For the Tomahawk Leader

TOMAHAWK – The Tomahawk Hatchet boys’ basketball team hosted a tough Athens squad at Hatchet Field House on Friday, Jan. 8, and fell by a score of 71 to 45.

Head coach Jacob Jarvensivu noted that Athens entered the matchup riding a nine-game win streak and were ranked 9th in the state. Athens’ team chemistry and defense gave the Hatchets fits all night and helped them cruise to the big win.

Jarvensivu said turnovers were the story of the night, with Athens creating 16 first half turnovers and 15 second half turnovers.

Athens went into halftime with a 36 to 13 lead, but Tomahawk played much better in the second half, being outscored only 35 to 32. However, the first half damage proved insurmountable.

Drew Bolder lead the Hatchets with 20 points. Elijah Scheffler had nine points, and Payton Bunce chipped in eight points with 11 rebounds. Athens improved to 10-1 on the year, and the Hatchets fell to 2-3.

“I thought our boys fought really hard,” Jarvensivu stated. “We were quite shorthanded, which caused our guys to play really long minutes. I never questioned the fight in this team for one second. The turnovers were obviously a big issue for us that we will have to get rectified going into conference play next week.”

The Hatchet hoopsters are set to host Northland Pines on Friday, Jan. 16, with opening tip at 7:15 p.m., before heading to Prentice on Monday, Jan. 18 for another 7:15 matchup.