Red Devils fight hard to the end

NOXON – After experiencing two defeats, Noxon’s season came to an end a little earlier than the Red Devils had hoped.

In their first game of the week, Noxon faced off county rivals Hot Springs in a close match up.

Noxon outscored Hot Springs by three points in the first quarter. The game continued to be a close one into the second quarter. The teams were tied with a score of 23-23 - it was anyone’s game.

Unfortunately, luck was not on Noxon’s side and Oliver Grupenhoff sprained his ankle in the middle of the second quarter. With one of Noxon’s strongest players out of the game, the Red Devils had to step up to fill the gap.

“That was a pretty big hit for us – it changed the game for us,” Head Coach Mike Tessier said. “We were controlling it there when he went down.”

Once the Red Devils found out Grupenhoff was out of the game for good, Coach Tessier said their spirits deflated.

As the game continued, Hot Springs outscored Noxon until they reached the final score of 43-58.

Although Noxon lost, Trace Tammaro gave an incredible performance. He was put in the game to replace powerhouse Grupenhoff and Tammaro became the top scorer for his team, bringing in 17 points.

“Coming off the bench as a freshman you are just hoping to give a few good minutes but man – he played a good game and kept us in it. He did a great job,” said Coach Tessier.

The boys then went into a consolation game against Charlo where they attempted to fight their way back into the tournament.

The team came out aggressively but in the end it wasn’t enough. The final score was 48-64.

Charlo took second in the conference for the regular season so Noxon knew they had some tough competition ahead of them.

The game was close up to the second half. Noxon was only three points behind.

Coach Tessier said the team was feeling good but once again their nemesis struck as the kids came out of the locker room. For some reason, the team wasn’t able to pull it together and finish the second half as strong as they would have liked.

Charlo outscored Noxon by ten points in the third, ultimately sealing their defeat.

The season ended for the Noxon Red Devils but not without a valiant effort. Tanner Tammaro put up 14 points and Grupenhoff put up 11 points. Zach Osborne scored nine points and Trace Tammaro had six points. Grant Fitchett and Corey Tessier each put up four points.

Looking back at the season, Coach Tessier wished the team could have done better for the seniors. However, the experience the underclassmen gained this season was invaluable and he said it has instilled a drive in them for next year.

Overall, Coach Tessier said the season was a good one. The team’s record wasn’t quite what they had hoped for but according to him, the league was tough this year. As the second youngest team in the conference, the Red Devils showed that with a little more time, they’ll be able to take down the veteran teams.

“We have a bright future with a lot of young talent coming up,” Coach Tessier said.

As for the coach, he plans to continue coaching for more years to come.