Stagnant second half sinks Bangor boys against Onalaska Luther

Leading by four at the half against Onalaska Luther, Bangor was in prime position to tally a marquee victory early in this 2021-22 campaign.

However, a stagnant second half sunk the Cardinals and stuck them with their first loss of the season.

After trailing 32-28 at halftime, the Knights (2-0) outscored Bangor (1-1) 32-15 over the final 18 minutes to secure a 60-47 non-conference victory in a battle of two of the region’s top boys’ basketball programs Thursday, December 2 at Luther High School in Onalaska.

Junior guard Tanner Jones led the way for the Cardinals with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals while junior forward/guard Dustin McDonald added 12 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds.

Four Luther players finished in double figures scoring: Kodi Miller with 14 points, Isaiah Schwichtenberg with 13 points, Gavin Proudfoot with 12 points (and 13 rebounds for a double-double) and Logan Bahr with 10 points.

Bangor will be back in action for its Scenic Bluffs opener when it takes on the Necedah Cardinals (1-1) Friday, December 10 at 7 p.m. in Necedah.

Viroqua 71, Brookwood 26

A dominating second half allowed Viroqua (3-0) to pull away for a 71-26 non-conference win over Brookwood (1-2) in an all-bird battle Thursday, December 2 in Ontario.

Viroqua only led 27-19 at the half, but would proceed to outscore Brookwood 44-7 over the game’s final 18 minutes to turn things into a rout.

Brookwood senior guard Austin Frye finished with 10 points to lead the Falcons and sophomore guard Brady Hansen chipped in 9 points. Viroqua senior guards Griffin Olson and Kamden Oliver each had 15 points to lead the way for the Blackhawks.

The Falcons are scheduled to return to play with their conference opener against Wonewoc-Center Friday, December 10 at 7 p.m. in Ontario.

Lodi 79, Cashton 59

The Cashton Eagles (1-1) suffered their first loss of the young season over the weekend, falling 79-59 in non-conference play to the Lodi Blue Devils (2-1) Saturday, December 4 in Cashton.

Though the Eagles outscored Lodi 37-34 in the second half, it was not nearly enough to overcome the 45-22 deficit they faced at halftime.

Leading scorers for Cashton included senior guard Bowdy Dempsey with 19 points, senior forward Presley Brueggen with 15 points, sophomore guard Connor Butzler with 10 points and senior Jack Hilden with 9 points.

Lodi scoring leaders were Erik Alsaker with 20 points, Brady Ring with 18 points and Owen Wendt with 10 points.

The Eagles kick off Scenic Bluffs play on the road against Royall (2-1) Friday, December 10 at 7 p.m. in Elroy.