Boys Basketball: Gillett powers past Lena in M&O clash

GILLETT — The senior-led Gillett High School boys basketball team proved to be too much to handle for an inexperienced Lena squad, with the hosting Tigers earning a 76-38 Marinette & Oconto Conference victory on Friday.

Gillett used a balanced offensive attack and aggressive on-ball defensive approach to get the job done.

Four Tigers scored in double figures, led by senior Logan Block’s 28 points. Freshman Derek Block hit four 3-pointers while tallying 18 points, while seniors Anthony Carroll and Elijah Framnes provided 13 points each.

The win was the third straight for Gillett.

“The guys have been feeling pretty good ever since we played in the Elcho Tournament (Dec. 27-28). We had a nice game against Marion last weekend (a 57-49 win on Jan. 3),” said Gillett coach Russ Long. “Offensively, I think we are really starting to click, guys are starting to hit their shots.”

The Tigers never trailed in the contest, with Derek Block setting the tone with a 3-pointer on the first possession of the game.

The teams battled back and forth for the first five minutes of the game before Gillett took control by ending the first half on a 31-8 run.

The Tigers got to the rim often in the first half, converting a couple second-chance opportunities along the way.

Derek Block hit all three of the team’s triples in the first half and finished with 11 points. Carroll was the only Tiger that got to the free-throw line in the opening half, converting all three chances on his way to an 11-point half. Logan Block added 10 points in the opening 18 minutes.

“We got a big guy (Logan Block). That’s obvious, and everyone in the conference knows that. We try and get it to him and a lot of teams realize that so they kind of crash on us more. So we kind of use that to drive into the lane, kick and dish and from there just keep going,” said Carroll on the team’s offensive approach.

After being stuck on seven points for over seven minutes, a field goal by Lena sophomore Max Beyer snapped the drought. Beyer had 11 of the team’s 15 first-half points.

Beyer knocked down three triples and tallied 15 points after halftime to finish with 26 for the game, but the Wildcats couldn’t slow the Tigers to cut into the deficit.

Logan Block was the star of the second half, showing his versatility. Along with converting a few shots in the paint, the senior knocked down two 3-pointers and a couple mid-range jumpers. Of Gillett’s first 22 points in the second half, Logan Block tallied 15 of them.

From there, the Tigers were able to get several players on the court and cruise to the win.

Aside from Beyer’s big scoring output, Lena only had two other players — senior Simon Gard and freshman Jacob Belongia — that scored in the contest.

Lena was playing without a couple impact players and had to start two freshmen against a Gillett squad that started four seniors. “That’s a recipe for a blowout loss like that,” said Lena coach Fritz Weidner, who was pleased with the effort the team showed throughout the game.

Gillett took advantage of Lena’s inexperience, using pressure defense on the ball to force several turnovers that led to fastbreak layups.

“It’s tough being young. You haven’t been through everything everyone else has, like the older kids, so you don’t know everything yet,” said Beyer. “At the same time, it’s going to make you better at some point but it can be hard to play against older kids.”

“The positives are that we are getting experience against a quality team — experience is always a positive thing. The effort is always there for us,” said Weidner. “We did a few good things offensively that don’t really show on the scoreboard and that’s something we can build on going forward.”

Lena 15 23 — 38

Gillett 40 36 — 76

Gillett (76): Aiden Patza 0-2 0, Wyatt Herzog 0-0 2, Derek Block 0-0 18, Anthony Carroll 3-5 13, Logan Block 2-2 28, Austin Vande Corput 0-0 2, Elijah Framnes 0-0 13.

Lena (38): Max Beyer 4-6 26, Lane Whiting 0-2 0, Simon Gard 1-1 7, Jacob Belongia 0-0 5, Mason Simonson 0-2 0.

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