the 47-41 advantage going into the half.

In the second half the full court pressure allowed the Warriors to jump out to a 76-51 lead with 9 minutes remaining in the game. The Warriors led by as much as 26 points in the game, and despite multiple attempts at a run by the Red Raiders, the full court pressure was just too much for the Red Raiders in the end.

The Warriors win with a score of 99-78

The Warriors were led by Curtis Thompson Jr, who scored a team-high 24 points which included 6 steals, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot. Adam Bednorski added 20 points connecting on 5 three point shots, pushing him into the lead for 3-point makes in the state of Wisconsin across all divisions. Gunnar Greuel finished the game with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. Early foul trouble had Greuel on the bench most of the game, and with 5 minutes remaining collects his fifth and final foul. Malte Colliander had a monster night filling the position of Mr. Everything. Malte scored 14 points, dished out 10 assists, collected 8 rebounds, and stole the ball 7 times along with blocking one shot. Carter Petit is nearly back to his old self as he added 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals along with 1 blocked shot. Jonny Lynch saw some varsity action as he scored 1 point going 1-2 from the charity stripe. Kingston Frey provided some valuable minutes by adding 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 blocked shot. Logan Hautamaki had a fancy eurostep layup late in the game on the break between two defenders to finish with 2 points. Cole Petit also saw himself soaring in for 2 points on the fast break.

On a night where the Warriors saw 5 players in double-digit scoring, they also forced 37 turnovers. Winter scored 64 of their 99 points in the paint, while adding 27 from long distance, and adding in 8 additional points from the charity stripe. The Warriors are 7-1 in their last 8 games, and look to continue their hot streak, and they climb their way up the Lakeland East Conference standings.

The Warriors have a tough road ahead of them as they have four, count 'em four, games next week which include Prairie Farm coming to Winter on Monday, January 29th. The next day, the Warriors host Cornell at home. Wednesday, the Warriors get a day off to reset, and strategize for their home matchup vs a non-conference opponent in the Frederic Vikings. On Friday, the Warriors take on conference leader, New Auburn. In the recent meeting, Winter won 87-61 at home, and look to grab another win.

As the season is winding down, the Winter Warriors Boys Basketball team is currenty leading the WIAA Division 5 field of teams in points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game, and rank 2nd in steals per game, and blocks per game. Gunnar Greuel leads the nation in total rebounds, and rebounds per game, as well as the state of Wisconsin across all divisions. Gunnar Greuel is just 33 points away from joining the WIAA 1,000 point club, and 98 rebounds from Jacob Ognacavic's all-time leading rebound record of 1,208 rebounds.

The 2023-2024 season has surely been one for the record books as the Winter Warriors Boys Basketball team has set the school record for team points in a regulation game, set the school record for individual 3-point makes in a season, has the current leader in 3-point makes in the state of Wisconsin, and the nations leading rebounding - to name a few. Verification is taking place for most blocks in a game, as Malte Colliander had accumulated 9 blocks vs the Flambeau Falcons during the buzzer beater win on January 5, 2024.

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