Portland St. Patrick at Laingsburg – – CMAC Boys Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 23, 2025 – – by Chuck Krafft

“Well, the weather outside is frightful” according to the 1945 song, “Let It Snow”. (In an interesting bit of irony, at least according to Wikipedia, this song was written in the summer as an ironic wish during a heat wave.) Well, who knows how they could have predicted our 2025 weather in 1945, but in any event, they certainly tagged us right this week.

Your Bleacher Denizen sacrificed his Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday blogging to the forces of ice and snow, but tonight, your Bleacher Denizen is headed to Laingsburg to watch as the Wolfpack Boys take on the Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick. The BleacherDenizenMobile managed to skate its way to Laingsburg and I’m here to watch the game!

St. Patrick is 6-3 in the CMAC this season and has a 7-4 overall record. Laingsburg is 6-4 in the league and 7-5 overall. I’d like to point out that St. Patrick has won its last six games and Laingsburg has won seven of its last eight games. (The only Laingsburg loss in the most recent games is to a Pewamo-Westphalia team that has dominated the league so far this year.)

I’ve covered both teams previously this year.

Senior Brayden Simon is a versatile player for the Shamrocks. He is a great athlete who also excels at football and baseball. He is big and strong enough to defend and rebound in the post; he is also quick enough to defend guards on the perimeter. He has a nice three point shot, but is also able to score in the post off slashes, post moves and putbacks.

Jerryd Scheurer is a sophomore playing in his third year in the Shamrock rotation. He is a classic point guard who is a tough perimeter defender while handling and passing the ball with the skill and precision a player at that position needs. He is able to slash to the basket to score and has a nice three point shot as well.

Charlie Thelen rebounds and defends well in the post. He is a great scorer who can hit shots from the three point line and also gets a lot of putbacks. Landon Simpson has excellent ball handling, passing and perimeter defense skills. He practically gives the Shamrocks a second point guard. Brady Leonard is an excellent athlete who can defend either in the post or on the perimeter. He has a solid three point shot as well.

Tyler Thelen defends and scores well in the post. He is also a strong rebounder. Nathan Fears brings energy to the Shamrock perimeter defense. He is extremely persistent and disruptive to oppsing offenses. Gabe Wernet defends well on the perimeter. Aiden Mosser is a solid defender either in the post or on the perimeter.

Mitchell George is a big strong post player who had a monster game when I covered the Wolfpack’s game against Lansing Christian. He is a fine athlete who is strong, tall and agile. He rebounds well and is a rugged defender. He is great either getting layups in transition or using his size and strength to score on post moves.

Logan Holm defends well in the post and can get really hot from the three point line. When I saw Laingsburg play Lansing Christian, he hit four three pointers in the first half. Dominic Garcia brings leadership and tough perimeter defense to the Wolfpack. Leandro Dolega-Caceras is an energetic perimeter defender who generates a lot of turnovers. Jake Rivet handles and passes the ball well. He is also a threat from the three point line. Landon Freeman is a versatile offensive player who is comfortable shooting from the three point line or slashing to the basket.

As I made sure to get to the game early, (Tonight was no time to be trying to rush on the roadways, for sure.) I saw the whole JV game. (Laingsburg beat Fulton in the freshman game that finished just before I arrived.)

St. Patrick scored the first three points of the game, but the Wolfpack did all the scoring for the rest of the opening quarter and had an 8-3 lead going into the second quarter. St. Patrick’s JVs outscored the Wolfpack 17-10 in the second quarter to take a 20-18 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, the Shamrock JVs outscored Laingsburg 13-7; they entered the final quarter with a 33-25 lead. Laingsburg outscored St. Patrick 10-5 in the first part of the fourth quarter to pull within three points at 38-35. At this point, Isaiah Rockey nailed a threeball to give St. Patrick a 41-35 lead.

Paxton Rodriquez hit a three pointer for Laingsburg with about 1:20 to play in the game to pull the Wolfpack back within three points. Mason Simon hit a free throw for St. Patrick with 26.5 seconds left to give the Shamrocks a four point lead at 42-38.

Mason Simon got the offensive rebound just two seconds later. The Shamrocks were fouled, but missed two free throws. After they missed a three point shot, Laingsburg had to foul to try to get the ball back. Mason Simon split a two of four free throws the rest of the game while Laingsburg failed to score. The St. Patrick JVs won the game by the final score of 44-38.

Paxton Rodriquez had 12 points to lead the Wolfpack JVs. Grey Seguin supported him with 6 points. Landen Hart contributed 5 points. Colton Heaton and Harrison Dorman each tossed in 4 points. Cooper Morr added 3 points. Collin Logghe and Sa’Vonta Lyons each tallied 2 points.

Isaiah Rockey led the Shamrock JVs with 14 points. Mason Simon joined his teammate in double figures with 10 points. Emmet Fandel chipped in with 7 points and Sean Fedewa had 6 points. Charlie Bozung put in 4 points and Aiden Fandel added 3 points.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to hoop in the days of yore. He was showing some potential as a fast break scorer, but everything fell apart when the basketball powers that be ruled he could no longer use a jet pack to help him run faster.

St. Patrick temporarily wins the scramble for the opening tap, but Leandro Dolega-Caceres quickly steals the ball for Laingsburg. Tyler Thelen blocks a Laingsburg layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and the Wolfpack gets another opportunity. Landon Freeman passes to Logan Holm, who hits a three point shot from the side to give Laingsburg the first points of the game. Charlie Thelen hits a three point shot from the wing for St. Patrick to tie the game at 3-3.

Tyler Thelen steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Landon Freeman knocks a Shamrock pass out of bounds; St. Patrick retains possession. Mitchell George steals a Shamrock pass. Laingsburg misses a threeball from the top of the key. Brady Leonard passes to Tyler Thelen, who hits a layup to give the Shamrocks the lead. Mitchell George passes to Dominic Garcia, who throws in a threeball from the side to give the Wolfpack a 6-5 lead.

St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the wing. Mitchell George drives and hits a ten foot shot from the side for Laingsburg. Brayden Simon drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Tyler Thelen steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Landon Freeman steals the ball for the Wolfpack. Landon Freeman gets into the lane and hits a ten foot shot off the dribble to give Laingsburg a 10-7 lead.

Logan Holm steals the ball for the Wolfpack. Dominic Garcia passes to Logan Holm, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Laingsburg. Brady Leonard passes to Tyler Thelen, who hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Landon Freeman passes to Dominic Garcia, who connects on a threeball from the wing for Laingsburg. St. Patrick misfires on a triple try from the corner. Jake Rivet hits a three pointer from the corner to give Laingsburg a 19-9 lead.

Brayden Simon passes to Jerryd Scheurer, who hits a three point shot from the wing for the Shamrocks. Laingsburg misses a layup. St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the wing. Tyler Thelen knocks the offensive rebound to a Shamrock teammate. St. Patrick misses a ten footer off the dribble from the baseline. Charlie Thelen steals the ball for the Shamrocks and passes to Brayden Simon, who hits a three point shot from the corner to cut the Wolfpack lead to 19-15.

Charlie Thelen blocks a Laingsburg layup. The Wolfpack recovers. Gregory Stewart passes to Waylon Rowley, who takes a hard dribble and hits a layup for Laingsburg. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the wing. Tyler Thelen beats the buzzer and hits a putback for the Shamrocks.

Laingsburg has a 21-17 lead after one quarter.

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. Brayden Simon gets into the lane and hits an eight foot shot for St. Patrick. Logan Holm responds by hitting a three point shot from the wing for Laingsburg. The Shamrocks miss a threeball from the corner. Jake Rivet is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to boost the Wolfpack to a 26-19 lead with 6:57 left in the half.

St. Patrick misses a threeball from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Mitchell George gets into the lane and hits a six foot shot for Laingsburg. St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the wing. Mitchell George hits a fast break layup for Laingsburg. Charlie Thelen drives the baseline and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Leandro Dolega-Caceres drives and hits a fast break layup for the Wolfpack. Tyler Thelen drives and is fouled on a layup. Tyler Thelen hits one of his two free throws to trim the Wolfpack lead to 32-22 with 4:57 to play in the half.

Mitchell George drives and hits a ten foot banked hook for the Wolfpack. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Charlie Thelen blocks a Wolfpack layup. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the corner. The rebound goes out of bounds and Laingsburg gets the ball. The Wolfpack misses a layup. Mitchell George hits a putback for the Wolfpack. Waylon Rowley draws a charging foul from the Shamrocks. Logan Holm passes to Dominic Garcia, who hits a three pointer from the wing to give Laingsburg a 39-22 lead.

Aiden Mosser passes to Jerryd Scheurer, who pours in a threeball from the wing for the Shamrocks. Aiden Mosser steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the side and fouls on the rebound. Laingsburg misses a three point attempt from the side. Gregory Stewart dives; he knocks the ball away from the Shamrocks and out of bounds. St. Patrick gets the ball back.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. Brayden Simon grabs the long offensive rebound for St. Patrick and hits a three point shot from the side. Laingsburg misses a jump shot. Gregory Stewart steals the ball for the Wolfpack. Waylon Rowley is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of his two free throws for Laingsburg to boost his team to a 40-28 lead with 55.0 seconds to play in the quarter.

Brayden Simon passes to Jerryd Scheurer, who throws in a threeball from the side for St. Patrick. Laingsburg misses a three pointer from the top of the key. The halftime buzzer announces its presence.

At halftime, Laingsburg holds a 40-31 lead.

Brayden Simon leads the Shamrocks with 10 first half points. Jerryd Scheurer has 9 points, Tyler Thelen has 7 points and Charlie Thelen has 5 points.

Mitchell George leads the Wolfpack scoring with 10 points. Logan Holm and Dominic Garcia each have 9 points and Jake Rivet has 5 points.

There was an exciting elementary girls’ game played at halftime. It was fun watching the girls play their hearts out!

Laingsburg inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. The Wolfpack misses an eight foot banked shot from the side of the lane. Charlie Thelen throws the ball out to Brayden Simon, who throws in a threeball from the wing for the Shamrocks. Leandro Dolega-Carceres drives and dishes the ball to Logan Holm, who hits a three point shot from the corner to boost the Wolfpack advantage to 43-34.

Leandro Dolega-Caceras blocks a Shamrock threeball from the wing. St. Patrick recovers the loose ball. The Shamrocks miss a ten foot shot in the lane. Charlie Thelen hits a putback for the Shamrocks. Leandro Dolega-Caceres drives and hits a layup for Laingsburg. Tyler Thelen passes to Brayden Simon, who hits a three point shot from the wing for St. Patrick to cut the Wolfpack lead to 45-39.

Laingsburg misses a driving layup. Landon Freeman grabs the offensive rebound for the Wolfpack. Laingsburg misses a threeball from the corner. The rebound goes out of bounds and Laingsburg gets another opportunity. Laingsburg drives the baseline and misses a six foot banked shot. Landon Freeman steals the ball for the Wolfpack. The Wolfpack misses a layup.

St. Patrick misses a threeball from the wing. Landon Simpson pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Laingsburg misses a jumnp shot. St. Patrick drives the baseline and misses a layup. Jerryd Scheurer draws a charging foul from the Wolfpack. The Shamrocks miss a three point shot from the corner.

Tyler Thelen nearly steals the ball for the Shamrocks, but Laingsburg recovers. Landon Simpson’s tough defense forces a Wolfpack palming violation. Brayden Simon inbounds the ball to Charlie Thelen, who hits a three pointer from the side to cut the Wolfpack lead to 45-42.

Dominic Garcia responds by hitting a three pointer from the wing for Laingsburg. St. Patrick misses a driving layup. Tyler Thelen hits a putback for the Shamrocks. Laingsburg misses a driving layup. Gregory Stewart hits a putback for the Wolfpack. Tyler Thelen is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of his two free throws to shave the Wolfpack lead to 50-45 with 1:04 to go in quarter number three.

Laingsburg misses a three point shot from the corner. Gregory Stewart gets the offensive rebound for the Wolfpack. Laingsburg misses a layup. Logan Holm grabs the offensive rebound for Laingsburg. The Wolfpack misses a layup. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the side. Jerryd Scheurer gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses another three point shot from the side.

The rebound goes out of bounds and after a fair amount of conversation between the referees, the ball is awarded to St. Patrick. The Shamrocks miss a driving layup. Laingsburg misses a thirty foot shot from the side at the buzzer.

With three quarters in the books, Laingsburg holds a 50-45 lead.

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to open the fourth quarter. The Shamrocks miss a three pointer from the side. Logan Holm passes to Waylon Rowley, who is cutting to the basket and hits a layup for the Wolfpack. Logan Holm dives and gets a hand on the ball for the Wolfpack, but the Shamrocks are able to recover. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Charlie Thelen hits a putback to trim the Laingsburg lead to 52-47.

Mitchell George drives and hits a layup for Laingsburg. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Laingsburg misses a layup. St. Patrick misses a three pointer near the top of the key and fouls on the rebound.

Jerryd Scheuer steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misseds a fast break layup. Nathan Fears grabs the offensive rebound for St. Patrick. The Shamrocks miss a three point shot from the top of the key. Laingsburg misses an eight foot shot off the dribble in the lane. Nathan Fears passes to Landon Simpson, who throws in a threeball from the corner for the Shamrocks. Nathan Fears steals the ball and hits a fast break layup to chop the Laingsburg lead down to 54-52.

Landon Freeman is fouled on a driving six foot banked shot and hits two free throws for the Wolfpack with 3:13 left to give his team a four point lead. Nathan Fears passes to Landon Simpson, who banks in a threeball from the top of the key. (I’m sure I heard him call, “BANK!”) Anyway, the Laingsburg lead is down to one point at 56-55.

Laingsburg watches as a threeball from the wing goes in and out of the basket. Mitchell George blocks a Shamrock twelve foot shot from the side of the lane. St. Patrick recovers the loose ball. St. Patrick misses a driving eight foot shot in the lane. Charlie Thelen pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the top of the key and fouls on the rebound. Logan Holm hits two free throws to give Laingsburg a 58-55 lead with 1:39 left on the clock.

Jerryd Scheurer passes to Tyler Thelen, who hits a layup to cut the Laingsburg lead back to one point. Jake Rivet drives and dishes the ball to Mitchell George, who hits a layup for the Wolfpack. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 1:16 to play, Laingsburg’s lead is at 60-57.

Leandro Dolega-Caceres blocks a Shamrock threeball from the corner. Tyler Thelen recovers the loose ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Tyler Thelen grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks and is fouled on a putback. He hits two free throws to cut the Laingsburg lead to 60-59 with 37.5 seconds to go.

Jake Rivet is fouled and hits one of his two free throws with 23.7 seconds left to give the Wolfpack a two point lead. St. Patrick is fouled, but because Laingsburg has only fouled twice this quarter, there are no free throws. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Charlie Thelen pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the wing.

Mitchell George is fouled on the rebound and hits two free throws with 2.3 seconds left to give Laingsburg a 63-59 lead. Leandro Dolega-Caceres steals St. Patrick’s final inbound pass as time expires.

Laingsburg wins this CMAC matchup by the final score of 63-59.

Brayden Simon and Tyler Thelen each had 16 points to lead St. Patrick. Charlie Thelen joined his teammates in double figures with 10 points. Jerryd Scheurer scored 9 points. Landon Simpson tossed in 6 points and Nathan Fears tallied 2 points.

Mitchell George had 16 points to lead the Wolfpack. Logan Holm supported his teammate with 14 points. Dominic Garcia made four three pointers and had 12 points for the game. Jake Rivet added 6 points. Waylon Rowley chipped in with 5 points. Landon Freeman and Leandro Dolega-Caceras each contributed 4 points. Gregory Stewart had 2 points.