Competing for district title

Bryan Wyatt bends around the defense to get a shot up.

By Brian Besch
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Onalaska basketball is tied for first place and showed off many reasons why in a 101-60 win over the Bulldogs from New Waverly Friday.

A hot start on offense and New Waverly’s inability to control the basketball led to a 12-2 start for the home team. The Wildcats gave up a lot in size, but made up for it with hustle, shooting and positioning on rebounds.

Johnny Byrd caught fire as the second quarter started, hitting three 3-pointers in just over a minute of clock. By halftime, the senior shooter had connected six times from behind the arc.

The Wildcats are now 4-1 and tied for best in district. Going into the night, four teams shared a 3-1 record, which included Shepherd, Coldspring and Crockett.

“It is kind of funny, because everybody has beaten someone different,” Wildcat coach Nicholas Tyerman said. “It is really a true tie, so tonight helps keep us in control of our own destiny. I am very proud of the kids and the effort. We are still trying to fix some of our defensive errors, but we are getting there.”

The ‘Cats have defeated Tarkington, Trinity, Shepherd and New Waverly in league play. The lone loss was to Crockett, a 35-point difference. Tyerman said it was a 10-point game late in the third quarter.

“We were playing our tempo and they like playing that way too,” he said of the Crockett match. “It was literally just a two-minute spurt where we missed every shot we took, and they made every shot they took. It went from being down 10 to being down 25. It happens with the way our style of play is.

Related Articles

Lady Jackets defeat Spurger for bi-district title

Eagles, Indians clinch district titles

“We are in a good spot and need to take care of business in Anderson on Tuesday, weather permitting. On Friday, we have Coldspring at home, which will be big. It could very likely be one of those tiebreak games that we need to control first.”

The team is able to cycle in five players at a time once fatigue sets in on the court. It is perhaps the deepest squad in the district, and the coach uses the entire bench to the team’s advantage.

“I feel we are doing really well and I’ve got 12 kids that I can play at any moment,” Tyerman said. “I don’t have to worry about foul trouble. You are going to have good players that just have bad games and other guys have to step up. I have 12 kids where I know anybody can step up at any moment. I had a sophomore that scored 18 tonight. That is great depth to have and we are going to keep doing that and keep improving.”

Brayden Topkins led the team with 19 points, Patrick Roth and Johnny Byrd had 18 each, and Bryan Wyatt 11. For New Waverly, Rondell Lewis had 19, Alec Ripkowski had nine, and Dillon Thomas and Houston Forester each scored eight.

Tyerman said his teams on the lower levels are also turning in quality performances.

“My J.V. is undefeated right now. My junior high just won a game by 46 points last night against Tarkington. From seventh through twelfth grade, we have a true program and we are in that cycle phase right now, where it is on an upswing and we’re going to keep rolling with it.”

In the very competitive District 23-3A, there are no nights off or easy wins, but a few stand out as difficult challenges.

“Crockett is obviously going to be the biggest one because we lost to them in that first round. Coldspring is going to be that next one and it’s going to be one of our toughest tests. We have more depth and more scoring options, so it is just going to be about ball security and being able to limit their main guys.”