Superior boys, girls notch key victories

For the Superior High girls basketball team, it was business as usual.

For the Superior boys, a weekend sweep was a needed boost to a team that has begun playing better basketball as the regular season enters the home stretch.

The Lady Bobcats opened the weekend with a Friday night 54-12 road win over nearby Alberton on the Lady Panthers home court. The Superior girls followed that with a resounding 61-28 victory over visiting Noxon Saturday night in a game that was played in Superior.

The boys, meanwhile, also scored a decisive win over Alberton, putting the Panthers away early on their way to a 59-26 decision. Saturday night, the boys also jumped out to an early lead against Noxon’s Red Devils, then held off a determined Noxon second half rally as they defeated the visitors 49-46 in a down-to-the-wire finish.

With a trio of players scoring in double figures for the game, Superior’s boys bolted out to a 16-5 lead by the conclusion of the first quarter. They then added six points to that lead in the second quarter to take a 32-15 lead at the half.

The second half was a different story as Noxon used the play of junior guard Sam Christensen and 6-3 sophomore post Shane Murray to begin chipping away at the Bobcats’ lead.

Murray scored from the inside and Christensen helped out on the outside as Noxon outscored Superior 19-9 in the third quarter to pull within 41-34 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Red Devils shaved four more points off the Superior lead in the final eight minutes of play but it was not enough to overcome the early Bobcats advantage.

Murray and Christensen scored 13 points apiece to lead Noxon. The Bobcats got a game-high 15 points from senior center Wyatt Haworth, while eighth-grader Gannon Quinlan contributed 14 and senior forward Orion Plakke added 11.

The Bobcats opened their weekend Friday evening in Alberton by blasting the Panthers 59-26 to boost their Western 14C conference record to 3-5 and their overall mark to 4-8.

Superior took control of the game early and by half time held a 35-15 lead.

The Bobcats continued to dominate play in the second half, outscoring Alberton 14-4 in the third quarter on their way to victory.

Plakke scored a game-best 13 points, while Shea Fredette led Alberton with eight.

The Lady Cats also picked up a pair of wins, both in dominating fashion, as they lifted their 14C-leading record to 9-0. Superior’s girls are now 12-1 for the season.

Saturday night at home against Noxon, the Lady Cats blew out to a 25-4 lead after the first eight minutes of play, then added a dozen more to their lead in the second quarter to take a commanding 46-13 halftime lead.

With reserves getting valuable playing time in the second half, the lead stayed the same until the final buzzer sounded.

Lady Cats senior guard Isabella Pereira led all scorers with 22 points. She was joined in double figures by senior standout Payton Milender, who tossed in 17 points for the winners.

Noxon was led by all-conference standout Emily Brown, who had 17 points for the Lady Devils.

Friday night in Alberton was similar to the Saturday game for the Lady Cats, who took a 13-3 lead at the end of the first quarter, then expanded it to 35-5 by halftime.

Superior outscored the Lady Panthers 20-7 in the second half to put an exclamation point on the early lead.

Milender led all scorers with 19 points, while teammate Darby Haskins contributed 13.

Alberton was topped by Mona Dao’s seven points.

This week the Panthers and Lady Panthers have games Thursday night at home versus St. Regis, then travel to Noxon for a pair of contests against the Red Devils.

Superior plays at Hot Springs Friday night, then comes home to face Charlo Saturday evening.