Tuesday, Dec. 23

Peshtigo 41, Gillett 35

Gillett fell to 5-2 overall with a 41-35 nonconference loss to Peshtigo on Dec. 23.

Back-to-back games can take a toll on a high school basketball team.

Take the Wittenberg-Birnamwood Chargers, for example. The Chargers hosted Shawano on Dec. 22, headed to Clintonville the following day and ended up with a pair of hard-fought nonconference wins.

One day after handing Shawano a 57-56 loss, the Chargers improved to 7-0 with a 59-51 nonconference win over the Truckers.

Tuesday, Dec. 23

Bay Area 3, De Pere 1

Bay Area Storm won its first Fox River Classic Conference game of the season, a 3-1 decision over De Pere on Dec. 23.

Henry Laurent scored at 10:16 in the first period with assists from Tyler Wempe and Aiden Buchan.

There was a time when things were not looking good for the Shawano boys basketball team in its nonconference matchup with Wittenberg-Birnamwood.

The Chargers had used a 10-2 run to take a 38-28 lead over the Hawks early in the second half. Shawano chipped away at the lead and cut the deficit to a single point twice in the final three minutes but ended up on the short end of a 57-56 final score Dec. 22 on the Chargers’ home court.

We have Al Capone, John Dillinger and other bootlegging-era gangsters to thank for a federal gun law that also made it harder for shooters and hunters to protect our precious hearing.

That law is rapidly changing and could add a piece of equipment to our shooting bags and hunting rifles that will forever alter the ear-damaging gunshots heard at shooting ranges and deer woods.

Monday, Dec. 22

Wittenberg-Birnamwood 70, Medford 30

Strong play by the Chargers put them firmly in control early on, and Wittenberg-Birnamwood went on to beat Medford 70-30.

“This was a great win before break,” coach Nick Mechelke said. “This was a top down team win tonight. It was a physical game, and we played through it.”