Fowler vs. Portland St. Patrick – – Boys Basketball – – Division 4 District Semifinal – – The Bleacher Denizen – – March 8, 2023 – – by Chuck Krafft

Last night, your Bleacher Denizen took a 90 minute drive to Petersburg Summerfield and stayed in a hotel because he did two games. Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen is taking a 9 minute drive (if it’s that far) to Lansing Christian High School, where the Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick will take on the Eagles of Fowler.

While we wait for tonight’s game to get started, why don’t we listen to some Good Vibrations!! This is an acoustic piano version from my You Tube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3482fQh0Rdo

The Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick have a 7-14 record coming into the game, but they are an extremely young team and have improved a great deal in the final third of the season. Brayden Simon is a sophomore who is the biggest and most athletic of the Shamrocks. He is a tough defender in the post and rebounds well. He can also switch out to defend on the perimeter when necessary. On offense, he can either overpower opponents near the basket or step out to shoot from the three point line.

Charlie Thelen is a freshman who has locked down a starting spot. He is a fine three point shooter with a great basketball IQ. Jerryd Scheurer is an eighth grader who has taken over the point position. He is quick and agile, and although he is still smaller than most varsity basketball players, he is bold and backs down from no one. He is really creative finding ways to score on drives to the basket and he has become more and more confident in his three point shot as the season progresses.

Devin Cook is a junior who rebounds well and defends well in the post. Alex Fedewa has a fine three point shot. He is a tough defender whether the person he is guarding works in the post or on the perimeter. Brady Leonard is a freshman who is a solid ball handler and perimeter defender. He is also another good three point shooter. Payton Russman is tough. He defends well in the post and is a fearless driver to the basket.

Landon Simpson is a good ball handler and perimeter defender who can also hit the three point shot. Nathan Fears and Mason Simon provide strong perimeter defense. Davide Canilla is an exchange student who always gives it everything he has whether in practice or during games.

The Fowler Eagle Boys come into this game with a 12-9 record. Jacob Halfmann is a sophomore in his second year as a starting point guard. He is tall for the position, so he is able to switch to defend in the post better than most point guards. He also defends well on the perimeter. He has the calmness and basketball IQ that are so important for people who play his position. He is effective driving to the basket and he also has a nice three point shot.

Alex Halfmann is a sophomore who is in his second year of starting in the post. He is an excellent rebounder and post defender. He is getting more confident on offense and is starting to get putbacks as well as using post moves to score down low. Aaron Simon is an excellent three point shooter. Zach Halfmann is an athletic defender who can play in the post or on the perimeter. He also can hit shots with three point range.

Nolan Stump is a competitive player who is excellent defending the perimeter. He shows no fear when it is time to shoot the ball either when he bulls his way to the basket or shoots his accurate three point shot. Asher Koenigsknecht, who gave the Eagles a tireless perimeter defender has unfortunately broken his ankle and will not play for the rest of the season.

In tonight’s first game, Lansing Christian beat Ashley 69-27.

Logan Drummond had 8 points to lead the Ashley scoring. Caden Passmore added 6 points and Carson Litwiller scored 5 points. Gib Jason tossed in 4 points. Sabastion Harrell tossed in 3 points. Robert Krai tallied 1 point.

Ethan Damesworth led Lansing Christian’s scoring with 17 points. Elijah Ellis supported his teammate with 9 points. Samuel Israel and David Hall each chipped in with 8 points. Judah Schafer and Caleb Franck each added 6 points. Payton Allaire had 5 points. Timothy Sullivan and Benjamin Sambaer each scored 4 points. Cameron Damesworth tallied 2 points.

It is now time to look at the events of the St. Patrick/Fowler game through the aging lenses of a Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in ancient times. Alas, he was never able to learn that the coach is happy only when you score in the correct basket. (I always wondered why opposing defenses made it so easy to drive to one basket, but not the other.)

Fowler wins the opening tap. Aaron Simon passes to Jacob Halfmann, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give Fowler the first points of the game. Brayden Simon drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Jerryd Scheurer steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for St. Patrick. He is fouled on the play and makes his free throw to give St. Patrick a 5-3 lead with 7:02 to play in the first quarter.

Fowler misfires on a triple try from the wing. Alex Halfmann gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. St. Patrick misses a layup. Fowler misses a driving layup. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Aaron Simon fires a pass to Nolan Stump, who hits a three point shot from the wing to boost Fowler to a 6-5 lead.

St. Patrick misses a layup. Fowler misses a three point shot from the corner. Brayden Simon drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick to give the Shamrocks a one point lead. Fowler misses a layup. Alex Halfmann fights for the offensive rebound and hits a physical putback as he is fouled. Alex Halfmann hits his free throw to give Fowler a 9-7 lead with 5:00 to play in the first quarter.

Jacob Halfmann steals the ball for Fowler and hits a fast break layup. St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the side. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. St. Patrick misses on a three point shot from the side. Devin Cook gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. Fowler misses a three pointer from the wing. The ball bounces off the rim and hits the basket support. St. Patrick takes possession. The Shamrocks miss a layup. Jacob Halfmann passes to Aaron Simon, who hits a three point shot from the top of the key to give the Eagles a 14-7 lead.

Brayden Simon drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. Fowler misses a three pointer from the corner. St. Patrick misses a five footer from the baseline. Jacob Halfmann drives and hits a layup for Fowler. Payton Russman throws in a threeball from the corner for the Shamrocks to trim the Fowler lead to 16-12.

Fowler turns the ball over. St. Patrick misses a reverse layup. Alex Fedewa steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a thirty-five foot heave as the first quarter buzzer sounds.

After one quarter, Fowler has a 16-12 lead.

St. Patrick has the ball to open the second quarter. Jacob Halfmann knocks the ball away from the Shamrocks and Nolan Stump picks it up for the Eagles. Landon Simpson blocks a Fowler threeball from the wing. The Eagles recover the ball. Aaron Simon hits a three point shot from the corner for Fowler. St. Patrick is fouled on a shot, but misses two free throws. With 7:02 to play in the second quarter, Fowler has a 19-12 lead.

Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. Nolan Stump gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Zach Halfmann gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. Alex Halfmann is fouled on a putback and hits one of his two free throws to give Fowler a 20-12 lead with 6:25 to play in the first half.

St. Patrick throws a pass out of bounds. Fowler misses a threeball from the corner. Jacob Halfmann pulls down the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler commits a traveling violation. Charlie Thelen corkscrews through the lane and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. Alex Halfmann gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. Jerryd Scheurer banks in a threeball from the wing to trim the Fowler lead to 20-17. (I’m SURE I heard him call “BANK”!!!)

Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. Nate Spicer gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Aaron Simon drives and hits an eight foot shot in the lane for Fowler. Brayden Simon bulls his way to a Shamrock layup. Fowler travels in the lane. St. Patrick misses a layup. Brayden Simon gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Brady Feldpausch steals the ball for the Eagles. Jacob Halfmann is fouled on a shot and hits one of his two free throws to give Fowler a 23-19 lead with 2:55 remaining in the half.

The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick takes possession. Aaron Simon knocks the ball away from the Shamrocks and Jacob Halfmann grabs it for the Eagles. Jacob Halfmann passes to Aaron Simon, who hits a three point shot from the top of the key to give Fowler a 26-19 lead.

St. Patrick misses a driving layup. Fowler throws the ball out of bounds on a too fast break. Brady Feldpausch steals the ball for the Eagles. Alex Halfmann passes to Zach Halfmann, who hits a fast break layup for Fowler. Alex Halfmann’s defense forces a St. Patrick traveling violation. Aaron Simon passes to Zach Halfmann, who hits a three pointer from the wing to boost the Eagles to a 31-19 lead.

Landon Simpson drives from the top of the key to hit a layup for St. Patrick. Alex Fedewa knocks the ball out of the lane and out of bounds; Fowler retains possession. Jacob Halfmann inbounds the ball to Alex Halfmann, who catches the ball and hits a layup all in one motion as the second quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

At halftime, Fowler has a 33-21 lead.

Brayden Simon has 8 points to lead the St. Patrick scoring and Jerryd Scheurer has 6 points.

Aaron Simon has 11 points to lead Fowler. Jacob Halfmann has 8 points and Alex Halfmann has 6 points.

As there is no halftime entertainment, maybe we can enjoy this country honky tonk piano song from my You Tube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAyGsC_FuNo

Fowler has the ball to open quarter number three. Nolan Stump passes to Zach Halfmann, who hits a three point shot from the corner for the Eagles. Charlie Thelen drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Fowler throws a long inbound pass for a touchdown out of bounds. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Brayden Simon, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to trim the Fowler lead to 36-25 with 6:39 to play in the third quarter.

Charlie Thelen knocks an Eagle pass out of bounds. Fowler retains possession. Jacob Halfmann drives and hits a layup for the Eagles. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Fowler misses a twelve foot shot in the lane. Zach Halfmann pulls down the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup and travels as they try to secure the offensive rebound. Nate Spicer gets his hand on the ball and St. Patrick loses it out of bounds.

Alex Fedewa knocks the ball away from Fowler and Charlie Thelen picks it up for St. Patrick. Nate Spicer knocks the ball out of bounds to prevent a Shamrock layup; St. Patrick gets the ball back. Charlie Thelen drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. He is fouled on the play and makes his free throw to shave the Fowler leaded to 38-28 with 4:23 left in the third quarter.

Jacob Halfmann passes to Brady Feldpausch, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Fowler. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. Fowler misses a driving layup and fouls on the rebound. St. Patrick is whistled for an offensive foul. Fowler misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Alex Halfmann gets the offensive rebound and quickly passes to Jonathan Ruiz, who hits a three point shot from the corner to give Fowler a 44-28 lead.

Jonathan Ruiz knocks the ball away from St. Patrick, but the Shamrocks recover briefly before finally losing the ball out of bounds. Brayden Simon steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Jonathan Ruiz steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a driving layup and a series of putbacks. Finally, Alex Halfmann is fouled on a putback and hits one of his two free throws to give Fowler a 45-28 lead with 2:20 to play in the quarter.

Jonathan Ruiz steals the ball for Fowler. Brady Leonard steals the ball for St. Patrick. Charlie Thelen drives the baseline and is fouled on a layup. He hits one of his two free throws for St. Patrick. Fowler misfires on a triple try from the corner. Zach Halfmann pulls down the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler throws a pass out of bounds. Brayden Simon drives and hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Fowler misses a three point shot from the corner. Brayden Simon drives from the side and hits a layup to cut the Fowler lead to 45-33.

Fowler is whistled for a traveling violation with 4.7 seconds left in the quarter. St. Patrick misses a thirty foot shot from the wing at the buzzer.

After three quarters, Fowler has a 45-33 lead.

St. Patrick has the ball to start out the fourth quarter. The Shamrocks miss a six foot shot from the side of the lane and foul on the rebound. Aaron Simon passes to Brady Feldpausch, who hits a three point shot from the side for Fowler. St. Patrick drives and misses an eight foot shot in the lane. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing. Brayden Simon hits a fast break reverse layup for the Shamrocks. Aaron Simon drives the baseline and hits a ten foot shot to give his Eagles a 50-35 lead.

Alex Fedewa passes to Brady Leonard, who throws in a threeball from the corner for the Shamrocks. Fowler loses a pass out of bounds. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the top of the key. Brady Leonard gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks and drives; he pops in a ten footer from the side of the lane for St. Patrick. Fowler misses a driving layup. Charlie Thelen is fouled on the rebound and hits both shots of a one and one free throw opportunity to cut the Fowler lad to 50-42 with 4:48 left on the clock.

Jerryd Scheurer steals the ball for St. Patrick. He passes to Brady Leonard, who hits a fast break layup for the Shamrocks. Brayden Simon steals the ball for Shamrocks. The Shamrocks miss a fast break reverse layup. Brayden Simon steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Brayden Simon gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Jacob Halfmann passes to Nolan Stump, who hits a three point shot from the corner to boost the Fowler lead to 53-44.

Charlie Thelen responds by hitting a three point shot from the side for the Shamrocks. Nolan Stump passes to Brady Feldpausch, who hits a three point shot from the corner to put the Fowler lead back at nine points. Brayden Simon is fouled and hits one of two shots in a one and one free throw opportunity. With 3:02 to play, the Fowler lead is at 56-48.

Brady Leonard gets the offensive rebound of the missed free throw for the Shamrocks. Landon Simpson passes to Charlie Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the side for St. Patrick to cut the Fowler lead to 56-51.

Fowler misses a ten foot shot off the dribble in the lane. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the top of the key. Brady Leonard knocks the ball away from Fowler and Jerryd Scheurer picks it up for St. Patrick. The Shamrocks miss a three point shot from the wing. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets the ball. Brady Leonard drives the baseline and hits a layup to cut the Fowler lead to 56-53.

Nolan Stump is fouled and hits one of two free throws in a one and one situation for Fowler. Alex Halfmann is fouled on a putback of the missed free throw and hits two free throws to give Fowler a 59-53 lead with 37.3 seconds to go.

St. Patrick loses a pass out of bounds. Aaron Simon is fouled and hits both ends of a one and one free throw opportunity for Fowler. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Charlie Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the wing to cut the Fowler lead to 61-56.

Aaron Simon is fouled and hits two more free throws with 13.1 seconds to play. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Payton Russman gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side at the buzzer.

Fowler wins this game 63-56 and will play Lansing Christian in Friday’s District Final.

Charlie Thelen had 19 points for St. Patrick to lead all scorers. Brayden Simon supported him with 17 points. Brady Leonard scored 9 points, all in the fourth quarter. Jerryd Scheurer added 6 points. Payton Russman scored 3 points and Landon Simpson tallied 2 points.

Aaron Simon had 17 points to lead the Fowler scoring. Jacob Halfmann joined his teammate in double figures with 10 points. Alex Halfmann and Brady Feldpausch each scored 9 points. Zach Halfmann had 8 points and Nolan Stump scored 7 points. Jonathan Ruiz tallied 3 points.