GHV boys escape with win at Lake Mills, go to 15-3

With just three games remaining in the regular season, the GHV boys are looking to finish strong.  Last week they recorded three wins, moving their record to 15-3 overall.

GHV 86, Bishop Garrigan 53

Four Cardinals finished in double figures, helping GHV cruise past Bishop Garrigan Tuesday night, Jan. 26, 86-53.  The win wasn’t quite as easy the score indicated.

“Early on Garrigan had us on our heels.   We had some poor closeouts and got caught watching the ball, and Garrigan was able to score in the paint,” said Coach Joe Albertson.  “We settled down and played very well in the second quarter allowing only four points.  On offense we got the ball inside, hit a number of perimeter shots, and got to the free throw line.  We will win a lot of games with that formula.”

Sam Cataldo led the spring barrage with 22 points, followed by James Betz with 12 and Johnny O’Connor and Ben Baumgard each with 11 points.  Baumgard was 3/4 from beyond the arc for nine of his points.  The scoring didn’t fall off much down the line, as Payton James had nine points and Holden Hutcheson and Nick Joynt each finished with eight points.

Harley Forry and Connor Burke rounded out the scoring with three and two points respectively.

After a nearly even first quarter, GHV dominated the second period, outscoring Garrigan 25-7.  The Cards led at the half, 48-23.

The Cards were able to dominate with their presence in the paint.  They scored 36 points in the paint, compared to 22 for the Golden Bears.  GHV also made Garrigan pay for their mistakes, with 16 points coming off turnovers.

Cataldo controlled the boards, pulling for 13 rebounds. He also blocked three shots in a good all-around game.

GHV 61, Lake Mills 58

The Cardinals faced a tough test on the road at Lake Mills Friday, Jan. 29.  They finished on top in a back and forth game, using clutch free throws to win, 61-58.

“Playing in Lake Mills has always been unpredictable.  We have jumped to early leads and lost, fell behind early and won, led from the beginning and won.   We found some early success scoring inside in the first half, but we also left a couple great shooters open to allow Lake Mills to hang around,” said Coach Albertson.

The Cardinals led 28-26 at halftime, but after the break they struggled to slow down the Bulldogs’ best player, Granger Kingland.  The Lake Mills senior drew fouls, hit free throws, hit threes and scored on the block.

“It looked like it was his night and

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their victory,” said Albertson.

After being outscored 19-14 in the third, the Cardinals settled down and guarded better in the final frame.

“We got some big buckets in the paint and from the arc, and we hit clutch free throws down the stretch to earn a win,” said the coach.

GHV outscored the Bulldogs 34-12 in the paint.

Center Sam Cataldo led the way with 24 points and 10 rebounds.  Payton James ad Johnny O’Conor were also in double figures, scoring 11 and 10 points. James Betz was 2/2 at the line on his way to  seven points and Nick Joynt had six.  Harley Forry drained a three-pointer for his only basket on the night.

GHV 72, Nashua-Plainfield 31

There was no let down by the Cards when they hosted Nashua-Plainfield right after battling Lake Mills the night before.  They dominated, 72-31.

“I was surprised to see how fresh we looked after playing the night before,” said Coach Albertson.  “The boys did a nice job forcing turnovers and scoring in the paint.  We improved on some of our defensive rotations.  All 15 guys made some solid plays to help our team to a win.”

Most of GHV’s points were scored in the paint.  They topped N-P 58-20 from close range and scored 17 points second chance shots compared to three for Nashua-Plainfield.  GHV scored 21 points off turnovers.

The vast majority of the Cards scored in the game, led by Sam Cataldo and Johnny O’Connor with 12 and 10 points.  Ryan Meyers had eight points, Alek Goll scored seven, and James Betz and Logan Dalbeck each had six. Connor Burke and Payton James each put in five points, Holden Hutcheson had four and Turner Albertson added three points.  Jack Van Dusseldorf, Nick Joynt and Ben Baumgard got into the scorebook with two points apiece.

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