By MIKE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
ALMOND - The Almond-Bancroft high boys basketball team rebounded from a tough second quarter and got back on the boards in a big 65-48 win Tuesday night over Port Edwards.
After holding the defending Central Wisconsin Conference small division champs to just six points in the opening quarter, the Eagles let the Blackhawks get back into the game, as Port turned a 14-6 deficit to a 29-29 halftime tie.
But A-B got back to what worked early - rebounding and the inside game - and pulled away in the third and fourth quarters to topple one of the favorites in the CWC. The Eagles, who are among the favorites themselves, won the conference two years ago.
"It's nice to get a victory over a conference champion," A-B coach Curt Lamb said. "It's a nice start. We played reasonably well.
"In the second quarter I think what killed us was the rebounding. The turning point is we rebounded better and found the open man."
When A-B took control with its 8-2 run to end the third quarter, the Eagles used a combination of their post and transition games.
Following a Tim Casey 3-pointer that cut A-B's lead to 39-36, guard Matt Cummings found senior center Trevor Dernbach underneath for an easy basket. That hoop started the spurt, and after a defensive stop, Cummings hit a spinning lay-in on the fast break to increase the Eagles' advantage to 41-36.
The Blackhawks responded with a Jace Hamin drive to the hoop but Dernbach crashed the boards on the ensuing possession and put back A-B's third missed shot. Following another stop, Kent Dernbach laid it in along the baseline and drew a foul with 14.4 left in the quarter. His free throw missed, but the Eagles took a 45-38 lead into the fourth.
"I thought Matt Cummings was the key," Lamb said of the run. "He found the open man and got us excited."
The two teams traded baskets in the fourth quarter before A-B pulled away at the free throw line, connecting on 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch. Kent Dernbach hit all six of his attempts and finished with 15 points.
The 6-foot-3 senior Trevor Dernbach led the Eagles with 18 points and 6-3 Blake Schultz also got in double figures with 14.
Hamin had 15 for the Blackhawks while Brian Day added 12.
Besides rebounding, A-B also had trouble with Port's press in the second quarter. In the matter of 15 seconds, the Blackhawks turned a 23-18 deficit to 23-22 when the Eagles turned the ball over after inbound plays.
"We were doing a good job early against the press," Lamb said. "We were using the middle and after they switched their press, we readjusted and went to the sidelines a little more."
In all, the Eagles turned the ball over 17 times, compared to only nine for Port Edwards.
"I can handle a few turnovers," Lamb said. "I think we're better pushing the ball up the court."
A fast paced first quarter helped A-B jump out to an eight-point lead. After falling behind 6-2, the Eagles soared back into the game, scoring 12 straight points to end the quarter. Trevor Dernbach had three straight hoops from the post during the run. During that time, A-B held Port without a basket for the final 6:18 of the quarter.
The Blackhawks' offense regrouped though and got back into the game using the free throw line. Port's ninth free throw of the quarter got them within 25-23 with 2:57 left in the half.