Jan. 17, 2020

By Scott Williams

WAUSAU – There could be a new No. 1 team in the boys state hockey rankings, and it could very well reside on the West side of Wausau.

Third-ranked Wausau West staked its claim to the top spot in the next Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association poll Friday night at Marathon Park.

Adam Prokop stopped all 30 shots he faced, including 18 saves in the second period, to record a shutout and West blanked top-ranked Verona 3-0 at the Warriors Invitational. West improved to 13-2 on the season.

Jacob Cebula struck for a power-play goal to open the scoring late in the firsat period. Ty Bailey then doubled the West lead just 2:10 later when he found the back of the net.

Marc Sippel would add an insirance goal with his 17rth tally of the season in the second period. That was more than enough offense for Prokop who put up a wall between the pipes.

Verona had its 12-game winning streak halted and dropped to 14-2 overall.

BOYS BASKETBALL

D.C. Everest 78, Merrill 77

WESTON – After opening the season with six consecutive victories, the D.C. Everest boys basketball team found wins tough to come by of late.

Back-to-back Wisconsin Valley Conference losses to SPASH and Wisconsin Rapids left the Evergreen searching for answers.

DCE found what it was looking for Friday night, returning to the win column with a thrilling triumph over Valley contender Merrill when Keaton Edwards made a free throw with five second left in regulation.

Moments earlier, Alec Stuedemann came up big on the defensive end of the court when he blocked a potential go-ahead shot by the Bluejays.

Wausau East 73, Wis. Rapids 70

WAUSAU – Gabe Krueger recorded a double-double with 31 points and 10 rebounds and the Lumberjacks rebounded from a tough overtime loss three days earlier by knocking off the Raiders.

East was coming off a tough 71-70 loss to SPASH. That experience paid off in another Wisconsin Valley Conference contest that came down to the wire.

Ben Cayley helpd the Lumberjacks’ cause with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, while Jake Thome also picked up a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.

Grant Flory paced Wisconsin Rapids with a game-high 32 points. Austin Pelot chipped in with 20 points for the Raiders, who missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime.

SPASH 62, Wausau West 50

WAUSAU – The Warriors built a nine-point lead at halftime, but were unable to pull off the upset against the Valley title contending Panthers.

West led 30-21 at the break, but was outscored 41-20 over the final 18 minutes.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Wis. Rapids 69, Wausau East 34

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The Lumberjacks were unable to cool off the streaking raiders in a Wisconsin Valley Conference matchup.

Wisconsin Rapids has won five in a row to improve to 6-8, while East fell to 4-10 with its fifth straight loss.