Bulldogs Beat the Bearcats on Senior Night

The Bulldogs celebrated Senior Night with a victory over Webster and by honoring their five senior players Braylen Bowsher, Jack Howard, Ryan Keeton, Layten Osowski, and Ethan Owen and their parents. They also shared the limelight with Pink Night.

Milbank’s head coach Logan Diede commented, “ It was a packed house, which made it a really fun atmosphere. It’s always great to get a win versus a conference and region opponent on Senior Night. I thought from top to bottom –for a full 32 minutes– it was the best and most intense our group played this season.”

Diede went on to say, “We really dominated the rebounding battle, with one of our seniors, Layten Osowski, setting the tone on the glass with four offensive rebounds! Another one of our seniors, Ryan Keeton, hit a ton of big shots all night long.It was just a lot of fun, no question about it.”

Webster won the tip-off, but Keeton put up the first points for Milbank with a 3-pointer one-minute into the game. Howard drew a foul early and went to the line to collect one of two to get the Bulldogs ahead 4-0. After several unsuccessful attempts by both teams to make a basket, Keeton delivered another triple to get the Bulldogs ahead 7-0. 

The Bearcats struggled and finally scored midway through the first quarter. Jack Shoemaker dropped in a 3-pointer to get them rolling at 7-3. Howard dropped in a bucket. (9-3) Layten Osowski fouled Matt Mount and he stepped to the stripe to collect one of two. (9-4)  Holscher fouled Jeron McCreary and McCreary downed the second of his two free throws. Sam Rick had entered the game for Milbank and he put in two points.(11-5)  Gage Wik put one up off the glass to pull Webster within four at 11-7. Howard fouled Mount. Mount missed both shots. 

With 24 seconds to go in the first quarter, Wik’s shot was no good. Milbank also missed at the 11-second mark, and the ball went out of bounds, last touched by Webster. On the toss-in, with just 1.3 seconds to go, Emmett Snaza received the ball under the basket, and he slipped it into the net at the horn. Milbank was ahead 13-7.

Webster started the second stanza with a basket from McCreary to edge closer at 13-9. Rick was fouled by Wik and Rick picked up another tick at the free throw line. (14-9)  Seth Lesnar dropped the ball in the bucket, and Jeter Scoular fouled him for the chance to make it a three-point play. Lesnar rattled it in to get the score to 14-12. The Bulldogs missed their next shot, and instead McCreary took it up and in for a field goal to tie the game at 14-14 with 6:05 on the clock.

Both teams missed shots, Webster commandeered possession, and Mount scored a three to move the Bearcats out in front 17-14, with just over four minutes to go in the half. Rick wasted no time getting to  the other end of the court and downing two to pull the Bulldogs back within one at 17-16. Mount made another basket, and Webster moved ahead 19-16. Osowski picked up an offensive foul – his second personal. With under three minutes to go in the half, Holscher unleashed a 3-pointer. He tied the game again at 19-19.

 Webster attempted to answer with a long three, but it was way off the mark. Scoular went in for a layup to get the Bulldogs back out in front at 21-19. Mount’s next 3-point shot was short, but Rick plunked in a two to get Milbank ahead 23-19. Mount then committed an offensive foul and the ball went back to Milbank. 

Rick passed to Osowski, and Osowski dropped in a basket. (25-19) Mount tried again, but he still couldn’t get his shot to fall. Shoemaker got the rebound, but he fouled and the ball returned to Milbank.  Keeton used that advantage to knock in another 3-pointer with less than five seconds to go to finish the quarter. The Bulldogs had pounded in nine points  while holding the Bearcats scoreless for nearly four minutes. The halftime scoreboard read 28-19.

After the break, Webster came onto the court re-energized. They went on an 8-2 run to get back in the game at 30-27. Holscher had added two for Milbank at the line. Just past the five-minute mark, Osowski rebounded Milbank’s miss and scored two to move the Bulldogs ahead by five. (32-27)  McCreary got a basket and Osowski fouled him in the act of shooting – Osowski’s  third. McCreary’s extra shot was short, and the Bulldogs took the ball the other way. Rick finished for two to boost  the Bulldogs up by five again. (34-29)

With under four minutes in the quarter Scoular drew the foul – Webster’s fifth and the third on McCreary – and he went to the bench.  Scoular added two points from the stripe to Milbank’s total. (36-29). Lesnar answered with a two for Webster. (36-31)  Snaza  went in for a bucket, but he was fouled. He made up the two points with free throws to get things to 38-31. Lesnar also got to the line courtesy of Snaza and he put in both. (38-33) 

Rick hit a two. (40-33)  Jase Voss then tangled with Snaza and Voss stepped to the line to make one of two. (40-34)  Keeton buried a 3-pointer from the baseline – his fourth of the night! The Bulldogs surged ahead 43-34. Keeton then missed and Rick got the putback off the glass to end the quarter. It marked Rick’s 13th point of the game and put the score at 45-34.

Keeton started the final quarter with a bang. He hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game! The Dawgs went ahead 14 at 48-34. Osowski unfortunately picked up his fourth personal when he fouled Lesnar. Lesnar’s basket counted, but he couldn’t land the extra point. (48-36)  

Snaza countered with a reverse layup for two. (50-36)  Webster violated the over-and-back rule, Howard picked up his third foul, and McCreary traveled. It was Webster’s seventh turnover and the Bulldogs also sent the ball out of bounds for their sixth turnover at the five-minute mark.

McCreary stood at  the line for two, by way of Snaza, but he only claimed the second. (50-37)  Keeton made a field goal from near the free throw line. (52-37)  Holscher jolted the crowd when he slam dunked a bucket to push the Bulldogs ahead 54-37. After a timeout, Lesnar got it to the rim for two to tally his 15th point of the game. (54-39) Shoemaker also hit a 3-pointer to narrow the gap to 12 at 54-42.

With under three minutes to go in the game, Milbank sent the rock way downcourt to Osowski. He delivered it for two. (56-42) With just over two minutes to go, Webster got a teardrop to fall to also gain two points. (56-44)

Milbank then worked their way deep into the shot clock before Keeton got it to Howard. Howard rolled one in off the glass.( 58-44) With a minute and a half remaining, Osowski tried to stop McCreary from finishing his shot, but he nicked him in the process. Osowski was dinged for his fifth personal and fouled out with six points and five rebounds. McCreary missed the free throw.

Holscher made the home crowd even louder with another throwdown. (60-46) Apparently Sheldon Schmig also got fired up, and he downed a triple for Webster. (60-49) With under a minute remaining, Holscher crushed his third dunk of the night, and Milbank was sitting pretty at 62-49. Webster missed a three.They also bumped Bowsher to acquire their fifth team foul, but Bowsher’s shots wouldn’t fall. Keeton was fouled by Lesnar – Lesnar’s third–  and Keeton sank one to claim his 18th point in the game. (63-49)

Shoemaker managed a putback to get Webster within 12 at 63-51, but he also fouled Keeton. Keeton made one of his two free throws. (64-51) With the clock winding down, Mount had no reason not to roll the dice, and he lobbed a galactic 3-pointer that connected to beat the buzzer. But the Bulldogs were way out of reach, and Milbank earned the victory at 64-54. 

“I thought a big part of the game finishing in our favor was each time Webster hit a big shot last night, we were able to answer it with a big play to get the momentum back,” Diede recapped. “Three of those plays were huge dunks by Lincoln Holscher down the stretch and coming off fantastic passes from Jack Howard and Ryan Keeton.”

For Milbank, Keeton racked up a game-high 19 points. The Bulldogs downed six 3-pointers and Keeton hit five of them. Milbank also shared the wealth. Rick had 13 points. Holscher had 11. Osowski and Snaza each scored six. Howard made five. Scoular made four. Rick and Ethan Owen each made three assists. Keeton had two. Howard, Osowski, and Scoular made one assist apiece. 

Howard and Rick led with six rebounds. Osowski hauled down five, including four for the offense. Bowsher and Snaza each secured four. Scoular got three. Owen got two rebounds.  Holscher and Keeton each grabbed one. Howard, Osowski, Rick, Scoular, and Snaza all snagged one steal each.

The Bulldogs hit 45 percent of their shots from the floor. They went 29 percent from beyond the arc. From the stripe, they put in 10 of 18 for 56 percent.

The Bearcats were led by Lesnar. He produced 15 points and two boards. McCreary had 12 points and six boards. Mount made 11 points and two boards. Shoemaker scored eight points and seven boards. Wik added four points and one board. Schmig had three points and a steal. Voss got one point and two rebounds. As a team, the Bearcats recorded zero assists.

Webster made 46 percent of their shots from the floor. They hit 36 percent from long range. From the line, they downed nine of 18.

MILBANK       13    15    17     19      64

WEBSTER       7    12     15     20      54     

Coach Dieded capped the win by commenting. “We know we will have to bring that same motor and mindset in all of our remaining games, and we look forward to finishing on a strong note this season!”

What’s next? Don’t miss Milbank’s next game Monday night, February 23. They travel to Madison for the annual boys Battle of the Bulldogs.