By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
Amherst used a strong inside game to turn aside Almond-Bancroft, 63-50, Tuesday night at Amherst High School.
Paced by Jesse Konkol, the Falcons took control of the game in the second half and pulled away. Konkol pumped in 29 points and pulled down 21 rebounds as he used his size advantage under the basket.
"He's a big kid in there," said Amherst coach Gregg Jensen said. "He got a lot of opportunities. He worked hard. He finally got going in there."
"He was the difference in the game," added A-B coach Curt Lamb. "I think the reason they won the game was Konkol down low. He's a big kid and knows how to use his legs and post up."
A-B never led in the game and started cold, falling behind 8-0 before getting on the board after Chris Leary stole the ball and scored on a breakaway.
The Eagles cut the lead to 14-12 at the end of the first quarter and took their only lead of the night with 6:15 left in the second quarter when Matt Cummings hit a three-pointer, making the score 15-14.
Then Konkol started to take control, hitting two free throws, blocking a shot and then scoring on the offensive end of the floor.
After Konkol hit another basket, A-B stayed within three points, then closed the gap to 24-23 with less than a minute remaining. As the Eagles worked for a final shot, they turned the ball over and then fouled Eden Weller of Amherst with six-tenths of a second left in the half. Weller made one of his free throws, giving the Falcons a 25-23 halftime lead.
In the second half, Konkol scored the first four points, then added another six during the quarter as the Falcons increased their lead to 48-40 at the end of the third quarter.
Amherst's Jeremy Sherf scored the first two points of the quarter, and, after Cummings cut the lead back to eight, Konkol took over again.
He scored the next 13 points for the Falcons as the Amherst lead increased to 63-44, before A-B closed the final margin on baskets by Matt Beigel, Joe Rendall and Joel Erickson.
Weller added 15 points, mostly on outside shots to help draw the defense out and allow Konkol room to operate inside. Sherf added seven points and Tony Packer five. Weller had two three-pointers and Sherf and Packer one each.
Defensively, Konkol had three blocked shots, while Weller and Travis Stuczynski each had four steals.
Cummings and Erickson led the Eagles with 10 points each.
Both coaches felt the Christmas break affected their squad's performance.
"We didn't especially play too well," Jensen said. "We came out a little apprehensively. We didn't attack. We passed up good shots and took some not so good ones.
"In the fourth quarter we did a little better job," he said. "We finally put it together. We did enough to do the job."
Jensen said the team was also missing three players who come off the bench and contribute due to an ankle injury, illness and missing practice.
"We need to get back into the routine of going to classes," he said. "Maybe we had too much holiday cheer. Hopefully, we'll be ready to gon Friday."
Friday, the Falcons return to Central Wisconsin Conference action, hosting Menominee Indian.
Lamb said the Eagles also looked sluggish at first but he saw some things he liked as the team fought back. "I saw some kids hitting some good shots," he said.
He admitted the team went into the contest short-handed. Its best post player and leading scorer, 6-4 Brian Warner was sidelined while recovering from a collapsed lung. "Hopefully, he'll be back Friday," Lamb said.
On Friday, A-B also returns to CWC action, traveling to Rosholt to face the Hornets.
Although Tuesday's game involved two CWC teams, the game was a nonconference contest since Amherst is in the large school division and A-B in the small school.
The win puts the Falcons overall record at 7-1, while the Eagles are now 4-4.