Miners open with a win
BY ALYSSA MEIER
Editor
The Wilton-Wing Miners came together for their first game of the season last week, hitting the court to face off against the New Salem-Almont Holsteins.
The Miners went slow and steady in their scoring during the Dec. 12 home game, earning two-pointers and free throws to match a barrage of threes from New Salem-Almont. The tactic was effective early on, with Wilton-Wing ahead by one point at the end of the first quarter, leading 12-11.
Another three-pointer and a handful of free throws were all the Holsteins could manage in the second, and the Miners amped up the intensity to take in twice as many baskets as their opponents. Wilton-Wing would earn another 13 in the second, going into halftime up eight.
The lead would only grow in the third period as New Salem-Almont struggled to keep up, again falling behind in scoring. Reed Backman scored the only Miner three-pointer of the game, and helped bring the team to a healthy 36-23 lead.
The Holsteins would get a second wind in the fourth, hitting two more three-pointers and five more twos, helping them close in a bit on the home team. But the Miners, who scored 11 more points in the final quarter, would maintain the upper hand and take the 47-38 victory.
Nick Backman would score the most points for the Miners, with a total of 16 during the game. Tate Dickson would take 12; Slade Schatz, Reed Backman and Logan Quinn would earn five apiece; and Cole Leintz would make four.
