SUPERIOR, Wis. – Day two of the Merrill Thompson Classic took place Saturday for the Yellowjacket men's basketball team. After falling short against Marian in the 2024-25 opener, the 'Jackets rebounded and took down the Oles of St. Olaf College by an 82-54 decision.
UWS saw four of its players finish with double-digit points on the afternoon, as
J'Vaun Walker (Rosharon, Texas/Manvel),
Joey Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior),
Andrew Kunelius (Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia) and
Reid Johnson (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield) helped pace the offensive attack in the team's first victory of the new season.
Game Notes
- Superior capitalized in the beginning moments of the contest, as T.J. Moberg (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park) finished a layup after stealing the ball from an Ole to begin the game.
- After volleying points with St. Olaf, the 'Jackets saw Walker and Kunelius aid the early offense before Johnson helped extend the lead to 19-8. Johnson's hot hand continued before Walker started to find his groove, scoring seven straight points.
- As the Oles began to muster a comeback, the Yellowjackets stepped on the gas even more until the half concluded, with Andrew Beers (Slinger, Wis./Slinger) joining the scoring. UWS entered the break with a 16-point cushion at 38-22.
- Once halftime concluded, UW-Superior continued to pour it on offensively while limiting St. Olaf on the other side of the court. The 'Jackets placed a 20-point gap thanks to Barker's back-to-back layups just four minutes into the second half.
- With the Yellowjackets maintaining control of the game, head coach Greg Polkowski turned to his bench and sent all active Yellowjackets to the hardwood. Evan Bennett (Superior, Wis./Superior) and Micah Young (Minneapolis, Minn./Edison) each garnered points, while Rocco Paulson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) showed off his three-point shot to give UWS a 66-35 lead midway through the half.
- From there the 'Jackets maintained control, displaying a balanced attack throughout the remainder of the contest. Hayden Quimby (Menasha, Wis./Xavier) logged a handful of points while Deidrick Taylor (Minneapolis, Minn./Edison) and Landen Thomer (Mosinee, Wis./Mosinee) logged their first collegiate points in the final minutes of action.
- UW-Superior shot 59.3 percent from midrange, while carding a 41.7 percentage from beyond the arc.
- Defensively Barker led the charge with six rebounds, as five Yellowjackets ended with three boards of their own.
- The Yellowjackets scored 25 points off turnovers Saturday, compared to St. Olaf's 13.
The Yellowjackets are set to host St. Scholastica in non-conference action Wednesday. The opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside the Mertz.
