Superior and St. Regis competition erupts

SUPERIOR/ST. REGIS – The St. Regis Tigers took a hard defeat in a game for county pride against the Superior Bobcats Tuesday, January 14.

The Bobcats had a great day and took the game with a final score of 57 to 20. So far, the team is undefeated in the District 14-C competition.

Superior Head Coach Chris Toivenen was happy for the status, but was not going to let anyone get carried away by it.

“It means we’re winning, which is good,” he said. “But more than anything, we need to get better each week…If you don’t get better, things can turn in a quick hurry.”

According to St. Regis Head Coach Taylor Nordby, the Tigers tried to keep Superior from getting close to the net. However, the Bobcats were able to make multiple three-point shots and get a big lead early. He said the team’s tactics overall worked as well as they could have.

“[The Bobcats] are a very good team,” said Nordby.

The game was fast-paced and fierce. Superior came out strong and kept up the pressure throughout the evening. By the end of the first quarter, they had a 21 to 2 lead. This continued throughout the first half and the Bobcats ended the second quarter with a point at the buzzer, which made the score 35 to 9.

In the second half, St. Regis was able to pull back and counter the Bobcat’s offense. The fourth quarter saw their best defense as the Tigers kept Superior from getting more points.

The Bobcats had a strong game across the board. They were able to keep the ball away from the Tigers and moved it through their basket with plenty of speed.

“It was a good overall night and a win for us,” said Toivenen.

While he felt the Tigers could have done better, Nordby was proud of how hard the guys worked. He said they had a good defense, though their offense struggled.

The Superior coach was impressed by the St. Regis players and said they had a great game too. He said they were a good team who played hard and made a good effort in the game.

“I was impressed with their effort,” said Toivenen. “[There are] a lot of good things coming from them.”

Toivenen noted junior Wyatt Zylawy for a great game. He led the Bobcats with a strong team best of 19 points. Senior Clint Voll was the closest second and scored 10. The remainder of the points were spread among the rest of the team.

Superior’s reserves also had a good game with many of the bench players getting time to play. Toivenen felt they were the best part of the game and it was a positive night overall.

“A lot of kids got to play a little more than they’re used to, so that was a good plus for us,” said Toivenen.

Nordby praised eighth grader Brandon Managhan as the top scorer of the game with seven points. Freshman Trevor Lowry was right behind him with six points. The rest of the scores were divided between eighth grader Eric Eslick, junior Dakota Wickham and senior Keenan Clute.

According to Nordby, this was the first time Eslick has scored this season. He said Eslick was very happy about the accomplishment.

On Friday, January 17, the Bobcats took another victory in their away game against Noxon. This game was closer, but Superior still had a strong win with a final score of 50 to 33.

While Noxon put up a good fight, the second half saw a huge jump by Superior. Toivenen said the Bobcats ran into some trouble with fouls, but did a good job. While the team’s defense and offense were both strong, the coach attributed the win more to the team’s outstanding performance in defense.

“We got some good shots offensively, but we were a little colder in shooting than we obviously would have liked,” said Toivenen. “We found another way to win, that was good to see.”

Except for a slow start, Superior led the scores throughout the game. With a 12-point lead at the half, raised to 22 points at the third quarter, the boys had a great game. According to Toivenen, the team did not have had a great performance through the whole game, but it was a solid one.

“A lot of good things came out of that [game],” he said. “It was a tough game in a tough place to play.”

Senior Jarrod Tippens had a great game and scored a team best of 18 points. Zylawy and senior Tucker Smith tied for second with 11 points each. Toivenen felt Zylawy was an especially good player throughout the game.

“I thought our kids did a good job,” said Toivenen. “It was nice to get a double digit win in a really tough place to play.”

When the Tigers hosted Hot Springs on Friday, January 17, the team saw a final score of 33 to 63 Hot Springs.

Overall, the game was a hard fight. A strong first quarter for Hot Springs saw them take an early lead. In the remaining quarters, the Tigers and Savage Heat scored a similar number of points.

Lowry was a strong asset and tied with Managhan for top scorer with eight points. Wickham and senior Dallas Lewis were also tied for second with six points. The final points were divided between Clute and junior Gibson Lowry.

After the Tiger’s game two weeks ago, Nordby said most of the team was fairly sick and some players were unable to be at the game. This week, the team was in better health and had a full roster. However, the coach said they were still “a little groggy” from last week. His hope was for everyone to be 100 percent in time for this week’s games.

In the days before the next Tigers game, Nordby has worked with the team to improve their offense. He said he wants to change the plays around and make them simpler.

As the Bobcats prepared for the week, they practiced a little of everything. Toivenen said the most important thing was to constantly improve and make sure the team is ready for the challenges of the week.

The next St. Regis game will be at home on Thursday, January 23, against Charlo and then on Saturday, January 24, against Lincoln. Superior played Tuesday, January 21, at home against Alberton and will play Saturday against Arlee.

Nordby was excited for the game against Lincoln and recalled how their first game against Lincoln this season was very close. While the match was a loss, he felt they could turn it around this time.

Information on the outcome of the Superior v. Alberton game was not available at the time of press.