Webster Area handed Britton-Hecla its first boys basketball loss of the season 58-47 on Friday.
The Braves stand at 1-1 heading into the Christmas break. Coach Troy Knecht’s club is back in action on Friday, Jan. 2, hosting Deuel as part of a twin bill with the girls’ squad.
“This was a disappointing loss for us,” said Knecht. “There are several factors that led to the loss but I think my biggest takeaways were two things - poor execution against their zone defense and overall complacency on offense. I didn’t feel like we had guys wanting to make something happen, but had too many guys waiting for someone else to do it. I think it’s all part of the maturation process. Hopefully we figure that out.
“Free-throws turned out to be a big factor as well,” added the Braves’ boss. “They were 17-18 which is really good and we were 7-15. There’s your ball game essentially. At the end of the day if we are going to be a good team then we need to be the aggressor. I’m confident these guys will respond. It’s early in the season so we will move on and move forward.”
Britton-Hecla led 9-8 on a Jack Teveldal trey from the corner with just 20 seconds left in the opening period but Webster Area countered with a three-pointer at the buzzer that kicked off an 11-5 run, giving the Bearcats a 22-14 halftime lead.
The Braves cut the margin to 22-19 in the first minute of the second half on a Chaz Vietor dunk and Graham Fosness three-pointer, but then the visitors took charge. Webster Area went on a 19-6 run to go up by 16 at the quarter break. Will Richter canned a pair of threes to get back to within 12 midway through the final stanza but the Braves were not able to get any closer until the final minute.
Richter led the Braves with 16 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Vietor added 13 counters and eight boards, and Jaxon Zuehlke pulled down five rebounds and had six blocked shots.
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