SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Yellowjacket men's basketball team concluded play at the Merrill Thompson Classic Saturday, facing a tough challenge against UW-River Falls in the final game of the tournament.
After a strong victory last night against another Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) school of UW-La Crosse, the Yellowjackets would find themselves in an opportunity to beat two WIAC schools for the first time in nine seasons.
The 'Jackets did just that. After another strong performance from senior
J'Vaun Walker (Rosharon, Texas/Manvel), he led his squad to a 75-70 victory over the Falcons and a perfect 2-0 record in the Merrill Thompson Classic.
It took the Yellowjackets some time to settle in, as the Falcons began the game firing on all cylinders and jumped out to a swift 15-3 lead. Leading the Yellowjackets throughout the first half was
Josef Fahrenholtz (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield), who was followed by
Andrew Kunelius (Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia) and
Reid Johnson (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield) who brought UWS within seven at 20-13.
After a fastbreak from Johnson who drained a shot from beyond the arc, he would turn around shortly afterwards and finish a slam dunk.
T.J. Moberg (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park) added offensive output for UW-Superior towards the end of the first half, which was quickly countered by UW-River Falls as they ended the first 20 minutes leading 36-31.
UW-Superior came out of the break on the right foot, as Walker restarted the charge with a three-point play after receiving a foul from the Falcons off a layup. He would score the next eight points for the 'Jackets before
Joey Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) capitalized on a three-point opportunity to provide a four-point cushion over the Falcons 45-41.
UW-River Falls would continue to claw their way back into the game, as Jack Leifker and Logan Jedwabny stepped up to notch the game at a 49-49 draw. The Falcons continued to provide the offense, but Walker countered with back-to-back threes. Walker's work wasn't done, however, as he continued to put himself in numerous scoring opportunities to boost the Yellowjackets' lead late. Fahrenholtz, Moberg and Johnson aided his attack, providing points within and beyond the arc as the 'Jackets found themselves with their third-straight victory in the 2023-24 campaign with a score of 75-70.
Walker commanded the offensive for the Yellowjackets, scoring 32 out of his 38 points in the final 20 minutes of action. Also featuring four steals and six rebounds, his 38 points is the highest of his Yellowjacket career to date. Fahrenholtz led the offensive attack early on, finishing his evening with 13 points and five rebounds. Moberg picked up six boards off eight points and two steals.
The Falcons were paced by Jedwabny and Johnson, scoring 17 and 14 points, respectively.
The Yellowjackets (3-0, 0-0) will take the court against bridge-rival St. Scholastica Nov. 15. Tipoff inside Reif Gymnasium is scheduled for 7 p.m.
