Weiser gets win over New Plymouth 54-37

Weiser varsity basketball coach Brad Adolfson credited a solid defensive effort by the Wolverines as key in Thursday night’s 54-37 win over New Plymouth at home.

 “I think we played pretty good defense, and I think that leads to better opportunities offensively. The key was our defense. It was just a great overall team win,” Adolfson said.

 New Plymouth’s best scorer, Kaden Leslie, had 23 points on a recent night against Vale, but he couldn’t buy a basket at Weiser against the Wolverines.

 “I think we did a pretty good job on their best scorer, and I think he struggled tonight,” Adolfson said.

 Thursday’s matchup was the second meeting between these two teams this season and Weiser has beaten the Pilgrims both times to take the 2-0 advantage. Weiser’s overall record improved to 3-2 with the win.

 Nate Lattin hit two buckets early to put Weiser on the scoreboard, including a three-pointer. Lattin led the Wolverines in scoring with a season-high 12 points and also pulled down three rebounds.

 The Pilgrims picked up their first points halfway through the period. Jimmy Riggs, a 6-foot, 7-inch senior, worked inside the paint early. He took a pass inside and made the easy basket to keep pace with Weiser.  

 New Plymouth took a short-lived lead 9-8 with a minute left in the first quarter when senior Nick Woods hit a free throw. 

 Braden Bumgarner answered for Weiser with a three-point basket and the Wolverines were up 11-9 at the end of the first quarter. The Wolverines never trailed the Pilgrims again for the rest of the game. 

 Lattin continued to have the hot shooting hand and hit another three-pointer early in the second period to give Weiser a six-point lead at 15-9. 

 The Pilgrims also ran an up-tempo offense and kept the game within three points with 3:50 left in the second period. A pass to Riggs under the basket was good for two easy points. That was followed by a three-point shot by New Plymouth’s Derek Hampton that cut Weiser’s lead to 17-13.

 After Isaiah Daniel popped a jumper in the paint that was good for two points, Weiser got a turnover, one of many, and Caleb Harris ran the length of the court for the layup. He was fouled and made it a three-point play. 

 Harris wasn’t done yet. He grabbed an offensive rebound and scored two more points with the easy put-back for the basket. The Wolverines had their biggest lead of the game at 26-16 at halftime.

 Weiser continued to play with defensive intensity in the third quarter and at times ran a full-court press on the Pilgrims, which resulted in some turnovers. The Wolverines held the Pilgrims to six points in the third quarter.

 On offense, Weiser players worked the ball around for the higher percentage shots. At the end of the third period, the Wolverines had widened their lead to 18 points with the score 40-22.

 Weiser dominated the defensive and offensive boards, grabbing 22 defensive rebounds and nine offensive rebounds. Many of those rebounds were turned into points for the Wolverines, who widened their lead to 20 points at 45-25 with 5:28 left in the game. A two-point basket by Ande Jensen gave Weiser a 21-point lead. 

 In the final minutes of the game New Plymouth’s Riggs got a basket to trim Weiser’s lead. He had 17 points for the Pilgrims. A buzzer beater by the Pilgrims narrowed Weiser’s lead to 17 points with the final score 54-37.

 Nate Lattin led Weiser with 12 points, with Braden Bumgarner contributing nine points. Caleb Harris, who is seeing more playing time, had a season-high seven points and six rebounds. Angel Magana and Hayden Wilson-Palmer each collected six points. Tim Reed and Brett Spencer scored three points and Ande Jensen, Isaiah Daniel, Nathan Mink and Tyler Pope had two points apiece.

Weiser 42, Melba 49

Dec. 4 at Melba

 The Wolverines couldn’t get dialed in and shot less than 30 percent from the field against Melba at the Mustangs’ gym. Weiser went 15-for-51 on fieldgoals and hit only three three-pointers out of 18 attempts. At the charity stripe, Weiser hit 9-for-19 free throws.

 Weiser kept it close, but the Mustangs were able to get the nonconference win 49-42.

 Brett Spencer led the Wolverines with 11 points and six rebounds. Ande Jensen hit two baskets from outside the three-point line for six points. Caleb Harris also scored six points. Tim Reed contributed five points. Braden Bumgarner and Nate Lattin each scored four points. Hayden Palmer-Wilson scored three points. Isaiah Daniel had two points and Angel Magana scored one point.

Weiser 78, Ontario 43

Dec. 8 at Ontario

 Fresh off a win last Thursday night at home over New Plymouth, the Weiser varsity boys basketball team traveled to Ontario on Saturday afternoon to tangle with the Tigers.

 It was more like tame the Tigers as the Wolverines ran up the score in the 78-43 nonconference win. Weiser’s overall record improved to 4-2 with the win.

 Weiser’s stats told the story. The Wolverines shot an impressive 33-for-64 in fieldgoals compared to 19-for-55 for the Tigers. Weiser went 7-for-14 on three pointers. Ontario shot a dismal 4-for-31 on three-point shots.

 Weiser also won the rebound battle on both ends of the court. The Wolverines collected 24 defensive and 14 offensive rebounds. Ontario came up with 17 defensive rebounds and nine offensive rebounds. The Tigers won in the foul category with 14 versus the Wolverines’ six fouls.

 A total of 10 Wolverines contributed points in the winning effort, with Bumgarner leading Weiser with 19 points and seven rebounds. Ande Jensen had 13 points, followed by Tim Reed with nine points. Justin Estes contributed eight points. Brett Spencer scored seven points, while Hayden Wilson-Palmer hit three fieldgoals for six points. 

 Rounding out the scoring for Weiser, Nate Lattin had five points. Caleb Harris and Tyler Pope each had four points and Isaiah Daniel collected three points.

 Weiser will take on Melba on Friday at home. The Wolverines will play in the Ridgevue Tournament during Christmas break from Dec. 20-22.

 After the holiday break, Weiser meets Ontario and Vale at home on Jan. 2 and Jan 5. 

 The Wolverines start play in the Snake River Valley Conference against Parma at home on Jan. 10.