Marshfield boys basketball team’s late comeback attempt falls short against D.C. Everest

By Paul Lecker
For focusonmarshfield.com

MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield boys basketball team fought back from a 15-point deficit late in the second half to close within a point, but missed on its final four shots to take the lead or tie the game and fell 62-59 in a Wisconsin Valley Conference game Tuesday night at Marshfield High School.

D.C. Everest used a 9-1 run to take a 58-43 lead after a rebound and basket by Bryan Halambeck with just more than 6 minutes remaining in the game.

Marshfield, which had missed 14 of its 17 shot attempts in the second half up to that point, suddenly found its offensive rhythm.

The Tigers scored on seven-straight possessions to close to within a point at 60-59 with 2:08 left in the game.

Preston Wagner converted a three-point play to start a 12-0 run that brought Marshfield to within three at 58-55.

Brant Bohman hit a 3-pointer and a layup, and Wagner had another basket and two free throws in the run.

After Everest’s Zion Turner hit a short jumper to end the run, Isaac Meverden scored down low and later made a pair of free throws to make it 60-59 with just more than 2 minutes to go.

However, as hot as the Tigers suddenly were, that would be it for them.

Marshfield missed two shots within point-blank range of the hoop, and a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute.

Halambeck made two free throws with 8.5 seconds left, and Marshfield was unable to get off a good shot in an attempt to tie the game. A poor pass led to Bohman having to heave an off-balanced shot from 30 feet away at the buzzer, which fell short.

D.C. Everest survives and is now 6-1 overall and alone in first place in the WVC at 3-0. Marshfield drops to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play.

“We just need to find some people to handle the ball and not give up turnovers,” Marshfield coach Scott Scheuer said. “I thought defensively, there were a few lapses, but overall I thought we played well.”

The two teams exchanged the lead five times in the first half before Everest pulled out to a 36-28 lead after baskets by Halambeck, who finished with a team-high 17 points, Turner and Alec Stuedemann.

Wagner made a basket with 3 seconds to go in the half and the Evergreens took a six-point lead into the break.

Everest scored nine of the first 13 points of the second half, with a Bohman 3-pointer the only make from the field over the first 8 minutes of the half for the Tigers.

Everest led 52-42 after three free throws from Halambeck and pushed the lead to 15 before the Tigers finally got going.

Bohman made five 3-pointers and had a game-high 22 points to lead the Tigers. Meverden added 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Wagner finished with 13 points and seven rebounds for Marshfield.

Marshfield will have more than a week off before traveling to play in the Waunakee Holiday Tournament on Dec. 27-28. The Tigers will play Oconomowoc in a semifinal at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 27. They will play either Waunakee or Madison Memorial on Dec. 28. The tournament starts at five-game road streak that extends through Jan. 18.

Marshfield plays at Wausau East on Jan. 4, Wausau West on Jan. 8, and Stevens Point on Jan. 18 before finally playing another home game Jan. 22 against Wisconsin Rapids. That will be the first of eight home games to finish off the final 10 games of the regular season.

“We go and play Oconomowoc, and then either Waunakee or Memorial, three really good teams,” Scheuer said. “Then we come back and play Wausau East, who could be the best team in our conference. Our conference is up for grabs, it could be three or four losses for the team that wins it.”

Evergreens 62, Tigers 59
D.C. Everest 36 26 – 62
Marshfield 30 29 – 59
D.C. EVEREST (62): Colton Kielman 0-0 0-0 0, Cade Sivertson 2-3 0-0 4, Zion Turner 6-14 0-0 13, Alec Stuedemann 5-8 0-0 11, Bryan Halambeck 5-9 5-7 17, Ethan Ostrowski 2-5 0-0 5, Jake Brodhagen 3-6 0-0 8, Keaton Edwards 2-5 0-2 4. FG: 25-50. FT: 5-9. 3-pointers: 7-20 (Halambeck 2-2, Brodhagen 2-4, Stuedemann 1-2, Ostrowski 1-3, Turner 1-7, Edwards 0-2). Rebounds: 31 (Halambeck 8). Turnovers: 16. Fouls: 19. Fouled out: Turner. Record: 6-1, 3-0 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
MARSHFIELD (59): Isaac Meverden 4-6 9-12 17, Brant Bohman 7-16 3-3 22, Cody Korth 0-0 0-0 0, Anthony Posteluk 1-5 0-0 2, Preston Wagner 5-15 3-3 13, Sam Hinson 0-2 0-0 0, Joey Goettl 2-7 0-0 5, Addison Hill 0-1 0-0 0. FG: 19-52. FT: 15-18. 3-pointers: 6-26 (Bohman 5-11, Goettl 1-2, Wagner 0-7, Meverden 0-1, Hinson 0-1, Posteluk 0-4). Rebounds: 28 (Meverden 10). Turnovers: 15. Fouls: 13. Fouled out: none. Record: 3-4, 1-2 Wisconsin Valley Conference.

Paul Lecker is publisher of MarshfieldAreaSports.com, and a contributor to focusonmarshfield.com.