Fowler at Pewamo-Westphalia – – CMAC Girls Co-Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 7, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen’s travels take him to Pewamo-Westphalia High School, where the Pirates will host the Eagles from Fowler. P-W has a 7-4 record in the CMAC and is 8-6 overall. Fowler is 9-2 in the CMAC and 11-3 overall.

A lot of times, especially if it is really dark out, the drive to Pewamo-Westphalia on Grange Road can be really spooky. While there is a cemetary along the way, I was always glad that I did not have to cross Elm St. on this dark, eerie road! Today, it was still light out and the roadw were dry, so it was a relatively easy drive.

While we wait for the game to start, I hope you will enjoy this original tune from my You Tube Channel!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTdeYRUEOkc

Here is some background information about the Pirate players. Elly Bengel is an excellent shooter with three point range; she can also slash to the basket to score. Brynn Bauer is an athletic point guard who handles the ball well, defends the perimeter, can break opposing presses and can slash to the basket. Kambrie Thelen is a glue player that every good team needs. She sets fine screens, makes the correct pass and is also a good perimeter defender.

Alonna Thelen defends the wing well and is a strong rebounder. Logan Drake defends well in the post. She also rebounds well and can score on putbacks.

Grace O’Hare is one of two senior starters for the Fowler Eagles. She is an excellent defender who can stifle opponents on the perimeter or in the post. She is also a poised ball handler and a great passer who has a good mid-range shot. Izzy Halfmann is a freshman with basketball knowledge that is as good as many players with more experience. She gives Fowler another excellent defender whether on the wing or in the post. She is a good three point shooter who can also score on putbacks or slashes to the basket. She handles the ball well and is a good passer.

Katie Spicer is an extremely creative ball handler who can think of ways to score when other players would not be able to shoot at all. She can and does contort her body in all sorts of ways where she makes plays that would be a disaster for others who might try them. She is a fine three point shooter and slashes to the basket really well. Selena Stump is a sophomore who can get incredibly hot from the three point line. Brooke Weber is an intelligent player who is also versatile enough to defend the perimeter or the post. She gives the Eagles another solid three point shooter.

I was able to get to the JV game during the second quarter. P-W moved out to a 28-9 lead at halftime and controlled the game the rest of the way as they won by a final score of 45-23.

Saige Miller led the Fowler JV scoring with 7 points. Neelah O’Rourke scored 6 points. Payton Rademacher and Kerigan Pung each had 3 points. Seelna Stump and Karstyn Lackscheide each scored 2 points.

Peyton Eklund led the victorious P-W JVs with 19 points. Madeleine Weber supported her with 9 points.s Delaney Smith put in 6 points. Renell Eklund scored 4 points. Lilly Anderson and Maria Klein each notched 2 points. Leah Miller, Trinity Pohl and Carlee Fox each tallied 1 point.

Pewamo-Westphalia has a strong pep band and they entertained before the game. Two of the songs I recognized as I was getting settled in included “Happy Together” and “Great Balls of Fire.” Kudos to the pep band; they were excellent!!

It is now time to review the events of this game through the (hopefully) observant eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in the medieval times when he was considered to be “young.” While many people criticized the Bleacher Denizen’s leaping ability, I will point out that the armor uniforms we wore back in the day kept many basketball players pretty much glued to the ground.

Fowler wins the opening tap. Brooke Weber passes to Katie Spicer, who hits a three point shot to give the Eagles the first three points of the game. P-W responds as Brynn Bauer passes to Elly Bengel, who hits a three point shot from the side for the Pirates to tie the game at 3-3.

Fowler misses a ten foot hook shot in the lane. Izzy Halfmann steals a Pirate pass to break up a fast break. Fowler loses the ball out of bounds on a too fast break. P-W missess a three point shot from the side. Logan Drake knocks the ball out of bounds; Fowler retains possession. Katie Spicer spins into the lane and is fouled on a layup. She hits two free throws to make the score Katie Spicer 5 Pewamo-Westphalia 2 with 4:59 to play in the opening quarter.

Grace O’Hare steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. Izzy Halfmann knocks a Pirate pass out of bounds. Elizabeth Hufnagel gets her hand on the ball, but P-W is able to recover. The Pirates misfire on a threeball from the side. Fowler is assessed with a traveling violation. Grace O’Hare steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler loses the ball out of bounds. A P-W cross court pass is too high and sails out of bounds. Fowler misses a layup. Paige Thelen is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to give Fowler a 7-3 lead with 3:30 remaining in the first quarter.

Elizabeth Hufnagel steals the ball and passes to Grace O’Hare for a Fowler layup. P-W misses a three point shot from the corner. Elizabeth Hufnagel takes the ball coast to coast and hits a fast break hook/layup for Fowler. P-W loses the ball and fouls while trying to recover it. Elizabeth Hufnagel passes to Grace O’Hare, who hits a layup to give the Eagles a 13-3 lead.

Paige Thelen, Elizabeth Hufnagel and Katie Spicer work together to tie up the ball. The Possession Arrow chipped its tooth on a stale piece of banana bread and missed the play; the ball is awarded to P-W as the Fowler players great hustle is ignored. P-W misses a three point shot from the wing. Alonna Thelen is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to shave the Fowler lead to 13-5 with 2:10 to play in the quarter.

Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. Katie Spicer pulls down the long offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a driving hook/layup. Rebecca Smith grabs the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a jump shot. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow consults its Magic 8 Ball and learns that not only will it probably not have a happy love life, but that the ball will be returned to Fowler. Fowler misfires on a triple try from the side. Elly Bengel passes to Emerie Smith, who hits a three point shot from the side to cut the Fowler lead to 13-8.

Fowler misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Grace O’Hare steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a fast break layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Eagles get another possession. Brenna Thelen blocks a Fowler ten foot shot from the side of the lane. P-W misses a threeball from the corner. The Pirates get the offensive rebound. P-W misses a three pointer from the corner as the first quarter buzzer flexes its vocal cords.

After one quarter, Fowler has a 13-8 lead.

P-W has the ball to open the second quarter, but Elizabeth Hufnagel quickly ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow and the dentist working on its broken tooth agree that her hustle was great and Fowler deserves to get the ball. Elly Bengel knocks the ball out of bounds; the Eagles retain possession. Grace O’Hare gets into the lane and hits a five foot hook shot for Fowler. Elizabeth Hufnagel passes to Paige Thelen, who is fouled on a layup. Paige Thelen hits one of her two free throws to give Fowler a 16-8 lead with 7:03 to play in the second quarter.

Izzy Halfmann gets the offensive rebound from the missed free throw for Fowler. Fowler misses a three pointer from the wing. Elizabeth Hufnagel gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Brynn Bauer steals the ball for the Pirates and draws a foul in the process. P-W misses a three point shot from the corner. Izzy Halfmann passes to Grace O’Hare, who hits a fast break layup to give Fowler an 18-8 lead.

P-W misses a three point shot from the corner. Fowler misses a driving layup. Paige Thelen hits a putback for the Eagles. Izzy Halfmann knocks a pass out of bounds; P-W gets the ball back. P-W throws a pass out of bounds. Fowler shuffles its feet getting ready to shoot a jump shot and is called for traveling. Katie Spicer taps the ball away from P-W, but the Pirates are able to save their possession.

P-W misses a threeball from the corner. Fowler misses an eight foot shot in the lane. P-W misses a three point shot from the side. Grace O’Hare hits a fast break layup for Fowler. Elly Bengal passes to Logan Drake, who hits a layup for the Pirates. Emerie Smith steals the ball for the Pirates. Logan Drake is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to trim the Fowler lead to 22-11 with 2:36 remaining in the half.

Emerie Smith gets her hand on a Fowler pass and knocks it out of bounds; Fowler gets the ball back. Fowler misses a fifteen foot shot from the wing. Paige Thelen hits a putback for the Eagles, she is fouled on the play, but misses her free throw. With 1:58 to go in the half, Fowler’s lead is at 24-11.

Elly Bengel passes to Emerie Smith, who throws in a threeball from the side for the Pirates. Logan Drake blocks an Eagle shot; Fowler recovers the loose ball. Fowler misses a jump shot. Paige Thelen knocks the ball away from P-W and Kelcie Pung picks it up for Fowler. Pewamo-Westphalia ties the ball up. The Possession Arrow and the health insurance consultant working on the Arrow’s dental costs agree that the ball should go to P-W.

The Pirates miss a three point shot from the side. Logan Drake pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Emerie Smith drives and hits a layup for P-W. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side as the halftime buzzer emerges from hibernation.

Fowler has a 24-16 lead at halftime.

Emerie Smith leads the Pewamo-Westphalia scoring with 8 points.

Grace O’Hare has 10 points and Paige Thelen has 7 points for Fowler. Katie Spicer also has 5 points.

The Pewamo-Westphalia Pep Band played during halftime. There was also a shooting contest on the court. As we are not able to see the halftime entertainment, I hope you will enjoy these videos from my You Tube Channel.

Here is a duet with my good buddy Mark Wilcox (He also plays drums live with me often.) “This Land is Your Land.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ9XoJtKIbE

This is a somewhat silly (but hopefully entertaining) version of the traditional song, “Chopsticks!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIqXxw1t5V0

Fowler inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. Fowler is assessed with a traveling violation. Brenna Thelen makes a nice pass under the basket to Logan Drake, who is fouled before she can shoot her layup. Elly Bengel passes to Brenna Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the corner to cut the Fowler lead to 24-19.

Brenna Thelen hits the floor to tie up the ball. The Possession Arrow and the technician working on the dental bonding needed to fix the Arrow’s broken tooth confer and decide to award the ball to P-W. Logan Drake passes to Elly Bengel, who throws in a three pointer from the corner to slash the Fowler lead to 24-22.

Fowler misses a shot. Izzy Halfmann blocks a Pirate layup; the ball goes out of bounds and the Eagles get the ball. Grace O’Hare drives and hits a layup for Fowler. Izzy Halfmann steals a Pirate pass and passes to Grace O’Hare, who hits a fast break layup for the Eagles. Elly Bengel drives the baseline and hits a layup for the Pirates. She is fouled on the play and hits her free throw to shave the Eagle lead to 28-25 with 3:55 remaining in quarter number three.

Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler gets another opportunity. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and P-W gets the ball. Elizabeth Hufnagel knocks a Pirate pass out of bounds; P-W gets the ball back. P-W misses a driving layup. Alonna Thelen gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W misses a three point attempt from the wing.

Fowler commits a double dribble violation. Alonna Thelen passes to a Pirate teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses both her free throws. Brooke Weber passes to Grace O’Hare, who relays the ball to Rebecca Smith, who is fouled on a layup. Rebecca Smith hits one of her two free throws to push Fowler to a 29-25 lead with 2:00 to play in the third quarter.

P-W misses a driving layup. There is a scrum on the floor for the rebound and the ball is tied up. The Possession Arrow and the cook who is making soup for the Possession Arrow since its chewing is impaired both agree that Fowler has earned another possession. The ball is awarded to the Eagles. Elly Bengel steals the ball for the Pirates. Rebecca Smith steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler commits a traveling violation. Brynn Bauer passes the ball to Logan Drake, who hits a layup to cut the Fowler lead to 29-27.

Fowler misses a driving layup. P-W misses a layup. Fowler misses a long heave as the third quarter buzzer alerts us all that everyone needs to stop playing for a bit.

Pewamo-Westphalia has the ball to open the fourth quarter. A Pirate dribbler loses the ball out of bounds. Fowler misses a three pointer from the wing. Grace O’Hare steals the ball for the Eagles and hits a six foot fast break hook shot from the baseline to boost the Fowler lead to 31-27.

Izzy Halfmann steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a fast break layup. P-W is cited for traveling. Fowler misses a ten foot shot off the dribble from the side. Alonna Thelen gets into the lane and hits an eight foot shot (with the help of a friendly bounce) for the Pirates. Logan Drake blocks a Fowler hook shot. Izzy Halfmann knocks the ball away from P-W and Katie Spicer picks it up for Fowler. The Eagles miss a fast break layup. Alonna Thelen drives and is fouled on a layup. She hits one of her two free throws to slash the Fowler lead to 31-30 with 5:00 left on the clock.

Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. P-W misses a driving layup. Fowler misses a three pointer from the wing. Logan Drake passes to Kambrie Thelen, who hits a layup to give P-W a 32-31 lead.

Fowler misses a driving reverse layup. Grace O’Hare grabs the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Katie Spicer hits an eight foot shot in the lane to give the Eagles a one point lead. Logan Drake passes to Emerie Smith, who hits a three point shot from the side to give P-W a two point lead. Elizabeth Hufnagel hits a layup for Fowler. She is fouled on the play, but misses her free throw. With 2:41 to play, the game is tied at 35-35!!

Elizabeth Hufnagel gets the offensive rebound from the missed free throw for Fowler. Logan Drake steals the ball for P-W. Emerie Smith alertly makes a great save to keep the Pirates from turning the ball over. P-W misses a threeball from the side and fouls on the rebound. Fowler misses a driving layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and P-W takes possession.

P-W misses a layup. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow is peacefully resting in bed after a tough day with its tooth and decides by itself that Fowler shall have the ball. Fowler misses a driving layup. Elizabeth Hufnagel knocks the ball away from the Pirates and Fowler takes possession. Fowler calls a time out with 37.0 seconds and after they unsuccessfully probe the Pirate defense for a bit, they call another timeout with 9.1 seconds remaining.

The Eagles miss a three point shot from the side. Elizabeth Hufnagel gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fowler misses a layup. Elizabeth Hufnagel is fouled on a putback with just 1.3 seconds left in the game. She swishes one free throw; after Pewamo-Westphalia calls timeout, she swishes her second free throw to give Fowler a 37-35 lead with just 1.3 seconds to go.

Elizabeth Hufnagel was not done after making her important free throws. She intercepts Pewamo-Westphalia’s inbound pass as the final buzzer announces that the game is over.

Fowler wins this tough CMAC game by a 37-35 score. Let’s give P-W some kudos for overcoming some early adversity and making a real game out of this!! (And of course, Fowler gets kudos for winning.)

Emerie Smith led the Pewamo-Westphalia scoring with 11 points. Elly Bengel supported her teammate with 9 points. Logan Drake and Alonna Thelen each added 5 points. Brenna Thelen scored 3 points and Kambrie Thelen tallied 2 points.

Grace O’Hare led Fowler’s scoring with 16 points. Paige Thelen and Katie Spicer each chipped in with 7 points. Elizabeth Hufnagel had 6 points including the two big free throws at the end of the game. Rebecca Smith added 1 point.