Weiser drops conference game at Fruitland 54-26

Turnovers proved costly for the Weiser boys basketball team on Saturday as league rival Fruitland turned errors into points and handed the Wolverines a stinging 54-26 loss on the road.

 The Wolverines kept pace with the Grizzlies in the first half but couldn’t get the drop in the basket in the second half. Weiser shot 30 percent from the floor on fieldgoals and a season-low 3-for-18 on 3-pointers.

 Weiser managed only two points in the third period as Fruitland’s defense pressured the Wolverines into taking some bad shots and turning the ball over. 

 On the other end of the court, the Grizzly offense ran numerous fast-break plays and was able to work the ball inside for easy points.

 “When you turn it over 25 times, you’re probably not going to have many opportunities to win,” Weiser coach Brad Adolfson said.

 The rout by the Grizzlies followed a big win by Weiser last week against conference opponent Parma, a team picked by the Idaho coaches as No. 2 in the state in the 3A division and No. 1 by media. 

 The Wolverines (1-1 conference, 8-6 overall) know how to win. It’s finding a way to be consistent each and every game that is the ongoing challenge, Adolfson said.

 Two minutes expired in the first period before any points by either team were scored on Saturday at the Grizzlies’ gym. 

 Weiser jumped out to an early lead when Ande Jensen hit a 3-pointer and teammate Brett Spencer added two points for a 5-0 lead.

 Drake Stampfli hit a basket for Fruitland’s first points. He was one of 10 players to get in on the scoring for Fruitland.

 The lead went back and forth early in the first period. Weiser’s Justin Estes hit a 3-pointer to put the Wolverines out in front 8-6. 

 The game was tied at 8-8 after a basket by Fruitland’s Josh Henggeler with 1:14 left in the first period. Stampfli gave the Grizzlies the lead at 10-8 with an aggressive drive to the hoop for two points.

 A nice spin move to the basket by Fruitland’s Joe Henggeler scored two of his 11 points and the Grizzlies were up 12-8 at the end of the first period. 

 Weiser’s Brett Spencer hit a basket to keep the Wolverines within four points at 15-11 in the second period. Weiser narrowed the Grizzlies’ lead to two points with another basket.

 Fruitland’s Cole Eiguren drained a 3-pointer to keep Fruitland in front. Eiguren led the Grizzlies in scoring with 14 points. A basket by Josh Henggeler increased Fruitland’s lead to seven points at 20-13.

 Hayden Wilson-Palmer scored his first points of the game for Weiser with a short jumper good for two points with 20 seconds left in the first half. The first half ended with Weiser behind by five points at 22-17 but still in the game.

 An aggressive Fruitland team came out shooting the ball in the third quarter. The Grizzlies also put on a full-court press that resulted in steals and Weiser turnovers. 

 The Wolverines were held to two points in the third period as the Grizzlies pressed on offense and defense. With 1:10 left in the third period Fruitland had a 20-point lead. At the end of the period it was 41-19 with Fruitland in front. 

 The Grizzlies outscored the Wolverines in the fourth quarter as the game got out of reach. Nate Lattin hit a 3-pointer from the baseline to cut Fruitland’s lead to 22 points with four minutes left in the game. 

 Fruitland went into passing mode to take time off the clock. Nate Mink came in off the bench for Weiser and hit two points for Weiser. 

 The Grizzlies continued to hit from outside and inside the paint. At the final buzzer, Fruitland had the easy win 54-26 over a dejected Weiser squad.

 For Weiser, Nate Lattin led the team in scoring with five points. Hayden Wilson-Palmer and Brett Spencer each contributed four points. Justin Estes, Ande Jensen and Braden Bumgarner each had three points. 

Weiser 48, Parma 36

Jan. 10 at Weiser

 The Wolverines picked up their first SRV Conference win of the season against Parma at home by the score of 48-36

 Weiser was the better shooting team on the night, hitting 16-of-36 from the floor on fieldgoals. That was a higher percentage than Parma, which shot 13-for-49 in the contest. 

 Weiser made six 3-pointers out of 16 attempts. Parma was ice cold shooting from beyond the 3-point line with just one 3-pointer out of 18 attempts. Weiser also picked up 10 points from the charity stripe.

 The Wolverines played tough defense in holding the Panthers to just 36 points in the game. Weiser grabbed 24 defensive rebounds and three offensive rebounds.

 It was a close game at halftime, with Weiser leading by a single point 18-17. A big fourth quarter for the Wolverines put the game away. Weiser outscored Parma 19-10 in the final period to seal the win 48-36.

 Braden Bumgarner led the Wolverines in scoring with 15 points. Angel Magana had his best game of the season with nine points, followed by Tim Reed with eight points. Hayden Wilson-Palmer scored seven points and Ande Jensen, Brett Spencer and Justin Estes each contributed three points.