For the Tomahawk Leader
TOMAHAWK – The Tomahawk Hatchet boys’ basketball team dropped three games earlier this month.
Lakeland
The Tomahawk Hatchets played the Lakeland Thunderbirds in a road matchup on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
Tomahawk played well together throughout the game. At halftime, the score was 24-34. The Hatchets excelled when it came to defense, especially Jaxson Werner with six offensive rebounds. Despite how well they played, the Hatchets couldn’t overcome the lead Lakeland had made in the first half, resulting in a final score of 60-35.
The Hatchets were led by Gavyn Palmer with 10 points, and Tyler Welke and Tyler Jablonski each with seven.
Head coach Jacob Jarvensivu said the team struggled from the floor in the beginning of the game.
“I thought that we outplayed Lakeland for the first nine minutes of the game, but we were unable to take advantage because we didn’t cash in on easy layups, which put us behind 9-1,” he stated. “Then, Lakeland went on a run and it was pretty tough to counter it without having the score in our favor. I did think that we played them better this time than we did before Christmas.”
Antigo
On Friday, Feb. 11, Tomahawk hosted the Antigo Red Robins.
It was a very close game throughout, and the Hatchets played very well on defense, especially Tyler Jablonski with three steals and two blocks. At halftime, the score was 15-22. The Hatchets had a small lead in the second half until the Red Robins caught up and took the lead, resulting in a final score of 41-46.
Foul trouble was a major story for the Hatchets as three players fouled out and four players finished the game with four fouls.
The Hatchets were led by Tyler Welke with 14 points and Gavyn Palmer with eight.
Jarvensivu said it was the Hatchets’ “most gut-wrenching loss of the season.”
“I am proud of the way that the boys competed and I felt like we did enough to get a win,” he stated. “A few things didn’t go our way late and it cost us the game. Having Gavyn Palmer in foul trouble the whole game was a factor, but I thought everyone else stepped up and helped to fill the void. We are a team that has had to overcome a lot of adversity this season and we will continue to work hard to represent this community as well as we can.”
Rib Lake
The Hatchets took on Rib Lake at home on Tuesday, Feb. 15.
The game started off well for the Hatchets with a small lead, and they played well on offense, especially Jacob Towle with four offensive rebounds. Despite this, Rib Lake overcame that small advantage, which led to a halftime score of 15-30 in favor of Rib Lake. The Hatchets continued to work together, but they couldn’t overcome the lead that Rib Lake created, leading to a final score of 40-52.
The Hatchets were led by Gavyn Palmer with 13 points and Jaxson Werner with 10.
“This was kind of a letdown game for us,” Jarvensivu said. “We didn’t come out with the same energy and fight we are used to seeing and dug ourselves a big hole early. Although our fight picked up late, it just wasn’t enough. Credit Rib Lake with being ready to play and with them mixing defenses; it put pressure on our communication throughout the entire contest.”
The Hatchets are slated to face Chequamegon in Tomahawk on Tuesday, Feb. 22. On Thursday, Feb. 24, the Tomahawk hoopsters will travel to Rhinelander for a game that gets underway at 7:15 p.m.