All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Niwot sophomore Elliot Wisecup waits to enter the lineup. Wisecup stole the ball and scored on a layup with less than a minute remaining to put Niwot up by two points in the last minute of the 44-42 victory over Denver North Dec. 2.
Cougars (l to r) Archer Buckbee, Brighton Langenegger, Taylor Rodanski, Jackson Carano and Sebastian Stenz get ready to line up for a free throw attempt against Denver North.
The Niwot High School boys basketball team under first-year head coach Walker Bounds is off to a fast start, posting wins in the season-opening round robin tournament hosted by the Cougars Nov. 30-Dec. 2.
Niwot lost seven varsity players to graduation last year, when the team finished with a 5-17 record under Coach Clay Wittrock, who stepped down after four years as head coach. Niwot is also without Jack Jarvis and Drew Stapp, both among the statistical leaders for the Cougars last season as sophomores, who did not come out for basketball this season.
Senior Jackson Carano, who was second on the team in scoring (9.3) and rebounding (5.3) last season, provides height (6'5") and experience. Another senior, Brighton Langenegger, also saw varsity action last season, and brings more height and another inside scoring threat to the team.
Luke Demmel (junior) and Sebastian Stenz (junior) saw limited varsity playing time last year. Others on the varsity roster include junior guard Archer Buckbee, junior forward Taylor Rodanski, junior guard Das Rohit, and sophomore guards Zhuming Haratsaris and Elliot Wisecup.
Niwot opened with a 44-32 victory over Regis Groff Nov. 30. The teams ended the first quarter tied at 9-9, but the Cougars led by three points at the half, 20-17. Niwot gradually increased the lead in the third quarter to go up 34-26 before the final period. The Cougars expanded their lead in the fourth quarter for the victory.
The Cougars faced Battle Mountain High School on Dec. 1, and came away with a 52-45 victory. Battle Mountain is now 1-2 on the season. The final game of the round robin against Denver North High School proved to be more of a challenge for the Cougars.
The game against Denver North was close throughout, as neither team could generate much offense, and both teams were called for numerous fouls. With one minute to go, the score was tied at 42-42. Denver North had the ball, and kept the ball in the backcourt, running down the clock for the final shot, but the Cougars had other ideas.
Rather than stay back to defend the final shot, Cougar guard Elliot Wisecup pressured the North guard and stole the ball, then took it the length of the court for a layup that put Niwot up 44-42. North had one more opportunity after the ball was knocked out of bounds with 2.2 seconds on the clock. North got off a well-defended three-point attempt just before the buzzer, but the ball bounced on both sides of the rim before falling harmlessly to the floor as time expired.
The Cougars take on Roosevelt High School Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. and Silver Creek High School on Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. at home this week.
Reader Comments(0)