Alumni from 1995 school our current boys varsity team 96-75

Talk about a magical night. The WHS State Championship boys basketball team from 1995 converged in their old stomping grounds, the Tom Falash gym to challenge this year's third place at state boys basketball team. The whole purpose behind this is to promote a scholarship for a worthy WHS graduate.

　　Starters for the alumni were Danny Walker, Nick Fouch, Ben Boettcher (better known in those days as Benji), Jon Lindsey and Nathan Walker. Coincidently, this was the starting five in '95 as well. Starters for the varsity were Issac Zanelli, Justin Roberts, Tyler Hemphill, Brock Bumgarner and Elias Daniel. The Alumni stole the tip. Lindsey hit the first bucket. Danny W. to N. Walker for two. Zanelli to Daniel for two. Roberts was fouled making one free throw. Daniel hit a bucket to put the youngsters up by one. Fouch with the "O" rebound putback. Hemphill with the dish for two. Danny W. to Fouch for the hoop. Roberts knocked in a shot. Lindsey had the steal and zig zagged his way for three fourths of the court and finished with the shot. He is poetry in motion and light on his feet. I swear he hasn't lost a step in all those years.

　　Fouch was fouled making one shot, 11-9 Alumni. Derrel Walker putback an "O" rebound. Derrel Walker to Gregg Russell for two as the Alumni began to pull away, 15-9. Bruce Hamilton nailed a three from the top of the key. Philipp Schmitz putback his own "O" rebound, Daniel Brockett was fouled making one free throw. Brockett putback the "O" rebound, 18-14 Alumni. Garrett Crawford made a basket. Derrell Walker to Aaron Youckton for the three. Hamilton matched that wih his three. Brockett with the "O" rebound putback just before the buzzer. At the end of the first quarter, the Alumni led 23-19.

　　In the top of the second quarter, Jacoby Miller had a block. Logan Loomis to Miller inside for the bucket, 23-21 Alumni. Fouch hit the hook shot. Danny Walker for the three point shot, 28-21 Alumni. N. Walker to
Fouch for two. Lindsey stole the ball under the Varsity basket and finished with the easy shot, was fouled and drained the free throw, 33-21 Alumni. Loomis hit a baseline three. Loomis to Miller for two more. N. Walker for two. Brockett with the "O" rebound putback.

　　Brockett to Jason Svancara for the basket. Hamilton was fouled making one shot. Schmitz had the "O" rebound putback. Derrick Reyes to Bumgarner for two. Schmitz again put the rebound back in. Derrel Walker for two from the free throw line, 41-33 Alumni. Svancara made his presence known inside for the bucket. Roberts to Bumgarner for the reversed shot. At the half, Alumni 43, Varsity 35.

　　There were some incredible moves in that first half and the passing by the Alumni in the second half was brilliant. At one point, it was a contest to see which team could make the most three point shots in a row.

　　In the third quarter, Danny Walker was fouled making one free throw. Lindsey had the behind the back dribble, through his legs to Yuckton for the basket. Roberts sank a three from the baseline. Roberts for two more, 46-40 Alumni. Yuckton took a charge on defense. Lindsey knocked down a three. Derrel Walker had the "O" rebound to Fouch for the finish, 51-40. I overheard the Alumni comment that the floor was not as soft as they remembered.

　　Hemphill sank a three. Fouch putback his own "O" rebound. Russell stole the ball and finished with the lay-up. Hemphill to Zanelli for the three. Daniel hit a three. Boettcher hit a three. A three point miss broke the rhythm but not for long as Hemphill made a three on the next shot. Roberts hit a three, 58-55 Alumni. Russell to N. Walker for two. Brockett was fouled making one free throw. Yuckton drained two free throws. Fouch putback an "O" rebound. Lindsey to Derrel Walker for the shot at the end of the third quarter. Alumni 67, Varsity 55.

　　Crawford was fouled early in the fourth making one count. Schmitz had the block on defense. Fouch for the bucket. Ethan Thomas to Loomis for the baseline three. Danny Walker to Russell for the three. Hamilton banked in a three. Does this sound familiar? Roberts hit a baseline three, 76-65 Alumni. N. Walker to Brockett for the long two. Brockett to Svancara for two. N. Walker with the "O" rebound putback, twice in a row, 80-65. The only question in my mind at this point was whether or not the Alumni would hit a 100 points. There was about four mintues to play.

　　Miller had a shot fall through the hoop. Lindsey made his shot count. Hemphill was fouled making one. N. Walker to Yuckton for the three, 85-68 Alumni. Lindsey ran down a long defensive rebound, chucked the ball the full length of the court to Danny Walker for the two foot shot. Daniel sank a three. Lindsey to Yuckton for two, a pass that was caught in the air and banked in. Danny Walker hit a three point shot. Daniel sank a two. Derrel Walker for two. Reyes for the bucket. Boettcher to Danny Walker for two. Alas, time ran out before the century mark was hit. The Alumni schooled the varsity in a win 96-75.

　　This was a fun, fantastic game and don't let the Alumni men fool you. They still have game. They may hurt tomorrow but had fun tonight at any rate.
　　Scoring Alumni: Fouch 17, Lindsey and Yuckton 12 each, N. Walker and Brockett 10 each, Danny Walker 11, Derrel Walker 8, Russell 7, Svancara 6 and Boettcher 3. Varsity: Roberts 14, Daniel 12, Hamilton 10, Hemphill 9, Miller, Loomis and Schmitz 6 each, Bumgarner 4, Zanelli and Crawford 3 each and Reyes 2.

Weiser wins third place at State in overtime, 47-41.

  One thing that can be said about the state boys basketball tournament, there wasn't a dull game. Every game was close including Weiser's last on Saturday, March 3. Weiser was the visitor to Sugar-Salem. Weiser controlled the play for most of the game but in that fourth quarter, SS staged a come-back to knot the score 36-36. Weiser came out for the overtime with a determination to win this game and that's exactly what our boys did winning 47-41 and claiming third place in state. Weiser's defense is a large reason for their success with the quick hands and blazing speed of our boys.
  Starters were seniors Drew McKie and Issac Zanelli, juniors Tyler Hemphill, Elias Daniel and Justin Roberts. Weiser scored first off a hook shot by McKie with the assist from Zanelli. Daniel putback an offensive rebound. McKie to Roberts for the three, 7-2. McKie had the move inside for two. McKie rejected the ball which Brock Bumgarner picked up and passed to Bruce Hamilton on the fast break for the lay-up, 11-4. McKie came down with the defensive rebound, outlet passed to Bumgarner for the lay-up. SS screamed for a time-out with 1:08 on the clock. McKie had the steal with the pass going to Bumgarner on full sprint. At the last possible second, Bumgarner passed to his right to Derek Reyes for the lay-up. Weiser would lead 15-6 at the end of the first quarter.
  McKie hit the long two in the top of the second quarter. Daniel sank one free throw. Zanelli with the bucket, 20-11. Hemphill's speed caused a SS turnover. McKie sank two free throws. Hemphill caused another turnover with his quick hands. Zanelli drove the key banking the shot in. At the half, Weiser 24, SS 15.
  Sugar-Salem had the momentum going their way in the third as they clawed back into the game trailing by a point 24-23 halfway through the quarter. Bumgarner sank a free throw. Hamilton to McKie to Reyes back to Hamilton cutting through the key for the lay-up. It was that quick! Zanelli for three and breathing room. Weiser still had the lead 30-26 with eight minutes to play in regulation.
  McKie sank two free throws early in the fourth quarter. McKie to Zanelli for two, the foul and the made free throw, 35-26. The fouls began in earnest and the game became quite physical at this point. Weiser was making only half their free throws once again. Hemphill made one free throw. SS hit a three at 1:20 to tie the game 36-36. Weiser had time to use the clock but chose to shoot with the shot missing and SS claiming the rebound. SS used almost an entire minute before calling time-out to set up for the winning shot. The clock showed 12.9. SS went for the shot but McKie blocked the shot sending the teams into overtime tied 36-36.  WOW!
  The jumpball appeared to be going into Sugar-Salem's hands until Bumgarner stepped in and stole it. McKie went inside and it took four tries but he was able to put his own rebound through the cylinder. Daniel banked home a shot, 40-36. Bumgarner had the underhanded dish for two. Bumgarner made one free throw. McKie's block forced a jump ball. Sugar-Salem had to foul. Hemphill made one, McKie made two and Zanelli made one free throw. Weiser would savor the win 47-41 and actually smile when handed their third place trophy.
  Scoring: McKie 14, Zanelli 11, Bumgarner 6, Daniel 5, Hamilton 4, Roberts 3, Reyes and Hemphill 2 each.
  Free throws: 13 made of 24 attempts.

Round two Snake River wins 56-49 over Wolverines

  The boys were up against some stiff competition in Snake River for round two of the State tournament Friday, March 2, 2012. Once again, free throws and missed inside shots told the tale as Snake River poured on the heat at the end of the third and never looked back winning 56-49.
  Starters were Tyler Hemphill, Issac Zanelli, Drew McKie, Justin Roberts and Elias Daniel. Weiser controlled the tip but SR scored first. Roberts to McKie for two. Zanelli drained a three from the top of the key. Brock Bumgarner with the bounce pass to Daniel for two. Hemphill sank two free throws but Weiser trailed 11-9. Zanelli to Derek Reyes for two. Reyes muscled in a shot. McKie went basket to basket for the last shot of the first quarter. Snake River led 18-15.
  Snake River scored first to increase their lead in the top of the second quarter. McKie made a free throw and then a jumper. Bumgarner to McKie for the three point shot and the lead 21-20 at 3:58. Daniel to Zanelli for two. Snake River closed to a point with under a minute to go in this first half. Jacoby Miller to Reyes for two through the back door. At the half, Weiser 25, SR 22.
  Snake River came out in the third quarter nailing a three to tie the game. Zanelli had the jumper fall. Hemphill at the free throw line sank his two point shot. At 4:25, SR took the lead and never let it go, 30-29. Zanelli scored off the inbound pass from Hemphill. Bumgarner had the 360 degree move for the banked two. This entire play was set up by the hustle of Reyes who pulled down an offensive rebound while being blanketed by three defenders. Bumgarner took a charge on defense. Daniel putback the "O" rebound. Snake River hit back to back threes with the last just beating the buzzer. This gave them a 40-35 lead with a quarter to play.
  Daniel found McKie for the three to bring Weiser closer. Weiser and SR were both being fouled but the difference was SR made their free throws while Weiser did not. McKie had two rejections in a row. At 5:03, SR was up 47-38. Hemphill made a shot coming out of the time-out. SR built their lead to 13 points, 53-40 with about two minutes to play. McKie hit a shot. Zanelli sank a three and then a two. Weiser trailed 53-47. Zanelli banked home a shot but it was too little too late as SR sealed the win 56-49.
  Scoring: Zanelli 16, McKie 15, Hemphill and Reyes 6 each, Daniel 4 and Bumgarner 2. Weiser made 3 of 7 attempted free throws.
  Next up was Sugar-Salem for the third place trophy.

Round one at State Boys Basketball belongs to Weiser, 49-45 over Kellogg

  Kellogg was supposedly the number one seeded team in the State of Idaho in boys basketball. I say, "Who did they play?" They did not play our Wolverines because then they would have found out just how good Weiser really is. It was round one at the state tournament on Thursday, March 1. Weiser played Kellogg in the nightcap in a great game. Weiser led at every quarter and despite abysmal free throw shooting down the stretch, had enough momentum, tenacity and gutsy play to win 49-45.
  Starters were Drew McKie, Issac Zanelli, Tyler Hemphill, Justin Roberts and Elias Daniel. Kellogg had the early lead on back to back three point shots by their guard. That would be his only points on the night. Zanelli to Daniel at the free throw line for two. Roberts with the baseline two. Roberts made a free throw. Daniel with the drive for the momentary lead 7-6. McKie hit his first shot. Daniel to Derek Reyes on the back door play for two. McKie to Daniel on the give and go for the bucket. The game was tied 13-13 with 1:18 to go in the first quarter.
  Brock Bumgarner leaped out of bounds to save an errant rebound. The ball ended up in Daniel's hands for the shot. Bumgarner again saved the ball from going out of bounds only this time, Daniel was wrapped up after the catch. Not for long as Elias ripped the ball from his defenders grasp to retain possession. Bumgarner would cap the play off that he started with the offensive rebound putback. Weiser led after one, 17-13.
  Weiser squandered their lead early in the second quarter on turnovers. McKie had a rejection but Kellogg had 10 unanswered points. Hemphill knocked down a three to stop the bleeding and to jump start the Wolverines into action. Daniel was fouled draining both shots. McKie drove the key for two. McKie for two more from inside, 26-25. McKie from the top of the key for the long two and the lead once again. Weiser controlled the ball the last minute of play in the first half. Bumgarner yanked down a long rebound, found Reyes all alone under the basket, fired the pass with Reyes finishing the play. At the half, Weiser 30, Kellogg 27.
  Weiser was fired up coming out of the break. Kellogg had the ball first with their shot missing. McKie pulled down the defensive rebound, slung the ball to Daniel on the fastbreak for the soft shot. Daniel putback an "O" rebound to put Weiser up by 7 points. Kellogg took a time-out to regroup. Weiser began their perimeter game which to me seems a huge waste of time but then, I'm not the coach. McKie to Zanelli for the three, 37-30. Kellogg went to a full court defense which appeared to stymie Weiser for a bit. McKie had another rejection. Reyes made the trip to the free throw line making one count. McKie to Reyes who fought for control of the ball, won it and made the shot. With a quarter to play, Weiser 40, Kellogg 36.
  Hemphill went up the ladder to block a high pass in the top of the fourth quarter. The ball careened to Bumgarner who found McKie still in the Weiser half for the bucket. Kellogg was struggling to make a shot and Weiser was struggling to break the press. The clock was our friend at this point. McKie sank two free throws. McKie for yet another rejection as complete madness was going on, on Kellogg's half of the court. Weiser missed a very easy shot maintaining only a four point lead, 44-40. Zanelli to Bumgarner for two. Weiser played better when they were going full tilt. Kellogg was forced to foul and Weiser could not find the cylinder from the free throw line.
  McKie made two free throws and Hemphill one in the closing minutes of the game. It was just enough to win 49-45. Weiser was 9 made free throws of 19 attempts but a win is a win.
  Scoring: Daniel and McKie 14 each, Reyes 7, Bumgarner and Hemphill 4 each, Roberts and Zanelli 3 each.

Boys hope of a District Championship dashed

Weiser boys’ basketball faced Fruitland for the District Championship on Tuesday, February 21, 2012. All season, the Wolverines have looked good. The same cannot be said on this particular night. Actually, neither team looked comfortable. There is a great deal of passion for the game when these two teams tangle and tangle is an appropriate term for what occurred this past evening. Both teams had a large number of turnovers and emotions were running high. Weiser would lead for three quarters of the game but Fruitland maintained their poise and found a way to take the lead and keep it winning the game 42-37. The fact that not one foul was called in the first quarter was an indicator of how the referees, the best in the 5A division to boot, felt the teams should just play through the bumping and physical contact. Both teams complied with this request.

  Starters for this game were Drew McKie, Elias Daniel, Issac Zanelli, Tyler Hemphill and Justin Roberts. Zanelli would twist his ankle early in the game and virtually be ineffective for the rest of the game. This hurt. However, on a good note, Brock Bumgarner came in off the bench and ended up as high point man. McKie had a lot of rejections in the first half. Roberts stole the ball, lost the handle under the Weiser basket. Fruitland appeared to pick up the loose ball until Daniel stole the ball and put it through the hoop. McKie had his third rejection. Zanelli stole the ball. Bumgarner putback the “O” rebound. Bumgarner picked up the loose ball under the Wolverine basket and hit the reversed shot, 6-6. McKie to Bumgarner for two with under a minute to play in the first quarter. Hemphill had the steal and Bumgarner the finishing lay-up. Bumgarner tipped a Fruitland pass to keep Weiser in the lead 10-6 at the end of the first.

  Fruitland scored off a fastbreak and then hit the next shot to tie the game. Roberts to Bumgarner for two more. Bumgarner to Hemphill with the drive. Hemphill pulled up for the three point shot, 15-12. Daniel putback an “O” rebound. Hemphill passed to Roberts on the right wing. Roberts zipped the ball towards the basket as McKie leaped and caught the ball placing it into the cylinder. OOOOOHHHHHHH! Daniel on the defensive end leaped up and pulled the rebound out of a Fruitland players hands from behind. WOW! Weiser led at the half 19-12. 

  McKie was fouled making his first free throw. McKie drove the middle, dished to Hemphill on the outside right baseline for three, 23-14. Roberts drained two free throws. Fruitland began to make up ground while Weiser struggled to find the basket. Derek Reyes fought for the offensive rebound and put it through the hoop for two. At the end of the third quarter, Weiser 27, Fruitland 23.

  In the top of the fourth quarter, Roberts sank two more free throws. Fruitland drew to within a point at 6:38. McKie hit a long two, 31-28. At 5:26, Fruitland took the lead for good. Roberts hit a 12 footer, 34-33 Fruitland. Fruitland also went for the full court defense stifling Weiser’s ball movement. McKie made one more free throw. Weiser took a shot, the ball missed, Daniel had the rebound but the ball was literally ripped out of his hands and no foul was called. The game had less than a minute to go. Weiser had to foul to have any kind of chance at a comeback. Fruitland made enough free throws to ice the game despite Hemphill to Daniel for a three in the waning seconds of the game. Weiser would lose to Fruitland 42-37. Fruitland has won the last 10 straight District Titles. It is time for a new leader!

  Scoring: Bumgarner 10, Daniel 7, Hemphill, Roberts and McKie 6 each and Reyes 2.

Unlikely heros as Weiser wrestlers win District title 2012

  The Weiser wrestling team is strong and competent. Saturday, February 18, Weiser dominated all teams at the District tournament in Payette. Weiser took twenty-one wrestlers and after the dust had cleared, 19 of them are headed to the state tournament this next weekend in Pocatello. Weiser would handily win the team title. The story of the meet was the big man, Thomas Sharp at heavyweight. Read on to find out about this unlikely hero.
  106: Chris Beltran had only two matches on his way to the top of the podium. He would pin Andrew Randall of Homedale in 1:29. The championship round, no pin was going to happen. Beltran relied on takedowns and back points to win 17-8. Tristan Hinkley would lose his first match 8-6 to the second place finisher. Tristan dominated that same Randall wrestler in the consolation finals winning 11-1 to claim third place.
  113: Christian Oyervides lost his first match against the eventual winner by fall at 1:33. He then finished off Mannery of Fruitland by fall at 4:33. Christian would lose the consolation final 8-0 for fourth place.
  120: Lionel Perez is on a mission. He is not undefeated on the season but is undefeated in the SRV and that claim held at this tournament. Lionel would pin his first opponent in 1:49. His final's match was against Chase Neill of Payette. This really wasn't a contest as Perez racked up back points to win by technical fall 16-0 in the second period. Lionel would be crowned District Champion. Casey White won his first round match over the three seed. He would lose to Neill of Payette 13-8. White would pin Renz of Homedale in 33 seconds and then finish of Meyers of Fruitland at 2:56 for third place.
  126: Tyler Alder would defeat Jeppe of Fruitland by fall. Alder would lose in the third period to the first place finisher by fall at 5:27. Alex Gomez would lose by fall at 2:56 in the first round. Alex would pin Jeppe of Fruitland at 1:28 to stay alive. Gomez and Alder met in the consolation finals with Gomez taking the win 6-2 for third. Alder would finish fourth.
  132: Brady DeYoung won his first match handily by fall at 1:09. Brady would face King of Fruitland for all the marbles. Leading 7-1 after the first period, Brady made a mistake in the second period, nearly being pinned. He would still lead 9-7 with one period to go. Brady would win 13-7 for first place. Ubaldo Arana lost his first round match but won his second match by fall at 4:38. He would lose in the consolation finals 7-4 to earn fourth place.
  138: Noah Hall would lose his first round match as did Eric Sanchez. Hall would defeat Cody Bumgarner of Fruitland 10-8. Sanchez would defeat Dawson of Parma 7-5. Hall and Sanchez battled, and I do mean battled, for third place. The match went into triple overtime with Sanchez securing the win 8-5 for third place. Noah would take fourth.
  145: Cody Gable's first year of wrestling ended here. He is a senior and gave it everything he had but came up a bit short in a bid for a state berth. Gable would lose to Childress of Parma. In a tough, tough match against Stone of Fruitland, a match that went into overtime, Gable would be pinned at 6:45.
  152: Mitch Svedin should have been district champion. He would win his first match by pin at 4:29 putting him in the finals against Hemmert of Parma. Hemmert had the take down in the first period to lead 2-0. Not much happened in the second period so the score remained the same. Svedin picked the down position in the third period, escaped and had the takedown. Hemmert was able to reverse that and held on just long enough to win the title 4-3. Dustin Kistenmacher would lose his first match and then pin Ferguson of Parma in 1:37. Dustin would be pinned at 1:43 in the consolation finals and had to settle for fourth place.
  160: Matt Petero did not want to win the championship title in the manner that he did. Petero would pin his first opponent in 4:45. He would face Daulton Blackwell of Fruitland in the finals. Daulton has been battling a viral infection and unfortunately, after wrestling into the third period, had to bow out in a forfeit. Not the way he wanted to end his senior year for sure. Tyler Goodenough lost his first match to Blackwell. He would win his second match by fall at 1:51. He would win again by decision 9-4. His consolation finals was a win as well in 1:47 for third place.
  170: Matt Loughran has been called the comeback kid, the heart attack kid, and various other names. He is thrilling to watch to say the least. His first match was complete and total domination at 15-0. That put him in the finals against the number one seed from Homedale. Loughran would lead 6-5 at the end of the first. He would continue to add points in the second period to lead 10-5. The finishing touch came at 5:40 with the fall and first place.
  182: Anthony Baker was paired against the number one seed in the first round which did not turn out well for Anthony. His hopes of making it to the state tournament ended this past Saturday after two more losses.
  195: Nick Stephenson is a monstor. Pure and simple, a strong, strong young man. His first match went his way with a decision 9-3. Nick was up against first seeded Brad McCain  of Homedale. Homedale made some boo-hooing noise but it was all for naught. Nick would have a takedown in the first period but give up a penalty point. He would lead 2-1. In the second period, a few more penalty points were awarded but this time, Stephenson was the receipient. The fall came at 3:27 as Nick muscled McCain to the mat, flush on his back. First place in District belonged to Nick.
  220: JD Johnson would battle his nemisis from Payette, Rusty Penson, once again. Johnson won his first round match. Then is was the ever ongoing battle which Penson would win 5-4. Johnson went on to pin his next opponent in 49 seconds. He would lose to Hyer of Homedale in the consolation finals 9-3 for fourth place.
  285: I am biased when it comes to Weiser's heavyweight man, Thomas Sharp. Sharp is my nephew. He weighs 220 pounds. Everytime he steps on the mat as heavy weight, he is at a disadvantage weight wise. However, he is in incredible physical shape having played center for our awesome football team. He has stamina to spare. His theory is that if he can outlast his opponents, he will win. Most big men can't make it into the second period, much less the third period and this proved right more times than not on this Saturday. Thomas first match was against Sheppard of Fruitland. Sharp would earn the pin in the second period at 3:22. That pitted Thomas against Calderon of Homedale. This time, the pin happened at the end of the first period at 1:55.
  The finals had Thomas facing Anthony Freeman of Fruitland, the number two seeded wrestler in the state. It looked rather violent in the first period with a lot of slapping and manhandling going on, sort of like a boxing match. Neither man scored and it appeared that Freeman was already winded as he took an injury timeout for blood. Freeman picked the down position in the second period. Freeman would reverse Sharp but could not turn him for back points. It is very difficult to lift 285 pounds off your back when you only weigh 220. However, Sharp did escape and managed a takedown at the end of the period to lead 3-2.
  In the third period, Sharp started in the down position. He escaped and was dinged for a stall point. That still left Thomas ahead 4-3. Feeling it, Sharp went for the takedown, toppling the big man and finished the match with the win 6-3. Sharp still had enough energy to leap into the air with the win just as his coach, Drew Dickerson leaped with the win.
  That's how a tradition is carried on, with unlikely heros and heartwarming stories. Fantastic tournament and good luck at state!

Frosh/soph team best in the SRV

  Weiser's frosh/soph boys basketball team has lived the dream. This is Bowe von Brethorst's first year as the frosh/soph coach. His team finished the season 22-0 and won the SRV Championship. Two years ago, Neil Stutzman's last year as the frosh/soph coach, his team lived the dream finishing the season 22-0 and claiming the SRV Championship as well. Perhaps, there is a State Championship trophy waiting for these boys to come get it. Wouldn't that be an even better dream?
  Weiser played Parma in Parma on Friday, February 17 for that title. Starters for Weiser were Michael Huerta, Austan Hemphill, Thomas Crawford, Bradley Dove and Hayden Herrick.  Hemphill to Crawford for the bucket. Dove to Crawford for two. Herrick with the block on defense. Hemphill   nailed a three off the inbound pass, 7-2. Hemphill to Herrick at the free throw line for two. Hemphill to Herrick for the last shot of the first quarter. Weiser led 11-6.
  Herrick was fouled and drained both shots. Hemphill to Herrick for two more, 15-8. Crawford to Hemphill at the top of the key for the three. Crawford to Hemphill on the left baseline for yet another three. Weiser would take a 21-10 lead in at halftime.
  In the top of the third quarter, on the fastbreak, Crawford to Hemphill. Hemphill back to Crawford who ducked under the defender, made the shot, drew the foul and sank the free throw, 24-12. Crawford to Huerta at the top fo the key for the three. Herrick with the block from behind. Crawford with a steal and coast to coast finish. Crawford sank two free throws. Herrick with the drive and the ever so softly lay in of the ball. Chris Obuch banked home the two point shot at the buzzer. Weiser 35, Parma 16.
  In the top of the fourth quarter, Crawford stole the ball, passed to Hemphill for the reverse shot. How sweet it is. Crawford on the fastbreak to Dove for  two. Herrick put in a shot. Crawford on the give and go finished with the bucket. Herrick to Anthony Cavazos on the back door play for the basket. Weiser would win the game 45-25 and claim the championship title.
  Scoring: Crawford 13, Herrick 12, Hemphill 11, Huerta 3, Obuch, Dove and Cavozos 2 each.
  Congratulations on a well played season young men.

Lady Wolverines finish sixth in state

  Weiser played Salmon on Friday, February 17. Starters were Kellyn Fuller, McKenzie Johnson, Marquita Palmer, Nella Redman and Sadie Shirts. This was Fuller's career game as she hit was 50% from three point land. Redman to Fuller for the first of five, count them, five three point shots in this game. Weiser was again plagued with turnovers. That seemed to be the theme for this tournament for our gals. Johnson to Redman for two, 5-5 at 4:53 in the first quarter. Salmon went on a run. Johnson hit the last bucket from the free throw line. Salmon led 12-7 at the end of the first.
  In the top of the second quarter, Redman hit a baseline jumper. Shirts made a free throw. Palmer had a steal and then a block. Shirts inbound to Fuller for the three, 15-13 Salmon. Johnson to Fuller for yet another three. Palmer pulled down the defensive rebound, outlet passed to Johnson on the wing. Johnson went coast to coast for two and the lead 18-17. Shirts had a block. She was also fouled making one. Palmer with the "O" rebound putback. Palmer again with the "O" rebound putback. Weiser would lead at the half 23-21. Johnson had five assists and Palmer and Redman had five rebounds apiece at this point.
  Palmer with the "O" rebound putback in the beginning of the third quarter. Palmer had a block. Johnson to Redman on the left wing for her three point shot, 28-25. Redman to Palmer for two. Shirts made one free throw, 31-27. Johnson to Fuller for her fourth three point shot. Less than a minute later, Redman to Fuller for the fifth three pointer, 37-33. Salmon took advantage of several turnovers in the waning minute of the third to take the lead 39-37 with a quarter to play.
  Shirts to Johnson for the three and the lead momentarily. Salmon had three buckets off Weiser turnovers and it was not looking good for the Lady Wolverines. Fuller with the cross court pass to Redman for the three, 43-43 at 3:40 left in the game. Johnson took the ball three fourths of the court for the shot. Fuller putback her own "O" rebound, 47-45 at 1:24. Weiser began their keep away game at this point forcing Salmon to foul us.  Palmer and Fuller each made a free throw. Salmon took three shots in the last few seconds but none fell in with Johnson pulling down the last rebound. Weiser would win 49-45.
  Scoring: Fuller 18, Redman 10, Johnson and Palmer 9 each and Shirts 3. Rebounds: Palmer 13, Redman 12. Assists: Johnson 9. Weiser was 8 for 19 from three point range.
Filer
  Filer scored early and fast in this game off steals. Shirts was fouled draining both shots. Johnson made a free throw. Redman sank a three point shot, 7-6 Filer. Alex Mink hit an inside shot. Filer led at the end of the first quarter, 11-8.
  Shirts had a nice move inside for two. Redman with the "O" rebound putback, 15-12 Filer. Shirts to Johnson for a three. Shirts to Johnson for her second three, 20-18 Filer. At the half, Filer 22, Weiser 18.
  Johnson was still red hot making her third three in the top of the third quarter. Palmer with the "O" rebound putback, 23-22. Rachael Lee hit her first three point shot. This was an incredible shot as it was a jumper that banked in. If you have ever watched Lee shoot, she has perfect form with the shot coming from above her head, the proper form to be exact. Redman with the "O" rebound putback, 28-24. Lee with the "O" rebound putback. Filer would score with 15 seconds left in the quarter to tie the game 30-30 going into the fourth quarter.
  Filer scored first in the fourth quarter. Shirts inbound to Palmer for the jumper. Palmer for two more, 34-34. Shirts with the tip to Palmer for the "O" rebound putback, 36-36. Redman threw a full court pass to Johnson for the lay-up, 38-36. Weiser began to foul and Filer made their free throws. Filer also began their keep away game. Weiser's last shot was two free throws by Johnson. Weiser would lose the game 48-40.
  Scoring: Johnson 11, Redman 10, Palmer 8, Lee 5, Shirts 4 and Mink 2.
Thank you Ladies for a ride worth watching all season!

Girls lost first round at State to Snake River 32-25

Weiser ran into a defense they just could not figure out in first round action against Snake River. It was the first game of the State tournament on Thursday, February 16 for our gals. Neither team shot well and the score stayed low. Unfortunately, Snake River scored more times to win 32-25.
  Starters for this game were Marquita Palmer, McKenzie Johnson, Nella Redman, Kellyn Fuller and Sadie Shirts. Weiser turned the ball over to many times in this game including three times before we even scored. Snake River built a 7-0 lead before Johnson drove the key and made the basket. Redman was fouled making one shot. Palmer had a rejection on defense. Weiser hit one of 12 shots in this quarter and trailed 11-3 going into the second quarter.
  Redman would sink an early free throw in this quarter. Palmer made two. Redman put in a shot at the 3:22 mark, 13-8 SR. Shirts with the offensive rebound putback for two. Johnson scored off a Palmer screen, 15-12 SR. Palmer drained two free throws to close out the first half. Snake River held the lead 17-14.
  In the third quarter, Redman pulled down the defensive rebound and went coast to coast for the shot to draw to within a point. Palmer was fouled making both shots and giving Weiser the momentary lead 18-17. Snake River hit back to back three point shots to squash Weiser's hopes. Palmer would put in one more free throw. With one quarter to go, Snake River 25, Weiser 19.
  Palmer putback an "O" rebound. Johnson stole the ball and Weiser tried three times to get the ball to fall through the hoop but no dice. Weiser was forced to foul and Snake River had all the time in the world to use up the clock. Johnson to Palmer for two, 29-23 SR. Palmer putback an "O" rebound. Weiser just came up short dropping their first game at state 32-25.
  Scoring: Palmer 13, Redman 6, Johnson 4 and Shirts 2.

Boys sail past Parma in District 65-46

  The Weiser boys' basketball team began district play this past Wednesday, February 15 as the number one seed. They played Parma in a lopsided game which Weiser won 65-46. Starters for the game were Drew McKie, Issac Zanelli, Elias Daniel, Tyler Hemphill and Justin Roberts.
  Weiser's first bucket came via Hemphill to McKie inside for two. McKie with the cross court pass to Hemphill for the three point shot. McKie had his first rejection on defense. On the fastbreak, McKie to Daniel for two, 7-2. McKie hit back to back shots. Hemphill and Bruce Hamilton each had a steal. Zanelli with the basket. Derek Reyes to McKie for two. At the end of the first quarter, Weiser led 15-8.
  Reyes was fouled early in the second quarter making one free throw. Roberts hit his shot. Zanelli put in another bucket, 20-12. Roberts had the steal. McKie to Daniel for two. Hemphill to McKie for two more. McKie with another shot. Hemphill stole the ball and passed to Brock Bumgarner for the last Weiser basket of the first half. Weiser 28, Parma 20.
  McKie drove the lane for two in the top of the third quarter. McKie to Zanelli for the hoop. Roberts to Daniel for two. Roberts with the steal and the finish, 36-22. McKie to Hemphill for two. McKie drained two free throws. Bumgarner tipped in an offensive rebound. Bumgarner was fouled and made both shots count. At the end of three, Weiser led 44-31.
  In the fourth quarter, Bumgarner found Reyes under the basket for the shot. Reyes stole the ball. McKie made the shot, drew the foul and made the free throw. Reyes for two. McKie and Zanelli each had a rejection. McKie to Zanelli for two more, 53-33. McKie with yet another block. McKie to Hemphill for two. This is team work at it's finest. Daniel to Zanelli for the bucket. McKie hit Reyes on the fastbreak with the pass for the lay-up. 59-43. Ditto the very next play, McKie to Reyes.
  Perhaps the funnest play came at this point in the game. Reyes lofted the ball to Hamilton, Mr. Birthday boy, for the catch in the air and banked home shot. Ethan Thomas would make the last shot from inside the key. Weiser would savor the win 65-46.
  Scoring: McKie 19, Zanelli 10, Reyes 9, Hemphill 7, Daniel and Bumgarner 6 each, Roberts 4, Hamilton and Thomas 2 each.

Weiser claims sole title to number one with defeat of Payette 73-61

  It was senior night Friday, February 10 for the Wolverine basketball team and the last game of the regular season. Those seniors honored were Brock Bumgarner, Bruce Hamilton, Logan Loomis, Drew McKie, Philipp Schmitz and Issac Zanelli. The night began on an awesome note as the frosh/soph team defeated Payette 57-40 to finish the season undefeated at 20-0 under first year coach Bo von Brethorst. Varsity coach Neil Stutzman did the same thing three years ago, his last year as the frosh/soph coach. The JV dropped a close game 46-42. The varsity game was nip and tuck until the fourth quarter when the fouls began to pile up on Payette and the Weiser team settled down to play real basketball. The first half was filled with out of control play and plenty of turnovers by both squads. Weiser handled it better down the stretch winning 73-61. This puts Weiser in the number one spot for District.
  Starters for the varsity were Bumgarner, Tyler Hemphill, Zanelli, Elias Daniel and McKie. Payette stole the tip off and finished with the lay-up. Zanelli to Daniel for two. McKie hit one free throw. Payette built their lead to 11-3. McKie to Zanelli for the lay-up. McKie with the rejection. Ethan Thomas nailed a THREE from the right wing at 3:22, 11-8 Payette. McKie stipped the ball and launched it to Derek Reyes on the fast break for two. Weiser picked up four quick fouls. Zanelli hit the long range banked shot two pointer, 12-11 Weiser. Hemphill had a steal, was fouled and drained both free throws. Thomas banked home his second THREE! Daniel to Zanelli for his THREE. Bruce Hamilton sank a THREE! At the end of the first, Weiser led 23-19.
  Hamilton hit a baseline two in the top of the second quarter. Zanelli had a block on defense. Hamilton to Zanelli on the back door play for two, 27-24. Daniel putback an "O" rebound. McKie drove the key, lost the handle on the ball but stayed focus, regained possession and almost dunked the ball, 31-24. Hemphill scored off the "O" rebound. Thomas sank his third THREE! Zanelli intercepted a pass and with a hop through the key made the shot. Weiser led at the half, 38-33.
  The third quarter began sloppy. Payette scored on the fourth trip up and down the court. Hemphill to Zanelli for the hoop. Hemphill with the nice move for two. Payette pulled to within a point, 40-41. McKie tipped in an "O" rebound. Payette took the lead at 1:56 as Weiser was missing easy inside shots. Zanelli inbound to McKie who caught the ball in the air and shot it true. Payette had the lead at the end of the third, 52-46.
  McKie drove the lane for two as Weiser began it's domination of the fourth quarter. Daniel hit the jumper, 52-50 Payette. McKie with the block on defense. Hamilton inside the key passed outside to Hemphill for two but Weiser trailed by a point 53-52. McKie with the steal outlet passed to Hemphill who returned the favor as McKie made the shot, 54-53 Weiser. Zanelli to McKie at the top of the key for THREE! Zanelli to Daniel for two. Zanelli putback the "O" rebound after Weiser had tried four times to get the shot to drop. Bumgarner with the "O" rebound putback.
  At this point, 2:15, Weiser had a good lead 63-57 and paraded to the free throw line for the rest of the game. Free throws were made by Zanelli with two, Hemphill with four, McKie with three and Bumgarner with one. Weiser would win 73-61.
  Scoring: Zanelli and McKie 17 each, Hemphill 12, Thomas 9, Daniel 8, Hamilton 5, Bumgarner 3 and Reyes 2.

Boys pull off victory in last quarter, 46-44 over Fruitland

  Six tough teams met on Wednesday, February 8 in Fruitland for a little game we call basketball. The frosh/soph team continues to be undefeated downing Fruitland 42-25. The JV game was close with Fruitland having a stong fourth quarter to win 60-54. The varsity game was fast paced and frought with turnovers and missed shots. Weiser never had the lead until 20 seconds left in the third quarter  but that was negated early in the fourth. Superior defense and some incredible plays by one crafty guard, Tyler Hemphill and monster blocks by the big man, Drew McKie helped Weiser hold on to win 46-44.
  Starters for Weiser were McKie, Hemphill, Issac Zanelli, Elias Daniels and Justin Roberts. There were many missed shots early and Fruitland had a knack for picking Weiser's pockets in the first half. Fruitland would score first on the third trip down the court. McKie on the fast break with a pass about 90% of the way down the court to Hemphill for the pullup jumper. Hemphill had a steal. McKie to Roberts for two, 5-4 Fruitland. McKie had a monstor rejection on defense. McKie inside for two. Brock Bumgarner with a good move sank the bucket, 13-8 Fruitland. McKie knocked down the THREE! Thirty seconds later, McKie sank his second THREE from the same spot. At the end of the first, Fruitland led 17-14.
  On a side note, Weiser was in a bit of foul trouble sending Fruitland to the line. Fruitland couldn't buy a free throw in this game. Zanelli to McKie for the long two at 5:28 in the second quarter, 21-16 Fruitland. Bumgarner sank the shot off a tipped pass. Bumgarner made a free throw. McKie with the offensive rebound putback. Fruitland would head into the locker room at halftime with a 26-21 lead over Weiser.
  Fruitland hit back to back shots in the top of the third quarter. McKie fired the pass to Roberts for the easy two. McKie pulled down the defensive rebound and on the fastbreak hit Daniels with the lead pass for the lay-up. McKie hit a bucket. McKie with the "D" rebound outlet pass to Zanelli this time for the lay-up. The clock showed 5:15 with Weiser trailing by a point 30-29. Hemphill to Roberts on the left wing for the shot. Roberts made one free throw. Zanelli over the top for two, 35-34 Fruitland at 2:57. Hemphill stole the ball. Weiser had a shot miss but Hemphill went horizontal with the court to retrieve the rebound, landed on his side and kept on dribbling the ball, gained his feet and made it out of the key. Awesome!  Daniels hit the shot that put Weiser ahead for the first time from the top of the key thanks to that great hustle by Hemphill. With eight long minutes to play, Weiser led 36-35.
  Fruitland scored thrice in the beginning of the fourth to reclaim the lead. Zanelli had the steal and hit the jumper from the top of the key. At 3:40, Roberts drew two defenders in the key so passed outside to Bumgarner for the unguarded shot, 41-40 Fruitland. McKie with the no look pass to Bumgarner for the hoop, 42-41 Weiser.
  This next play was a brilliant play and one I personally have never seen in all the years I have watched or played basketball. The clock stood at 2:33 with the teams tied 42-42. Hemphill had the ball out of bounds under the Weiser basket. The Fruitland defender turned his back to Tyler so Tyler bounced the ball off that player's back, caught the ball inside the key and banked the shot home. Fruitland tied the game at 1:19.
  With 39 seconds to go, Daniels was inside the Weiser key surrounded by defenders. He passed outside to Zanelli for the soft jumper, 46-44 Weiser. Fruitland called time-out. They took three shots that missed and on the last shot, Bumgarner came down with the ball and was fouled but there weren't enough team fouls to put us on the line for free throws. With 4.7 seconds to go, Weiser was fouled and the one and one shot missed. Fruitland had the rebound and called time-out. Weiser called time-out. Fruitland's James Livingston, the man who hits the three's with ease brought the ball down the court zigzagging through Weiser defenders. He drove the key and tried to alley-oop the ball in but McKie was having none of that and blocked the shot cleanly. Weiser had the victory 46-44 and can claim out right first place in District even with one game to go.
  Scoring: McKie 14, Bumgarner 9, Zanelli 8, Roberts 7, Hemphill and Daniels 4 each. By the way, McKie, Bumgarner and Zanelli were just three of the players from the seventh and eighth grade A-team that won SRV in back to back years.

Ladies win District Championship over Fruitland 44-34

  Yahoo! The monkey is off their backs, well the grizzlies actually. The Lady Wolverines faced the Lady Grizzlies of Fruitland in the District Championship game on Tuesday, February 7 at TVCC gym. The game was for all the marbles and the right to represent our district as the number one seed at the State tournament this week. At one point in the first quarter, the score was similar to a baseball line score rather than a basketball game. It doesn't matter as Weiser had a run in the third quarter putting the game out of reach to win 44-34.
  Let's throw some statistics at you. Weiser's shooting in the fourth quarter wasn't much with the only field goal being a three point shot. What saved our bacon was our free throws. Weiser hit 11 of 18 tries from the charity stripe and won the game by 10 points.  That's where the game was won. This game also featured an incredible amount of shoving and pushing with Fruitland being warned multiple times for their rough behavior. It cost them in the end with plenty of fouls.
  Starters for the game were Marquita Palmer, the only 4 year starter for Coach Nick Reed, McKenzie Johnson, Nella Redman, Kellyn Fuller and Sadie Shirts. Fruitland controlled the tip but both teams were ice cold. Fuller hit a THREE at 6:08 for the first score of the game. Redman sank a free throw. When Fruitland called a timeout at 2:37, the teams were tied 4-4. Fruitland made two buckets before Fuller found Johnson for the THREE. At the end of the first, Fruitland led 8-7.
  Johnson scored off the inbound pass early in the second quarter. The lead changed a few times with Fruitland going up 12-9. Rachael Lee had a steal and finished with the soft right-handed lay-up. Johnson to Redman for the THREE and the lead 14-12. Johnson stole the ball right out of a Fruitland players hands and sprinted to the other end for the lay-up drawing the foul and sinking both free throws, 16-12. Johnson drove into the key, looked to pass but no one was open so she hit the jumper with two players in her face. At the half, Weiser 18, Fruitland 14.
  Palmer had the inside shot to increase Weiser's lead in the opening minute of the third quarter. Redman to Johnson for the THREE! Palmer sank another shot. Shirts put in a shot, 27-14. Fruitland scored their first basket in the third quarter at 1:10. Palmer sank a free throw and Shirts put two in. Fruitland would hit a three just before the buzzer, however Weiser had built a nice lead 30-19 with a quarter to play.
  Fuller hit nothing but the net and it was nearly silent for her THREE! Smooth! The fouls were coming hard now by Fruitland. Redman was fouled and the player was also given a technical. Redman sank two shots and Johnson made one of the technicals. Johnson was sent to the line many times sinking five more free throws in this quarter. Redman put in three more. Weiser would win the game from the line 44-34.
  Scoring: Johnson 18 (8 of 10 free throws), Redman 9 (6 of 8 free throws). Fuller 6, Palmer 5, Shirts 4 and Lee 2.

Ladies advance to championship game in district play

  Weiser began district play this past Friday, February 3 at TVCC. Payette had defeated Parma the night before to earn the right to play our number one seeded Lady Wolverines. The game was hotly contested until halfway through the third quarter when Weiser began to settle in and shoot better. Weiser would win the game 59-43.
  Starters for the game were McKenzie Johnson, Kellyn Fuller, Marquita Palmer, Nella Redman and Sadie Shirts. It took Weiser a little while to find the hoop as Payette took the early lead 4-0. Palmer to Fuller at the top of the key for the first of four, yes four, three point shots. Fuller putback an offensive rebound as Weiser moved into the lead 5-4. Redman muscled her way inside for the shot. Palmer for two. Shirts handed the ball to Palmer after she pulled down the "O" rebound. Palmer sank the shot, 11-6. Johnson was fouled draining both free throws. Fuller to Palmer for two. Rachael Lee had a rejection on defense. Weiser led 15-10 at the end of the first quarter.
  In the top of the second quarter, Lee had the ball dribbling to her right looking to pass. She had space inside the key so pulled up for the jumper. What a great shot! Palmer was fouled and snapped the net twice, 19-12 Weiser. Redman sank a free throw. On the fastbreak, Johnson to Lee. The ball circled the rim three times before gravity pulled it through. Weiser's last play of the quarter Fuller was at half court, threw a pass to Palmer who fed it to Johnson for the shot, the foul and the made free throw. Payette would sink a three at the buzzer. At the half, Weiser 25, Payette 22.
  Payette had the ball to start the third quarter and made a shot closing the game to a point, 25-24 Weiser. Palmer was fouled making one shot. Redman was fouled making both cout. Palmer to Fuller for the THREE! Weiser had a bit of breathing room once again up 31-24. Redman had her foot just over the three point line when she let loose the long two. Johnson nailed a THREE! Johnson to Fuller for her third THREE! Palmer with the "O" rebound putback, 41-29. Weiser was in a little foul trouble with Payette taking advantage of that. Fuller would drain her fourth THREE as Weiser had the lead, 44-33 going into the fourth quarter.
  Lee was fouled early in the fourth making both shots count. Lee with the shot the foul and the made free throw, 49-35 Weiser. Johnson with the "O" rebound putback. Lee stole the ball but the lay-up was just too hard and missed. Redman for two. Redman with the drive to the hoop for the bucket. Johnson made her shot. Shirts to Johnson for the last shot of the game. Weiser would win 59-43.
  Scoring: Fuller and Johnson 14 each, Palmer and Redman 11 each and Lee 9.

Boys handle Parma 60-43

  Weiser boys hosted Parma on Thursday, February 2. The frosh/soph team had a back and forth game. Weiser would take the lead with under 30 seconds to go in the third quarter and close out the game with the win 27-23. The JV game neither team dominated as a point separated the two teams at every quarter except the last. Weiser proved to be stronger winning 68-56. The varsity really had no problems handling Parma and won 60-43.
  Starters for Weiser were Elias Daniels, Tyler Hemphill, Justin Roberts, Issac Zanelli and Brock Bumgarner. Parma was hacking early drawing two quick fouls. Hemphill inbound the ball to Roberts for the bucket. Roberts stripped the ball and fed Hemphill for the lay-up. Roberts with the "O" rebound putback. Parma tied the game 6-6 at 3:10 and took the lead 8-6, 30 seconds later. Derek Reyes sank a shot but Parma led at the end of the first, 13-8.
  Reyes was fouled in the top of the second draining the free throws. Bumgarner for two. Drew McKie sank a shot. McKie hit the 14 footer, 19-16 Parma. McKie with the "O" rebound putback. McKie to Roberts for two tying the game 20-20 at 4:10. Daniels was fouled and made both shots. McKie hit the turnaround fade away jumper, 24-20 Weiser. McKie sank two free throws. Hemphill drained two free throws. McKie sank one more free throw. Reyes scored off the drive. Hemphill to Bumgarner for the shot. At the half, Weiser 33, Parma 27.
  McKie to Zanelli for the backdoor shot at the start of the third quarter. Hemphill put in two free throws. Weiser stole the ball, Zanelli finished with the shot. Bumgarner to McKie for two, 41-28. Hemphill to Bumgarner for the hoop. Zanelli to Bumgarner who caught the ball in the air and banked the shot home. At the end of the third quarter, Weiser 45, Parma 32.
  Hemphill picked the ball and hit Bumgarner with the pass for the easy lay-up. Daniels had the shot, the rebound was tipped by Bumgarner back to Daniels for the bucket. McKie made a free throw. Daniels banged his way inside for two. McKie had two more made free throws. Hemphill made the lay-up on the fastbreak. Zanelli with the drive and soft handed touch for two. Weiser stole the ball. Zanelli to Bumgarner for the basket. Weiser wins the game 60-43.
  Scoring: McKie 16, Bumgarner 12, Hemphill 8, Roberts, Reyes, Daniels and Zanelli all with 6 each.

Homedale no contest for the Wolverines hoopsters

  The season is fast coming to an end as Weiser starts the second rotation through the teams in the SRV. Tuesday, January 31st, Weiser hosted Homedale. The frosh/soph team would set the tone winning 36-23. The JV had a battle falling short 37-34 and the varsity won with relative ease 62-46.
  Starters for Weiser were Drew McKie, Elias Daniels, Issac Zanelli, Tyler Hemphill and Justin Roberts. Weiser's first points came off the offensive rebound putback by Daniels. Roberts to McKie for two. On the fastbreak, McKie to Hemphill for the lay-up. After about 6 turnovers in a row McKie with the shot inside for two. Derek Reyes putback an "O" rebound. McKie had a rejection, Hemphill the lay-up. Reyes to McKie for two as Weiser led 14-4 at the end of the first quarter.
  Zanelli picked the pocket for the steal in the top of the second quarter. Weiser's defense was stifling. Ethan Thomas to McKie for two. Hemphill drained a shot. McKie with the "O" rebound putback while in the air, 20-6. McKie for two more. Homedale's Trae Corda earned an intentional foul with Daniels sinking both free throws. McKie with the hook shot. McKie with the one-handed rebound putback. McKie sank two free throws. Thomas found Garrett Crawford for two points. At the half, Weiser 32, Homedale 10.
  Everyone on the Weiser bench saw playing time this evening. Hemphill made a basket, drew the foul and sank the free throw in the third quarter. McKie for two. Zanelli to Hemphill for the THREE! Zanelli to Daniels for the bank shot, 42-14. McKie made a free throw. Zanelli made four free throws on two trips to the charity stripe. At the end of the third, Weiser led 47-30.
  Reyes went downtown with the THREE to start the offense in the fourth quarter. Zanelli made three more free throws. Hemphill had a free throw. Daniels with the "O" rebound putback. Hemphill sank two free throws as Homedale was fouling at will. Hemphill lost the handle on the ball but maintained his focus, corralled the ball and somehow had the ball go through the cylinder. Zanelli on the fastbreak to Brock Bumgarner for two. Weiser would win the game 62-46.
  Scoring: McKie 21, Hemphill 17, Daniels 8, Zanelli 7, Reyes 5, Crawford and Bumgarner 2 each.

Ladies senior night ends in victory 56-36

  It happens every season, senior night. A time when those athletes who are seniors are honored along with their parents for their sacrifices and dedication to their respective sports. For the Lady Wolverine basketball players, this happened on Saturday, January 28 when Weiser hosted Payette. Five seniors were honored, Kellyn Fuller, McKenzie Johnson, Alex Mink, Marquita Palmer and Nella Redman.
  The frosh/soph team earned a second win over Payette winning 32-24. The JV did not win. All four of these teams will be playing each other for the SRV tournament beginning Monday, January 30. By the time you read this, they will have played.
  All five seniors started the game for Weiser with Palmer controlling the tip. Palmer would hit the jumper to put Weiser on the score board first. Johnson hit a long two. Redman putback an offensive rebound. Redman also sank two free throws, 8-2. Fuller's three point shot appeared to be suspended in the air. It just never seemed to come down but it did hitting nothing but the net. Palmer made a free throw. Palmer to Sadie Shirts for the shot. Redman drained a THREE! Weiser led 17-8 at the end of the first quarter.
  Weiser struggled again tonight from the free throw line. Palmer had the first bucket for Weiser in the second half at 3:53, 19-12. Fuller hit a baseline THREE! Palmer off the feed for the hoop. Payette made three baskets in a row to keep up. Johnson  and Redman hit buckets. At the half, Weiser 28, Payette 23.
  The third quarter stayed just as close as the second. Redman backed herself into the key and made the shot. On the fastbreak, Redman sank the shot. Mink made one free throw, 33-25. Payette began their run closing the gap to 33-31 Weiser at 3:10. Redman equalized that threat with her second THREE! Fuller to Rachael Lee for the hop and bucket. At the end of the third, Weiser led 38-34.
  The fourth quarter resembled a rugby match, for real. Fouls were not given gracefully but rather authoratatively, by both squads. Johnson stole the ball and finished with the lay-up while being blanketed by two Payette defenders. Redman sank two free throws, 42-36. Johnson took a charge and that sparked off some retaliation. Johnson hit the baseline three and then hit the deck hard. Palmer putback an "O" rebound, 47-36. Johnson was good on two free throws. Shirts putback an "O" rebound. Shirts to Fuller inside where all of her 5'4" stature was used to make the shot, 53-36. Shirts was fouled making one and also putback another "O" rebound as Weiser had the victory 56-36.
  Scoring: Redman 18, Johnson 11, Palmer 9, Fuller 8, Shirts 7, Lee 2 and Mink 1.

Wrestlers put the hurt on Payette and Skyview

Weiser wrestling is just hitting it's stride. Weiser hosted Payette and Skyview on Friday, January 27. Weiser easily dominated their opponents even with some of our boys wrestling up a weight. Weiser defeated Payette 51-19 and Skyview 57-29.
  Against Payette, Weiser would receive 18 points in forfeits while giving up just one forfeit themselves. At 138 lbs., Eric Sanchez was up against a veteran wrestler and it showed as he lost 0-9. Matt Petero gave up 10 pounds but gutted it out taking the early lead 4-1. Payette was able to come back in the second period with a reverse and a near fall for three points to take the lead 6-5. The third period was wild as back to back reverses kept the match exciting. Petero would earn this win 13-8.
  Nick Stephenson at 195 pounds had two take downs but gave up an escape and a penalty point to his Payette opponent in the first period. Nick picked the down position and executed the reverse just to let his man go. Stephenson led 6-3 with two minutes to wrestle. The win would come after another penalty point for Payette and a near fall for two points for Nick, 8-4. JD Johnson was up against Rusty Penson. These two men have spent the last three years trying to best each other. Tonight, it was JD who had the upper hand earning a take down and near fall with just two seconds remaining in the first period. The only action in the second period was Penson earning an escape. In the third, Penson escaped once again and earned a takedown. JD reversed that to win 6-4.
  Lionel Perez just plain took care of business after leading 7-1 at the end of the first period. He would earn the fall with the take down in the second at 2:47. Alex Gomez went the distance but came up on the short end losing 8-1.
  The final match of the dual against Payette pitted Brady DeYoung against Brian Heleker. Brady went to work with a take down and near fall to lead 4-0 at the end of the first period. DeYoung continued to dominate piling up points to lead 9-0 with two minutes to go. Believe it or not, Brady earned the pin with just 5 seconds remaining at 5:55 to claim the victory. Weiser 51, Payette 19.
  Skyview in the past has had some very talented athletes and wrestling sported quite a few. What happened was new schools opened up and athletes were allowed to try their hand at other places and Columbia lured quite a few away and has seen huge success due to that influx of raw talent. I was a bit disappointed in their showing as I thought they would give Weiser a run for their money. Weiser is just that good.
  Dustin Kistenmacher was first up at 152 pounds. Dustin would control the match but gave up points along the way. A take down and two near falls put Dustin up early. He allowed his opponent to escape and was taken down. Dustin escaped to lead 7-3 at the end of the first. The second was more like a rodeo with Skyview escaping twice and Dustin rolling his man to his back twice. With a period to go, Dustin was up 14-5. It wasn't looking as good for Weiser in the third period when Skyview took Kistenmacher down and to his back. Dustin escaped and returned the favor only this time it was a pin at 5:07 for the win.
  Senior Mitch Svedin, no stranger to a wrestling mat, moved up a weight class but had absolutely no problems handling his man. After leading 5-0, Mitch finished the job with the pin at 3:59 in the second period. Petero followed suit also up a weight class with his pin coming at 3:18.
  Weiser earned two forfeits in a row to bring up Johnson once again. The fall? Only 41 seconds. Skyview had NO CHANCE! Chris Beltran finally had the chance to show his mettle at 106 pounds. He had a choice to make after leading 12-1 at the end of the first and the second. He could win by technical fall and earn 5 team points or he could finish the job for the pin which he did at 4:59. Christian Oyervides had a tough match falling to the technical fall 18-1. Perez was good as a freshman and as a junior, he is something to watch. This time, the pin was at 2:54.
  Casey White wrestled his first match of the season at 126 pounds but it was against a wrestler who knew what he was doing. White would be pinned at 2:53. Hilario Manduhano met a similar fate falling at :53. DeYoung won his match on an injury default when his opponent appeared to receive a concussion.
  The final match of the night was first year wrestler and senior Cody Gable. Gable is best known for the vicious hits he put on opposing players in football. Gable was taken down first, earned the escape and did his own take down with a body slam to lead 3-2 at the end of the first period. Gable picked both men neutral for the second period. Cody took his man down but gave up a point to the escape. Gable led 5-3 with a long two minutes to wrestle and I do mean long. Skyview picked the down position and escaped. Gable took him down only to allow the escape. Cody was taken down as the clock was about to run out tying the match 7-7. With just two second remaining, Gable pulled his body free for the escape and the win 8-7. Weiser defeated Skyview 57-29.

Turn overs cost Weiser girls the game, 41-36

  Home court advantage means everything and Fruitland likes to play the last game at their place. The Lady Grizzlies hosted our gals on Thursday, January 26. This was not Weiser's finest hour. Usually, the team is a good second half playing team but tonight, the turnovers were mainly bad passes that led to Fruitland points. Weiser had the lead with just over a minute to play. Fruitland dug deeper and found a way to score multiple times to win 41-36.
  Starters for varsity were Sadie Shirts, Marquita Palmer, McKenzie Johnson, Nella Redman and Kellyn Fuller. Weiser had just one three point shot on the night despite numerous attempts. Shirts hit a long baseline shot to start the scoring. Johnson was fouled draining both shots. Fuller picked off a Fruitland pass and finished with the lay-up 6-2. On the fastbreak, Fuller to Johnson to Palmer for the kiss off the glass shot. Shirts was fouled making both shots count, 10-4. Rachael Lee hit an inside shot. Palmer scored off the fast break. Weiser would hold the lead 14-9 at the end of the first quarter.
  Fruitland scored back to back shots in the top of the second. Palmer sank a free throw. At 3:25, Fruitland took the lead. Palmer putback an offensive rebound at 2:21 to knot the score 17-17. Lee with the "O" rebound putback. Palmer picked off a pass and threw the ball to Johnson streaking down the court for the lay-up. Weiser led at the half, 21-19.
  Fruitland really played well in the third quarter while Weiser struggled. Redman sank a free throw. Lee putback her second "O" rebound off a Fruitland miscue under the basket, 24-23 Weiser. Fruitland took the lead with three buckets in a row. Alex Mink was fouled draining both free throws. Fruitland had the lead 31-26 going into the fourth quarter.
  Johnson stole the ball and finished with the lay-up. Fuller hit the only THREE to pull within two points of the Lady Grizzlies. Fuller hit a shot inside to tie the score 33-33 with 6:02 to go in the game. Johnson was fouled from three point range and made all three shots, 36-33 Weiser. Fruitland took the lead back when Weiser turned the ball over four times in a row, 37-36. Weiser only had four team fouls at this point and had to foul to send Fruitland to the line. This ate up clock time. Unfortunately, the free throws were made. Weiser had the ball trailing 39-36. They took a shot and even pulled down the offensive rebound but the second shot clanged off the rim. Fruitland went to the line and finished the game with two more made free throws. Final: Fruitland 41, Weiser 36.
  Scoring: Johnson 9, Palmer and Fuller 7 each, Lee 6, Shirts 4, Mink 2 and Redman 1.

Holding is a football foul and shouldn't be allowed in basketball. Weiser downs Payette 66-50

  Not only was the weather a sloppy mess on Tuesday, January 24th but the boys basketball games in Payette weren't much better. The frosh/soph team won their game 48-34 due to a strong start. The JV game had plenty of problems. It is my opinion that if the JV team would learn to play as a team instead of a bunch of individuals trying to win the game on their own, they will have more success. Weiser trailed by 15 at the half and by 7 going into the fourth quarter. The boys began to pass to each other and ran plays which led to their winning the game. With under 26 seconds to go, Ty Wilkins sank a shot tying the game. Payette made a shot to go up by two points. Weiser tied it up. Weiser had the ball with about 11 seconds to go. Austyn Grothaus brought the ball down the court, looked to drive but instead dished the ball to the other side of the key to Zach Tate for the bucket and the lead. Weiser won 54-52.
  The varsity game was quite physical and by the fourth quarter, the officials had had enough. Payette was handed three technical fouls, two in the fourth. Weiser would capitalize on the historonics in the fourth to pull way ahead to win 66-50. Starters for the game were Elias Daniels, Tyler Hemphill, Justin Roberts, Issac Zanelli and Drew McKie. Free throws were a bit of a problem again in this game. Weiser scored first on the second trip down the court. Roberts passed to McKie for two. McKie was fouled the next trip and sank one shot. Payette took the lead on one of I believe 8 threes by Zach Allen of Payette. McKie to Daniels down low for two. McKie to Brock Bumgarner for two, 7-4. On the fastbreak, McKie to Daniels for the bucket, McKie had a rejection on defense. Daniels stole the ball and led Hempheill to the backboard for the lay-up, 11-4. McKie hit another bucket. Bumgarner stole the ball and handed the ball into the basket. Weiser led 15-8 at the end of the first quarter.
  Payette had the ball with Allen sinking a three in the top of the second quarter. Zanelli matched that on the Weiser end with his THREE! McKie fouled Waynetska of Payette  but instead of playing it cool, Waynetska poked Drew in the chest and taunted earning himself a technical foul and a place on the bench for the remainder of the game. Derek Reyes putback an "O" rebound, 20-12. Allen made a three, Zanelli once again matched that with his THREE!. Daniels with the "O" rebound putback. Bumgarner hit a THREE. Weiser had the lead at the half 30-24.
  Payette came out of the locker room ready to play hitting a two and a three to pull within a point of Weiser 30-29. McKie sank a shot. Roberts with the up and over shot, 34-29. Allen of Payette was lights out from three point range keeping his Pirates in the game. Payette would tie the game at 4:41, 34-34. Zanelli hit the jumper in the key. Hemphill to Daniels for two, Zanelli drained his third THREE and Weiser could breathe again, 41-34. At the end of the third, Weiser 41, Payette 36.
  Ethan Thomas moved inside for the early bucket in the fourth quarter. Payette made back to back shots. McKie to Hemphill for the reverse lay-up. Hemphill inbound to Daniels for two, 47-40. McKie to Daniels for two. Bumgarner with the "O" rebound putback on a nifty move under the basket, 51-41. McKie hit the bucket. McKie put the shot through for two more, 55-44. At this exact point, the officials recognized that Payette was holding our players and it cost them in fouls including another technical. There was 3:26 still to play. Daniels sank both his free throws from the foul line and then Zanelli made both shots for the technical, 59-44. Bumgarner putback yet another "O" rebound. McKie to Hemphill for two. McKie sank his last shot, 65-47. Daniels made one free throw. Weiser would win the game 66-50.
  Stats: Weiser was 6 made of 18 attempts from the free throw line. Scoring:  Daniels 15, McKie and Zanelli 13, Bumgarner 11, Hemphill 8, Reyes, Roberts and Thomas 2 each.

Hottest ticket in town, Weiser versus Fruitland, boys basketball

  I don't know of a hotter ticket in town than one to the boys basketball game when Weiser plays Fruitland. It was a packed house on Saturday, January 21 in the Weiser gym and I do mean packed. The crowd was a bit hostile to boot and emotions were running high. Do you think this game means anything? What a foolish question. It means everything!
  The night began with a thrilling game by the frosh/soph team. Weiser trailed at the end of the first quarter 12-10 but built a lead over the next three quarters, 27-23, 41-28 and the final 49-42. Weiser tried to give the game away but thankfully, the lead was big enough to prevent that from happening. The JV game was just as intense. Weiser actually had the lead at the end of the first 9-8 and also built that lead thusly: 21-18 at the half, 38-32 end of the third and the final, Weiser 52, Fruitland 43.
  There were times in the varsity game when it looked a lot like a football game. Players were diving for the ball, crashing into each other, and generally shoving and posturing. The game went into overtime even due largely to Fruitland's James Livingston who nailed 4 three's in a row in the fourth quarter to keep his team in the game. He would sink a three and a two in the OT as well but Weiser had just enough gas left in the tank and the steady heads to win the game 59-57.
  Starters for the game were Drew McKie, Elias Daniels, Justin Roberts, Tyler Hemphill and Issac Zanelli. Fruitland scored first as Weiser hit a drought. A little over two and a half minutes into the game, Daniels passed to Roberts for the hook shot. McKie had a CHECK on defense. This was a prelude for the entire game as Weiser checked many, many of the Fruitland player's would be shots. McKie drove the lane for two. McKie had another check. He was also fouled making one shot. (Weiser missed quite a few free throws this night).
  McKie was at the top of the key looking for an open man to pass to. No one was open and the defense sagged in a bit so Drew just hit the jumper to put Weiser up 7-6 at 2:40. McKie had a rejection and then a third check. Holy Cow! Hemphill made a bucket, drew the foul and drained the free throw with 3.6 seconds on the clock. Weiser had the slim lead 10-7 at the end of the first quarter.
  Daniels putback the "O" rebound, drew the foul and sank the free throw in the top of the second quarter. Roberts hit the turnaround jumper for two, 15-10 at 6:02. McKie putback his own "O" rebound while falling backwards. On the fastbreak, the half court pass to Daniels going full speed was good for the lay-up. Roberts had a check. Brock Bumgarner had the steal. Daniels was fouled making one count. Daniels putback an "O" rebound, drew the foul and sank the free throw. Weiser's transistion game was stellar.
Daniels putback another rebound, 25-10. McKie made his shot count off the inbound pass. McKie would check the ball on defense once again. McKie to Bumgarner for two just before the halftime buzzer. Weiser 29, Fruitland 16.
  McKie drove for two after Fruitland scored first in the third quarter. Hemphill inbound to Daniels for the 12 foot jumper. Roberts sank a shot, drew the foul and made the free throw, 36-20. Weiser's defense was tenacious but it was costing our boys some fouls at this point. Weiser's lead had dwindled to 36-29. McKie sank two free throws. Garrett Crawford made a huge shot with under a minute to play in the third. McKie sank two more free throws as Weiser had the lead 42-33 going into the fourth quarter.
  Hemphill was fouled making both shots count. Thankfully, Fruitland was making only one of their free throws out of every two as both teams were in bonus. McKie made one free throw but the game was nearly tied 45-44 due to Livingston's threes. Roberts putback an "O" rebound, 47-44. At 2:00 minutes, Livingston hit that fourth three to tie the game 47-47. Daniels made a free throw. Fruitland made a basket to take the lead. McKie made a free throw to tie it up at 1:15, 49-49. Fruitland sank a free throw to go up one. McKie bettered that with the drive for two. McKie made one free throw. With 19 seconds to go in the game, Livingston made a lay-up to knot the score 52-52. Weiser called time-out. A jump ball with 4.4 seconds gave the ball to Fruitland. McKie had the rejection on the attempted shot for the win sending the teams into overtime. That was HUGE!
  Weiser won the tip in overtime but failed to score. Fruitland sank a three. McKie hit a bucket 55-54 Fruitland. McKie hit the jumper in the key to put Weiser ahead 56-55. Roberts made one free throw at 29.2 seconds. The score showed Weiser 57, Fruitland 55. Fruitland tied the game. McKie was fouled with 11 seconds to go. Both free throws sailed through the net. Whew! Fruitland had a chance and took the shot with the ball clanging off the rim and guess who claimed the rebound? Drew McKie. It is only fitting. Talk about emotions showing. What a fantastic game and a much deserved win. Final: Weiser 59, Fruitland 57.
  Scoring: McKie 26, Daniels 14, Roberts 10, Hemphill 5, Bumgarner and Crawford 2 each.

Photos

I just wanted to let you all know that the photos with my blogs are courtesy of Keith Bryant. He would gladly sell you any you like. He is the chef at Weiser Classic Candies if you didn't already know. Thanks Keith for sharing.

Girls blast past Parma 63-38

  The Lady Wolverines notched another victory in their season by defeating Parma 63-38 Friday, January 20th in our gym. One statistic stands out and that is free throw shooting. The gals made 20 of 28 attempts for a 71% average. Very nice indeed.
  Starters for the game were Sadie Shirts, Marquita Palmer, McKenzie Johnson, Nella Redman and Kellyn Fuller. The shots were as cold as ice for Weiser in the first quarter. Palmer knocked in the first shot and made a free throw. Parma was making their shots as they built a small lead 10-3. Rachael Lee inbound to Redman for two at 2:25. Redman tipped an offensive rebound to Palmer who finished with the bucket. Redman made two free throws. Parma nailed back to back shots in the waning seconds of the quarter to lead 14-9.
  When the offense fails, the defense has to step up. Weiser forced the five second call on Parma to regain possession in the second quarter. Fuller hit a THREE! Johnson sank two free throws putting Weiser back into the game trailing 16-14. Shirts made a free throw. With less than three minutes to play in the quarter, a point separated the teams. Johnson hit a THREE! Parma kept pace. Palmer made the shot off the fastbreak, drew the foul and made the free throw to put Weiser ahead for the first time, 21-20. Redman sank two more free throws. Palmer putback an offensive rebound as Weiser took a 25-20 lead in at halftime.
  The second half was a much better showing as far as baskets being made by Weiser. Palmer scored off the fastbreak. Redman drained a THREE from the top of the key. Redman made two more free throws building Weiser's lead to 10, 32-22. Palmer to Shirts for two. Palmer sank a free throw. Redman made the bucket, drew the foul and made the free throw, 38-22. Fuller to Redman for two more. Johnson sank another THREE! At the end of the third quarter, Weiser 43, Parma 28.
  Palmer was fouled immediately in the top of the fourth quarter and made both shots count. Johnson had the steal and finished with the lay-up. Palmer and Redman hit back to back shots. Palmer made another free throw. Lee hit a bucket. Fuller's THREE put Weiser up by 20 points, 57-37. Fuller made two free throws off two trips to the line. Alex Mink putback an "O" rebound. Johnson finished out the night at the free throw line draining both shots. Weiser had the win 63-38.
  Scoring: Palmer and Redman with 18 each, Johnson 12, Fuller 8, Shirts 3, Lee and Mink 2 each.

Boys start slow, end with power over Parma

  The Weiser boys basketball teams played Parma at their place on Thursday, January 19. The frosh/soph team struggled in the beginning trailing through three quarters respectively 6-4, 16-9 and 20-19. The fourth quarter they owned blowing Parma out of the game and winning 41-34. The JV had a tight game and at any given time, either team was in charge. Weiser trailed by one at the end of the first quarter 10-9, led by one point at the half 23-22 and had a good lead at the end of the third, 41-36. The fourth foul trouble hurt as the teams were tied 55-55 sending them into overtime. Parma would win in OT 64-60.
  The varsity also began slow with a majority of the shots hitting the front of the rim. However, the presence of mind of these warriors stood out in the second quarter as Weiser built a lead and never relinquished it winning 65-48. Starters for the game were Drew McKie, Issac Zanelli, Justin Roberts, Tyler Hemphill and Elias Daniels.  McKie controlled the tip with ease but as stated, Weiser couldn't buy a basket. Weiser's first bucket came via McKie to Roberts for two. Parma hit three shots in a row. McKie was fouled draining both shots. Roberts to Bruce Hamilton for the bucket, 6-6. McKie passed to Ethan Thomas for the THREE! Hamilton passed to Thomas on the baseline for his second THREE! Weiser trailed by one, 13-12 at the end of the first quarter.
  In the top of the second quarter, Thomas fired a bullet to Brock Bumgarner for the hoop. Thomas took the ball to the hoop untouched for his two points. At 4:00, Weiser took the lead on McKie's drive for two, 18-17. Zanelli hit the jumper. Roberts received the inbound pass at the top of the key burying the THREE! McKie took a charge on defense that lit up the crowd. Thomas hit nothing but the bottom of the net on his third THREE! Hemphill putback an offensive rebound. McKie putback an "O" rebound while still in the air - Sweet! Weiser had the lead at the half 30-17.
  Daniels graced the board with his shot in the top of the third quarter. Roberts was fouled making one count. McKie for two, 35-20. McKie to Daniels at the free throw line for the shot. Daniels to Hemphill in the open for the bucket. McKie for two more. Hemphill had the backhanded lay-up that had the crowd oohing and ahhing. Thomas to Derek Reyes for two, 45-31. McKie sank another shot. Thomas drained two free throws on two trips to the charity stripe. Garrett Crawford fought for the offensive rebound, yanked it away and sank the shot. Weiser led 51-34 with a quarter to go.
  Bumgarner's "O" rebound putback added to the lead in the fourth quarter. Weiser's defense was tenacious blocking shots and rejecting shots. Daniels made a free throw. McKie made a free throw. Weiser was only about 50%  in that category. Roberts picked off a Parma inbound pass aka football style and finished with the basket, 57-36. Parma begin to foul in earnest with many players making the trip to the line. Roberts and Hamilton were each perfect from the line. Logan Loomis and Zanelli each made one free throw as Weiser won the game 65-48.
  Scoring: Thomas and McKie 13 each, Roberts 10, Hamilton and Hemphill 6 each, Daniels 5, Bumgarner 4, Zanelli 3, Reyes and Crawford 2 each and Loomis 1.

Weiser versus Homedale, round two

  The Lady Wolverines hosted the Lady Trojans on Tuesday, January 17th. What a difference this game was from the first. If you recall, the first two times these teams tangled (a very appropriate word for both games), Nella Redman and Kylie Farwell collided and both left the game. Weiser blew Homedale out of that game. Tonight, Redman would score 19 to Farwell's 17. Weiser would win the game 49-40. It was not an easy victory. Both the Weiser frosh/soph and JV teams  lost.
  Starters for Weiser were Marquita Palmer, McKenzie Johnson, Kelly Fuller, Redman and Sadie Shirts. Palmer easily won the tip. Shirts would putback an offensive rebound to jump start the scoring. Shirts also made one free throw. Redman made three free throws on two trips to the charity stripe. Johnson to Fuller for the THREE, 9-2. Shirts putback her own "O" rebound. Redman with the rejection on defense. Redman for two, 13-2. Rachael Lee pulled down an offensive rebound, passed to Redman who fired to Johnson for the THREE! Lee made one free throw as Weiser had the lead 17-5 at the end of the first quarter.
  Redman hit the first bucket of the second quarter. Shirts made a free throw. Palmer had the block. Johnson to Palmer for the turn around jumper in the key, 22-13. Redman hit a THREE! Johnson made a free throw and Redman sank her second THREE! At halftime, Weiser 29, Homedale 19.
  Redman was still hot in the top of the third quarter sinking yet another THREE! Johnson passed over the top of all the defenders to a wide open Redman at the base of the backboard for two. Redman had a block. Shirts had a steal. Johnson hit the jumper in the key. Shirts and Redman each made a free throw as Weiser led 38-29 with a quarter to play.
  In the fourth quarter, Palmer putback an "O" rebound. Shirts to Johnson for the THREE off the screen, 43-31. Shirts sank a free throw. Fuller to Palmer wide open in the key for two more. Then the fouls began in earnest. Johnson made three free throws as Weiser notched another check in the win column 49-40.
  Scoring: Redman 19, Johnson 12, Shirts 8, Palmer 6, Fuller 3 and Lee 1.

Ladies can't find the basket in loss

  Saturday, January 14 Weiser traveled to Nyssa for the repeat girls basketball game. The frosh/soph team held it together to win 41-20. The JV did not have that success dropping the game. The varsity had a hard time finding the basket in a dismal shooting match. Weiser would lose the game 44-32. Weiser hit only seven of 42, two point shots and five of 15, three point shots. Also missing in action was Marquita Palmer.
  Starters for Weiser were Rachael Lee, Sadie Shirts, Nella Redman, Kellyn Fuller and McKenzie Johnson. Nyssa scored a three point shot and then a field goal to take the early lead. Lee sank her shot. Nyssa built that lead to 11-2 before Redman hit her shot. Redman sank another shot. Lee put the ball through the hoop, 13-8 Nyssa. Shirts had an offensive rebound putback. With eight seconds on the clock, Shirts passed to Redman for the THREE! The teams were knotted 13-13 at the end of the first quarter.
  Johnson hit a long two, her feet were just over the three point line, to start the second quarter. Johnson took a charge on defense. Nyssa began their run as Weiser struggled to even hit the rim. Johnson nailed a THREE! Redman to Johnson for her second THREE! Nyssa led 22-21. Lee with the "O" rebound putback. Nyssa would sink a shot at the buzzer to take a 28-23 lead in at the half.
  Weiser did not score a single point in the third quarter while Nyssa scored seven to lead 35-23 with one quarter to play.
  Shirts hit the baseline THREE! Fuller sank a THREE off an offensive rebound.  Weiser trailed by just six points. Nyssa called time-out and came up with a new strategy called "keep away". Fuller sank a free throw and Johnson made two free throws. Nyssa would win the game 44-32.
  Scoring: Johnson 10, Redman 7, Lee 6, Shirts 5 and Fuller 4.

Girls improve to 4-0 in SRV play

  The Lady Wolverines have now played all four teams in the SRV. Payette hosted Weiser on Thursday, January 12. The frosh/soph team had a thrilling win coming on strong in the fourth quarter, 20-12. The varsity did not make a single three point basket in this game but their free throw shooting was outstanding. Weiser would defeat Payette 51-30 to improve their record to 4-0 in SRV play.
  Starters for the game were Kellyn Fuller, Nella Redman, Marquita Palmer, McKenzie Johnson and Sadie Shirts. It was several trips up and down the court before a basket was made and that was three point shot by Payette. Fuller was fouled and made a free throw. Weiser had 11 missed shots halfway through the first quarter. Redman drained two free throws and then sank another one. Rachael Lee putback an offensive rebound. Fuller on the baseline passed into the key to Alex Mink for the open shot. Johnson drove as the clock was winding down and rolled the ball up the backboard and in. Weiser 10, Payette 7.
  Shirts hit the first basket for Weiser in the second quarter. Fuller sank two free throws. Redman found Johnson cutting through the key for two. Fuller to Palmer for the turn around jumper. Weiser would lead 18-11 at half time.
  Shirts had a block in the top of the third quarter. Redman sank two more free throws. Shirts stole the ball and used a great move in the key to find the hoop. Palmer had the rejection on defense. Palmer made a basket, drew the foul and finished off the three point play with the free throw, 25-16. Redman putback an "O" rebound and made the last shot of the quarter. Weiser held the slim lead 29-24.
  The fourth quarter belonged to Weiser. Shirts was fouled making her first free throw. Redman for two. Redman sank two more free throws (she was 7 of 8 from the charity stripe tonight). Johnson was six for six from the free throw line in this quarter. What a great sound the net makes when it snaps on a shot that hits nothing but the net. Palmer made a free throw.
  Payette went to a full court defense. Redman had the ball on the Payette end of the court. No one was open so Nella dribbled down the court, through the Weiser key and stopped for the pull-up jumper. Beautiful! Weiser called time-out with 1:44 to go leading 43-25. The next three buckets were lay-ups as Weiser broke the press, Mink to Palmer, Lee with the left  side shot and Mink for two. Palmer would sink the last two free throws.  Weiser 51, Payette 30.
  Scoring: Redman 15, Palmer and Johnson 10, Shirts 5, Lee and Mink 4 and Fuller 3.

Ladies continue to win with THREE's

  Weiser played back to back games against Ontario in girls basketball in less than a week. Weiser won game one and two with the second being played in Ontario, Tuesday, January 10. Weiser would win 57-45.
  Starters for the game were Rachael Lee, McKenzie Johnson, Nella Redman, Marquita Palmer and Sadie Shirts. Weiser's first points came off the give and go when Redman passed to Shirts for the shot. Redman nailed a THREE off a long offensive rebound (keep track of this statistic). Johnson sank a THREE! Redman sank her second THREE! Ontario wanted a timeout with Weiser up 11-5. Redman sank her third THREE and then her fourth THREE! Palmer stole a defensive rebound and shot the ball true. Johnson to Palmer for the bucket. Weiser led 21-13 at the end of the first quarter.
  Ontario scored the first two baskets of the second quarter. Shirts was fouled making both free throws. Palmer put in two baskets in a row. Johnson drained a THREE! Palmer made her third shot of the quarter. At halftime, Weiser led by six points, 32-26.
  The pace was much faster in the third quarter. Johnson sank a shot. Johnson to Palmer off Palmer's screen  inside the key for two. Shirts to Palmer for two. Redman sank a THREE, her fifth on the night. Shirts for two. Johnson struggled for the offensive rebound, wrangled it away from her defender and underhanded the shot in, 45-34. Johnson made a free throw. Lee intercepted an inbound pass with an incredible leap. Kellyn Fuller to Palmer for the bucket. Alex Mink with a rejection on defense. At the end of the third, Weiser 48, Ontario 37.
  Palmer putback an offensive rebound to begin the fourth quarter. Lee hit her shot. Fuller to Palmer for two more. Shirts was perfect from the free throw line. Redman made a free throw. Weiser played keep-away the last two minutes to seal the win 57-45.
  Scoring: Palmer 20, Redman 16, Johnson 11, Shirts 8 and Lee 2.

Lady Wolverines cage Lady Tigers 54-32

After watching the game against Fruitland, this game was not nearly as exciting but once a Weiser fan, always a Weiser fan. We love our girls and no matter what, a win is a win.
 
Weiser hosted Ontario on Saturday, January 7th to a diminished crowd as compared to the night before when the ladies faced off against Fruitland. Never the less, Weiser dominated the game winning 54-32.
  Starters were Sadie Shirts, McKenzie Johnson, Kellyn Fuller, Nella Redman and  Marquita Palmer. Redman would hit the early bucket off the pass from Johnson. Johnson hit a THREE to put Weiser in the lead, a lead that was never relinquished. Palmer had one of several rejections on defense. Shirts drained two free throws. Rachael Lee stuffed the pass, Fuller picked up the loose ball, tip-toed the sideline to stay inbounds and finished with the shot. Sweet!  Palmer hit her shot. Lee inbound to Palmer for two. At the end of the first quarter Weiser led 13-10.
  Palmer putback an offensive rebound in the top of the second quarter. Lee had the block. Redman hit the bucket off the give and go from Palmer. Shirts nailed her shot off the fast break, 19-12. Palmer with the "O" rebound putback. Shirts to Lee for the jumper. Redman made a free throw. Johnson to Redman for two more, 26-12. Johnson sent the pass over the top to Palmer for the finish. Palmer with the rejection.  Ontario hit a three and that was answered when Johnson hit her second THREE 10 seconds later.
  This next play epitomizes the word "hustle". Weiser had a turnover on the Ontario side of the court. Ontario  dribbled down towards their basket but Johnson tracked the player, tipped the ball away and corralled it before it went out of bounds. Johnson then dribbled up the sideline past the teams, saw an opening and drove straight for the backboard making the shot and drawing the foul. What a way to end the first half. Weiser 33, Ontario 16.
  Palmer had the turn-around jumper in the top of the third quarter. Redman drained a THREE with a defender's hand in her face, 38-17. Johnson made the underhanded lay-up. Ontario hit a three. Johnson answered seconds later with her third THREE! Redman and Palmer each had a rejection. Palmer took the ball away on an attempted Ontario shot. Alex Mink putback an "O" rebound. Palmer for two more. Mink was in the key calling for the ball. Johnson gave it to her for the hoop. Weiser led 49-20 with a quarter to play.
  Weiser only scored five points in the last quarter. Shirts made a free throw. Ontario scored and scored and scored. With under two minutes to play, Redman hit a shot. Mink to Lee just before the buzzer for the bucket. Weiser had the win 54-32. 
  Scoring: Palmer 14, Johnson 13, Redman 12, Shirts 5, Lee and Mink 4 each and Fuller 2.

Ladies polish off Fruitland 56-37

It was raining THREE's!
  The best games seem to be between Weiser and Fruitland in nearly every sport. It is the one rivalry that brings all manner of fans to the game, even those who do not attend on a regular basis. The Lady Wolverines hosted the Lady Grizzlies on Friday, January 6th with almost a packed house. What a game they were treated to. The two younger squad's games would go to Fruitland but not the varsity - no siree!
  Let's hit you with some statistics just to set the mood. Weiser hit 5 of 8 three point shots in the first half and ended the night 8 for 15, better than 50%. The normal field goal percentage was not nearly as good but that's okay too. Senior Nella Redman had her best game on the season, and perhaps in her entire life. Redman would earn high point honors for both squads with a total of 22 points. Sadie Stutzman of Fruitland had 19. Redman would make 6 of 10 field goals and 3 or 4 three point shots. How's that for percentages? Now you're ready for the game to begin.
  Starters were Redman, McKenzie Johnson, Marquita Palmer, Kellyn Fuller and Sadie Shirts. Palmer controlled the tip. Weiser wasted  no time scoring on their first trip when Johnson found Redman for the bucket. Palmer had a rejection on defense. Palmer putback an offensive rebound. Shirts inbound to Johnson to Redman outside for the THREE! Palmer to Fuller for a THREE! Palmer had her second rejection on defense. Palmer would putback an "O" rebound with under a minute to go in the first quarter. Weiser would lead 12-4 at the end of it.
  Second quarter action was just as exciting as the first. Fuller to Palmer for the bank shot. Johnson nailed a THREE! Shirts hit the jumper as Weiser built their lead to 19-4. Lee had a terrific move into the key for the elevated two. Johnson to Fuller for her second THREE, 24-9. Johnson took a charge on defense and the student body went WILD! Redman hit a two point shot and the next trip hit nothing but the net on the THREE! Johnson sank the shot off Palmer's screen. Weiser took a 31-16 lead in at halftime.
  Redman hit back to back buckets to start the third quarter. Johnson sank another THREE! Redman made a free throw. Redman for two more. Palmer for two off the fast break, 43-23. Lee drained a free throw. Redman sank a shot. Johnson hitting her third THREE would close out the third quarter. Weiser 49, Fruitland 28.
  Weiser only scored seven points in the fourth quarter as the legs just weren't there to finish the shots. Up to this point, the shooting percentage was very high. Alex Mink was fouled and sank both free throws. Redman had another THREE! Shirts sank two free throws. What a spectacular night of shooting as Weiser savored the win 56-37.
  Scoring: Redman 22, Johnson 11, Palmer 8, Fuller 6, Shirts 4, Lee 3 and Mink 2.

Pictures

Hi There,
  If you are enjoying the photos I am posting then thanks is given to Keith Bryant of Weiser Classic Candies. He has graciously sent those to me to post on this blog. You are a lifesavor Keith.
Joyce

Ladies boast SRV win over Parma 55-39

  Do not let the score convince you that the game between Parma and Weiser played on Tuesday, January 3rd at their place was a blow out. Parma led at half time but Weiser's shooting percentage in the second half was nearly stellar. Consider this: Weiser was 2 made of 14 attempted shots in the first quarter. The only statistic to brag about was the free throw shooting as Weiser hit 23 of 29 chances. The  Lady Wolverine varsity team had the only win on the night 55-39.
  Starters for Weiser were Sadie Shirts, Marquita Palmer, McKenzie Johnson, Nella Redman and Kellyn Fuller. Weiser also had six rejected balls on defense with Palmer making the first one right out of the gate. Redman was fouled making both shots. Johnson hit a THREE. Palmer sank a shot. Parma led after the first quarter 10-7.
  Second quarter action wasn't much better. Shirts to Redman for two. Johnson was fouled making both shots count. Johnson was fouled and was perfect from the line, 13-13. Redman sank two free throws, 16-15 Parma. Redman with a block on defense. Redman sank two more free throws then slammed the ball into the wall on the rejection. Parma made the last shot before the buzzer to take a one point lead 18-17 at halftime.
  Redman hit the early bucket in the top of the third quarter to put Weiser ahead. Shirts drained a shot, 21-20 Weiser. Johnson picked off a pass and dribbled down the court looking for a teammate to pass to. No such luck so she hit the shot herself. Redman with a block on defense. Palmer sank two shots in a row. Shirts made a free throw. Palmer made four free throws in a row. Palmer with a rejection. Redman putback an offensive rebound. Palmer sank two more free throws as Weiser led 35-24 with a quarter to play.
  Weiser's first basket of the fourth quarter came via the THREE from Fuller. Alex Mink made a bucket as Weiser continued to pour in shots. Palmer with back to back "O" rebound putbacks, 44-33 Weiser. Palmer with the rejection.  Johnson continued to drain shots from the free throw line, a perfect 8 for 8 on this night. Redman launched a full court pass that Fuller just caught up with and laid in, 48-35 Weiser. Shirts made three free throws. Fuller inbound to Johnson for two. Johnson would finish out the night at the free throw line sinking both shots. Weiser had the win 55-39.
  Scoring by quarters. Weiser scored respectively, 7, 10, 18 and 20. Parma scored 10, 8, 6 and 15. Palmer and Johnson shared high point honors with 15 each, Redman 12, Shirts 6, Fuller 5 and Mink 2.