Border Battle Game Blog: Tartan vs Verona

PREGAME BLOG

Both teams are ranked in their state's top ten with 11-2 records…This should be a slugfest as these are well coached teams with not the greatest size but with hard working kids…

FIRST QUARTER

Marc Sonnen picks up his second foul in less then two minutes of play…Tartan up 6-2 early as sophomore Manani Beavers hits a good looking pull-up 16-footer from the baseline…There is a lot of defense being played on both ends of the floor as these teams are in deep stances and working hard. After about a 30 second possession Aaron Hoverson hits a three-pointer and it's a 13-12 game with Verona ahead…All the Verona shots in the last five minutes have come from within the paint as they have executed well and are tough on the offensive glass…Tartan up early as they have received threes from Hoverson, Sam Ryan, and sophomore Tim Lubke…18-15 Titans ahead…

SECOND QUARTER

Jason Ziemer is a 6-foot-4 junior who has taken the ball off the bounce to score a couple times early. With Shawn Marlowe sitting out Ziemer has been able to attack…Beavers has played a very good game thus far. Verona is pressing hard with an initial trap now that Sonnen is out and Beavers has stepped up to bring the ball up and done so successfully. Plus he attacked off the drive and scored strong in the paint plus he knocked down free throws despite the Verona crowd's "Poop" chant…

Ziemer just continues to go to work inside and Tartan back-up Nick Estreem has picked up three fouls. Ziemer ties game at 22 with three-point play…Tartan keeps it close at 27-25 with Sonnen and Marlowe barely playing and James Pritschet sitting the hole first half. Verona is up 27-25 but with three Tartan starters only playing a combined five minutes in the first half they should be up more…

THIRD QUARTER

Adam Wadzinski gets a three-point play and more importantly picks up the third foul on Sonnen with the score at 32-25…Its 32-30 as Sam Ryan hits a three and then hits both his free throws the next time down…Classic Tartan basketball when you see two Tartan players try to take a charge at the same time and run into each other…Sonnen is looking quite rusty here after sitting for so long although he has made a couple good passes here in the second half…It's been one foul after another for Tartan as Verona seems like they have been at the line the entire third quarter…Sonnen is starting to roll first utilizing a spin into a scoop and then he just created another lay-up for Pritschet off a beautiful pass…Verona gets a basket from Ziemer right at the quarter buzzer as Tartan fell asleep giving up a simple lay-up…42-36 Verona up…

FOURTH QUARTER

Tartan has no answer for Ziemer finishing inside. He has several offensive boards as he just battles in the paint and his team is up 52-42…Sonnen has created a number of shots for his teammates but Tartan is just struggling to make shots right now. If Marc hasn't finished here in the fourth quarter no body has been able to except Marlowe's free throws…Foul after foul after foul after foul after foul after foul after foul. This is ridiculous…This last four minutes has been a ton of free throws. Tartan just keeps slowly crawling back in at a snails pace…Verona has helped keep the Titans in this game with a struggle from the free throw line…Sonnen hits a pull-up three-pointer making the score 67-64…Verona turns the basketball over but a pathetic call by the ref ends the game when Tartan was going to get a shot and we don't get a real finish. They called an illegal pick because his arms were up to high. Are you kidding, that's how this ends? Verona wins 68-64…

POSTGAME BLOG

This game had no flow really what so ever. That's part because of the defense, partly because of some turnovers, and partly because one ref called about 50 fouls, no kidding, and it was just a ton of free throws shot…Jason Ziemer battled his butt off in this game and really earned his player of the game honors with 31 points and numerous rebounds…Marc Sonnen played