Indians win four in a row - Four victories in five days for Waukon boys basketball squad

Junior Dylan Schulte grabs the ball from Turkey Valley's Sam Einwalter while sophomore Russell ReVoir (back) and junior Ben Rausch (right) look to help during the teams' Thursday night game. Schulte ended the night with three steals, three rebounds, and a pair of assists and the Indians hung on for a 66-63 nonconference victory.


Four games in five nights made for a hectic stretch for the Waukon boys basketball team. After defeating Decorah Monday night, the Indians hit the road Tuesday, Jan. 25 to defeat De Soto, 55-35. In another set of back to back dates, the Tribe downed Turkey Valley Thursday, Jan. 27 by a 66-63 tally and then handed New Hampton another Northeast Iowa Conference loss Friday, Jan. 28, by a 47-42 final.
The win streak boosted the Indians' overall record to 9-4, which includes a 4-3 mark in league action.

at De Soto...
Nonconference action offered the Tribe a chance to catch their breath during a busy week of play. Tuesday, Jan. 25, the Indians posted a 55-35 road win over De Soto.
Offense was hard to come by in the opening frame. De Soto held a 2-0 lead after four minutes, but the Indians got on the board shortly after and eventually took a 10-4 lead into the second.
Waukon's six-point spread lengthened slightly through the second quarter and the Indians held a 22-14 advantage at halftime.
"I think we started out with some tired legs. We had a pretty emotional win over Decorah the night before and most of the first half seemed to go in slow motion," said Waukon coach Don Kuennen.
Kuennen's troops found their stride in the second half. The Indians kicked up their effort in the third to turn a small lead into a 20-point spread, the ultimate difference in the contest.
"They really stepped it up a notch in the third, especially on defense. They turned an eight-point game into a 20-point margin and that was pretty much the game," the coach added.
Although the sizeable win was nice, Kuennen knows his team needs to improve in areas. "Right now we just need to challenge ourselves. I think we play to the level of our competition. We play well against better teams, but we don't seem to be as mentally into the game against a team we think we should beat. But, I think we're continuing to improve. Our guys are giving a pretty good effort."
Junior guard Ben Rausch paced the offense with 12 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Senior forward Joe Miller added 11 points and denied a trio of Pirate shots.
Sophomore guard Mike Rausch snagged six boards and dished out four assists.
From the bench, Kuennen pointed out the performance of junior Dylan Schulte. "Dylan gave us a big lift off the bench with seven points, three steals, and two assists. He had a knack for being in the right place at the right time," the coach stated.
Since the contest came at the start of a busy week for the Indians, reserves saw plenty of time in hopes of keeping everyone's legs fresh for Thursday and Friday. "This was a good game just from the fact that we got to play a lot of people. And, everybody contributed," Kuennen mentioned.

WAUKON      FG      FT      PF      TP
Mike Rausch      2      4-4      1      9
Ben Rausch      5      0-0      1      12
John Seibert      1      0-0      1      2
Joe Miller      5      1-1      1      11
Dylan Schulte      3      0-2      3      7
Jeremy Hirth      1      0-0      1      2
Ryan Jones      2      0-0      2      4
Kendal Sickels      2      0-0      0      4
Russell ReVoir      1      2-2      0      4
Andrew Snitker      0      0-0      3      0
TOTAL      22      7-9      13      55

3-point goals: B. Rausch (2); M. Rausch, Miller

de soto      FG      FT      PF      TP
Chris Anderson      0      0-1      1      0
Ethan Zeimet      1      0-0      1      2
Alex Derrickson      0      0-0      1      0
Matt Boland      0      0-0      1      0
Tim Theobald      0      0-0      0      0
Dan Russell      3      2-2      0      8
Andy Johnson      1      1-2      2      4
Joe Cina      3      4-4      2      12
Jordan Bechtel      2      0-0      0      4
Dan Trussoni      2      1-4      3      5
TOTAL      12      8-13      11      35

3-point goals: Cina (2); Johnson

vs. Turkey Valley...
Originally, the Indians were supposed to host Turkey Valley early in January, however Mother Nature had other ideas. The teams finally faced off Thursday, Jan. 27. In a contest filled with momentum swings, the Indians managed to come out on top, 66-63.
Momentum belonged to the visiting Trojans early in the game. A Miller basket had put the Indians ahead early, but Turkey Valley countered with a 10-1 run through five minutes to take a 10-3 lead. Ben Rausch landed a long three-pointer near the 1:30 mark to set up the Tribe's own run. The sophomore forward tandem of Russell ReVoir and Jeremy Hirth accounted for a pair of free throws each to pull the Tribe within two, 12-10. ReVoir then added a three-point play and Rausch swished a free shot to cut the Trojans' lead to 15-14 with eight minutes in the books.
A bucket by Hirth early in the second finally put the Indians ahead, but Turkey Valley sparked a seven-point swing to take a 22-16 advantage. Fortunately for the Tribe, its outside game came alive. Sophomore post Ryan Jones landed a triple and Miller clinched back to back three-pointers to regain control, 25-22. Ben Rausch added five more tallies to ensure the Indians held a lead at the half, 30-28.
Momentum stayed in Waukon's favor through the third as the Indians steadily turned their tiny lead into a seven-point difference at the period's midway point. Turkey Valley had chipped their deficit to three in the frame's closing minute, but Jones drained another triple with just seconds to spare to cushion Waukon's lead, 48-42.
With only four minutes left on the clock in the final quarter, the Indians' 55-46 lead looked safe, but the comfort level soon dropped thanks to six consecutive points by the Trojans. A pair of Miller free throws interrupted the run and kicked off a 7-2 swing in favor of Waukon. In a last ditch effort, Turkey Valley began firing away from beyond the arc. The Trojans sank three long-range shots to pull within two, 65-63, with five seconds to play, but they couldn't quite complete the comeback and were saddled with a 66-63 loss.
If there's any lesson the Indians can take from their win, it's the importance of a three-point basket. The Tribe's seven triples in the second and third quarters turned the tide for Waukon. Later, the trey nearly betrayed the Indians.
"We were up by nine points in the fourth and, at that point, we thought we were in pretty good shape. But, they made three desperation three-pointers in the last two minutes to make things really interesting," Kuennen noted.
Fortunately, the Tribe stood firm at the free throw line throughout the night. "We shot free throws well, especially in the fourth. Ben (Rausch) was 5-for-6 and Joe (Miller) was 3-for-4. Ultimately, that was the difference." Waukon sank 19 free shots, the best output this season.
Individually, Waukon benefitted from strong nights by several players.
Ben Rausch was the high scorer with 23 points while Miller added 14.
Jones had 13 points, including a trio of pivotal triples. "Ryan had a huge three-pointer that staved off their rally in the last two minutes," the coach mentioned.
Ben Rausch finished with seven rebounds and a trio of assists.
Miller and Jones reeled in four boards each.
Miller also paced the Indians with six assists and five steals.
From the bench, Schulte contributed three steals, a pair of assists, and a trio of rebounds, Kuennen pointed out. "Dylan gave us a nice lift off the bench."

WAUKON      FG      FT      PF      TP
Mike Rausch      1      0-0      3      3
Ben Rausch      7      6-8      4      23
John Seibert      0      0-0      0      0
Joe Miller      4      4-7      2      14
Dylan Schulte      0      0-0      0      0
Jeremy Hirth      2      4-4      5      8
Ryan Jones      4      2-4      4      13
Kendal Sickels      0      0-0      0      0
Russell ReVoir      1      3-3      0      5
TOTAL      19      19-26      18      66

3-point goals: B. Rausch, Jones (3); Miller (2); M. Rausch

turkey valley      FG      FT      PF      TP
Sam Einwalter      8      8-12      1      24
Cody Fencl      3      0-2      4      8
Josh Adams      4      3-6      4      11
Sean Leonard      3      0-0      2      7
Nate Mracek      4      1-2      3      11
Dalton Bruess      0      0-0      1      0
Joe Leonard      1      0-0      3      2
Reid Boedker      0      0-0      0      0
TOTAL      23      12-22      18      63

3-point goals: Fencl, Mracek (2); S. Leonard

at New Hampton...
Waukon's packed week was nearly over Friday, Jan. 28, but the Indians still had one more contest, an NEIC event at New Hampton. The Chickasaws gave the Tribe a run, but Waukon finished the night with a 47-42 victory.
Momentum was once again a huge factor in competition. "This game was all about big momentum swings," mentioned Kuennen.
Waukon began the night strongly, muscling their way to a 10-0 lead just under four minutes into the contest. New Hampton had other plans and clawed its way within two, 16-14, by the conclusion of the first quarter.
Precious momentum was hard for either side to secure in the second. The Chickasaws jumped ahead, 20-18, near the end of the quarter, but the Tribe fought to regain their advantage and headed into the half up 22-20.
Waukon's halftime adjustments were right on target as the Indians took the court ready to break the game open. The Tribe registered 17 points while holding their hosts to just four to take a sizeable 39-24 lead into the night's final quarter.
Perhaps the long week was finally wearing the Indians down, or perhaps the Chickasaws were hitting their stride, but whatever the cause, New Hampton took one last stab at the Indians. The Tribe's double figure lead was trimmed down to only a few points, thanks in part to some long threes made by Kyle Bouska, but the Indians hung on to take the 47-42 conference victory.
Waukon's third quarter run was extremely vital to getting the win and Kuennen credits his team's defensive effort. "Our guys were very aggressive on defense. In the third, a lot of our offense came from our defense."
Although the Chickasaws are currently winless in league action, Friday's contest proves that no team can be overlooked in the NEIC. "Fatigue might have been a factor late in the game, but I also credit New Hampton with turning up the defensive intensity and forcing us to make mistakes," Kuennen admitted.
Waukon may have been dragging a bit due to their busy week, but they still found a way to pick up the win. "I'm just pleased we had enough left at the end to make the plays we needed to win," the coach added.
After shooting well at the charity stripe the night before, Waukon had difficulties Friday. "We struggled at the line in the fourth, but we made enough to keep our lead. Four times in a row we made only one of two, but most of those makes came on the front end of a one-and-one situation, so they were very important," the coach stated.
Miller had a fine all-around night against the Chickasaws, leading his team with 17 points, four steals, eight rebounds, and two blocks. "Joe was pretty much all over the floor. His total game is developing nicely. He's doing a lot of things that don't necessarily show in the scoring column," Kuennen said.
Jones added 12 points and dished out three assists.
Mike Rausch contributed a trio of assists and Ben Rausch grabbed six boards.

WAUKON      FG      FT      PF      TP
Mike Rausch      2      1-2      3      5
Ben Rausch      4      1-4      2      9
John Seibert      0      0-0      0      0
Joe Miller      6      4-6      2      17
Dylan Schulte      0      0-0      0      0
Jeremy Hirth      1      0-0      2      2
Ryan Jones      5      0-0      3      12
Kendal Sickels      0      0-0      0      0
Russell ReVoir      1      0-0      0      2
Andrew Snitker      0      0-0      0      0
TOTAL      19      6-12      12      47

3-point goals: Jones (2); Miller

new hampton      FG      FT      PF      TP
Luke O'Hollearn      0      0-0      0      0
Kirk Sweitzer      0      0-0      4      0
Kyle Bouska      2      2-2      0      8
Ethan Morgan      1      0-0      0      2
Tim Bohr      1      0-0      2      2
Blaine Lester      1      0-1      4      2
Trevor Landers      1      0-0      0      2
Gerry Burgart      5      2-3      2      12
Steven Slick      7      0-0      4      14
TOTAL      18      4-6      16      42

3-point goals: Bouska (2)

The Indians traveled to Cresco Tuesday night and will stay on the road Friday, Feb. 4 when they face North Fayette in nonconference action. The Tribe has back to back contests Monday, Feb. 7, hosting Prairie du Chien, and Tuesday, Feb. 8, matching talents with Oelwein. Both games start at 6:15 p.m. with the sophomore contest.