For the Tomahawk Leader

RIB LAKE – The Tomahawk Hatchet boys basketball team traveled to Rib Lake on Tuesday, Dec. 8 and came away with a 49 to 42 victory.

Head coach Jacob Jarvensivu said it was a back-and-forth game in the first half, with Rib Lake having a 25 to 24 lead going into halftime. Rib Lake started the second half by pushing their lead to 38 to 29 before the Hatchets went on a 20 to 4 run to earn the win.

Drew Bolder led the Hatchets with 25 points, and Payton Bunce had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

“I was proud of the kids’ resilience down the stretch,” Jarvensivu stated. “I think that we got back to the bedrock of the program, which has and always will be defense. We held Rib Lake to 17 points in the second half, which is what we need to have happen in order to win games. Payton and Tyler Jablonski really carried us on the glass which is a big reason for our success down the stretch.”

Following their victory over Rib Lake, the Hatchets hosted Medford on Thursday, Dec. 11 for a conference game and fell by a score of 77 to 33.

Jarvensivu said Medford got out to a fast start and never looked back, applying pressure and forcing 19 turnovers in the first half. Medford went into the half with a 49 to 21 lead. Although Tomahawk handled the pressure better in the second half, Medford was able to cruise to victory.

“Medford was a really good basketball team last year that went undefeated in the conference, and I think they might be better this year,” Jarvensivu stated. “I was proud of our boys in the way that we competed, but we were physically outmatched with their size and athleticism. Next time we play them, we have to handle their pressure in the full court much better and make it a half-court game.”

The Hatchets were set to host Marion on Monday, Dec. 14 before traveling to Lakeland on Friday, Dec. 18 for a game that starts at 7:15 p.m.