Mules fall to Loggers

For the second time this season the Mules came up three points short against eighth-ranked Onalaska, falling 45-42 to the Loggers.

Slow starts have plagued the Mules throughout the season, and it continued again last Wednesday, as the Mules fell behind early, spotting Onalaska a 15-6 lead after one quarter of play. The Mules converted only two of nine attempts from the field in the opening frame, a pair of three-pointers from Lars Blix, whose game-high 23 points just weren’t enough to carry the Mules past the Loggers.

Quarters two and three were a near deadlock, with Onalaska edging the Mules 23-22 over that span to take a 38-28 advantage into the fourth.

While not a huge lead by any means, it proved to be an insurmountable one as the Mules’ late game efforts weren’t enough to overcome their sluggish start.

The Mules weren’t without their opportunities to win the game, however, as they had multiple looks at the basket in the closing seconds of the game to either extend the game into overtime or win in regulation.

Trailing 43-42, point guard Shane Souvenir drove to the hoop but was called for an offensive foul in the process. After Onalaska sank a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession, the Mules got the ball into the hands of two of their best shooters, Blix and Peter Weiler, but both of their attempts were off the mark, and the Loggers held on for the narrow victory.

The loss dropped the Mules to 11-6 for the season and 8-5 in league play.

After Blix, the Mules’ scoring dropped off a bit, with Travis Wegdahl adding five points, Souvenir and Weiler with four apiece, three points from Seth Doumit, two from Brandon Budd, and one from Eli McElroy. The Mules finished just six of 23 (26 percent) from the field and eight for 25 (32 percent) from beyond the arc. The Mules play host to Mossyrock Wednesday night.

The junior varsity also came up short against Onalaska last Wednesday, falling 62-46.

Thorben Huber paced the offense with 12 points, accompanied by Brady LaBerge with seven, Brandon Budd, Jenton Zeng and Gunnar Blix each with five, and four apiece from Zach Calvert, Mitchel Dault and Joey Moore.