SUPERIOR, Wis. – With the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) nearing an end, the league sees a bundle of teams at the top of the pack. Boasting identical records, the Yellowjacket men's basketball team took on Bethany Lutheran Saturday. As fans packed the Mertz to celebrate Senior Day, the 'Jackets and Vikings put on yet another close battle.
Both teams traded blows in the first half that led to BLC leading by as much as eight. Superior began to feed off the Mertz Mortorelli Gym crowd and they regained the lead, heading into the break atop the Vikings 39-38.
BLC came out firing in the second, holding the edge until the midway point where the 'Jackets tied things up. Bethany Lutheran and the Yellowjackets traded blows until a late offensive push from the visitors gave the Vikings a 73-69 win.
Game Notes
- J'Vaun Walker (Rosharon, Texas/Manvel) and Reid Johnson (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield) got UWS on the board early, leading 8-2. The Vikings went on the attack and regained the lead until Johnson hit a long three to knot things back up, before consecutive threes from Bethany Lutheran saw them lead 19-13.
- BLC extended its lead to as many as eight until Andrew Kunelius (Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia) and Rocco Paulson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) began leading the 'Jackets. With a three from Joey Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), it was all tied up at 32-32.
- A steal from Walker gave Barker an easy slam dunk to lead 34-32. The Vikings hit a jumper and a layup late in the half before a Yellowjacket foul gave away two easy points, chopping Superior's lead to just one at 39-38.
- Walker got the Yellowjackets started in the second half with a steal-and-score, as he slammed it down to spark the home crowd. From here, however, BLC executed a pair of long balls and five points inside the arc to lead 50-43.
- Paulson subbed back in the game and steered the ship defensively. Alongside Walker and Johnson, they knotted things up at 54-54.
- From there, the Vikings controlled the majority of the scoring. Max Briggs (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) subbed in and hit a midrange jumper to bring the 'Jackets within one, but the Vikings maintained the upper hand and came away with a big conference victory.
- Walker led offensively with 24 points and nine rebounds, coupled with three steals and four assists.
- Paulson logged the first double-double of his collegiate career, scoring ten points and grabbing a game-high 11 boards.
- Johnson was responsible for 18 points, along with six boards and three steals.
- UWS shot 37 percent from the field, while the Vikings garnered a 49.1 percentage.
The Yellowjackets return home for a midweek matchup with Crown College. The opening tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Mertz.
