Fowler vs. Portland St. Patrick – – Boys Basketball – – MHSAA District Final – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 28, 2025 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen is at Vestaburg where the Eagles from Fowler will compete with the Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick for the Boys’ District Championship. Fowler enters this game with a 20-3 record as they finished second place in the CMAC. St. Patrick finished third in the CMAC and has a 16-7 record.

Here are some of the guys who will be playing for the Shamrocks tonight.

Jerryd Scheurer is a point guard who is a sophomore in his third year of starting for the Shamrock varsity. He is an excellent athlete with great speed, quickness and coordination. He is a fine defender on the perimeter. On offense, he dribbles and passes really well and can score either on slashes to the basket or shots from the three point line.

Charlie Thelen is a strong rebounder and defender in the post. He gets a lot of points off putbacks and is also an excellent three point shooter. Landon Simpson is an excellent perimeter with ball handling and passing skills that essentially give the Shamrocks a second point guard. Brady Leonard is an excellent athlete who defends either the post or perimeter well. He can hit the three point shot as well.

Tyler Thelen is a tough defender, rebounder and scorer in the post. Nathan Fears is an extremely aggressive, energetic and determined perimeter defender who generates a lot of turnovers from Shamrock opponents. Gabe Wernet is a strong perimeter defender. Aiden Mosser can defend either on the perimeter or in the post.

Fowler also has excellent players who have contributed to this great season for the Eagles.

Jacob Halfmann is a four year starter at the point for the Eagles. He is an excellent athlete who also excelled on Fowler’s final four football team. He is an excellent defender on the perimeter and tall enough to cover people in the post when the situation requires it. He is a quality ball handler and passer who runs the Eagle offense well. He is able to score either on drives to the basket or shots from the three point line.

Alex Halfmann, Jacob’s cousin is a four year starter in the post for the Eagles. He is big, strong and athletic. He thinks the game really well and is frequently playing chess while the others are playing checkers. He is a huge defensive presence and determined rebounder in the post. He can score on putbacks, post moves and even hit shots from the three point line.

Asher Koenigsknecht is an extremely quick and determined perimeter defender. He never runs out of energy and creates a lot of turnovers for Eagle opponents. On offense, he is a skilled ball handler. He scores a lot of points on layups after steals; he also can slash to the basket or hit shots from the three point line.

Aaron Simon is a great three point shooter who defends the perimeter well. He is also a threat slashing to the basket to score. Joe Epkey is a big, strong defender and rebounder in the post.

Isaac Thelen is a versatile defender who can cover opponents anywhere on the floor. He is also a steady rebounder. Jacob Thelen is a fine scorer who can slash to the basket or hit shots from the three point line. Augustine Spitzley is a tall and really quick and speedy for his size. He can defend anywhere and do it well anywhere on the floor.

I’ve been staying at a hotel in Edmore to minimize the driving and to get an early start on typing the blogs. (With two games to cover Wednesday night, the minimal drive was really important.)

It is now time to review the events of this game through the enthusiastic, if aging eyes of a Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play in the ancient times when others considered him to be “young.” He was showing a bit of promise as a dunker until the basketball powers that be raised the rim from five feet to ten feet. Suddenly, all the Bleacher Denizen’s precisely rehearsed windmill dunk moves stopped being a factor and his playing time disappeared.

St. Patrick wins the opening tap. The Shamrocks misfire on a threeball from the side. Fowler misses a layup. St. Patrick misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Brady Leonard pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks and passes to Tyler Thelen, who hits a layup to give the Shamrocks the first two points of the game. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing. Alex Halfmann pulls down the offensive rebound and passes to Asher Koenigsknecht, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give Fowler a 3-2 lead.

Alex Halfmann steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a fast break layup. Fowler gets the offensive rebound, but the Eagles miss a threeball from the side. Alex Halfmann pulls down another offensive rebound. Fowler misses a three point shot from the corner and fouls on the rebound. Asher Koenigsknecht gets his hand on the ball, but the Shamrocks recover. Brady Leonard passes to Tyler Thelen who hits a layup to make the score Tyler Thelen 4 Fowler 3.

Landon Simpson steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Tyler Thelen hits a layup for St. Patrick. Asher Koenigsknecht passes to Jacob Halfmann, who quickly relays the ball to Aaron Simon, who throws in a threeball near the top of the key for Fowler to tie the game. Brady Leonard passes to Tyler Thelen, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to make the score Tyler Thelen 8 Fowler 6 with 4:13 to play in the opening quarter.

August Spitzley makes a great post move and hits a layup for Fowler to tie the game. St. Patrick misses a layup. Fowler misses a threeball near the top of the key and fouls on the rebound. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the side. Charlie Thelen pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Brady Leonard passes to Tyler Thelen, who hits a reverse layup and the score is now Tyler Thelen 10 Fowler 8.

Fowler misses a driving layup. Asher Konigsknecht snares the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a ten foot shot in the lane. The Eagles get the offensive rebound. Jacob Halfmann drives and hits a layup for Fowler to tie the game. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the corner. Tyler Thelen takes time off from scoring and steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Brady Leonard tooses in a threeball from the side for the Shamrocks’ first non-Tyler Thelen points to give St. Patrick a 13-10 lead.

Tyler Thelen steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a fast break layup. Nathan Fears hits a putback for the Shamrocks. Fowler misses a layup. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Charlie Thelen, who hits a layup for St. Patrick. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 52.2 seconds remaining in the opening quarter, Fowler has a 17-10 lead.

Fowler misses a threeball from the corner. St. Patrick misses a six foot driving hook shot. Jacob Halfmann drives and hits a layup for the Eagles. St. Patrick misses a half court heave at the basket as the first quarter buzzer lets us know it is here.

After one quarter, St. Patrick has a 17-12 lead.

Fowler inbounds the ball to start the second quarter. Landon Simpson gets a hand on the ball, but the Eagles recover. Aaron Simon tosses in a triple from the top of the key. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the side and fouls on the rebound. Fowler misses a driving layup. Jacob Halfmann gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Charlie Thelen steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. Asher Koenigsknecht tosses the ball to Aaron Simon, who hits a three point shot from the side to give his Eagles an 18-17 lead.

Jerryd Scheurer drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick to retake the lead. Fowler misses a three pointer from the wing. Charlie Thelen drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Aaron Simon tosses in a threeball from the side for Fowler to tie the game. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Tyler Thelen, who makes a nice post move and hits a layup for the Shamrocks. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 4:54 to play in the first half, St. Patrick has a 23-21 lead.

Brady Leonard rebounds the missed free throw and passes to Jerryd Scheurer, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give the Shamrocks a five point lead. Jacob Halfmann drives and hits a layup for the Eagles. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. Jacob Halfmann drives and hits a layup for the Eagles to trim the Shamrock lead to 26-25. (He is so smooth when he plays that he makes things look easy. I can assure you that what he does is NOT easy!)

Augustine Spitzley plays tough defense and forces a St. Patrick traveling violation. Jacob Halfmann is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of his two free throws to tie the game at 26-26 with 3:33 to play in the first half.

St. Patrick fouls after the missed free throw, so Fowler gets another opportunity. Jacob Halfmann inbounds the ball to Augustine Spitzley, who hits a layup to give the EAgles the lead. St. Patrick throws the ball out of bounds. Asher Koenigsknecht passes to Jacob Halfmann, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Fowler. St. Patrick misfires on a triple try from the wing. Aaron Simon drives and hits an eight foot banked shot in the lane to give Fowler a 33-26 lead. (Fowler has scored the last 12 points in a row.)

Brady Leonard passes to Tyler Thelen, who hits a layup for St. Patrick to stop the Fowler scoring run. Tyler Thelen steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Brady Leonard passes to Jerryd Scheurer, who hits a three pointer from the corner to cut the Fowler lead to 33-31.

Jacob Halfmann drives and hits a layup for Fowler. Alex Halfmann blocks a Shamrock layup. Landon Simpson’s sticky defense forces a Fowler dribbler to lose the ball out of bounds. St. Patrick shoots a threeball as the half comes to an end; it goes in and out of the basket.

At halftime, Fowler holds a 35-31 lead.

Tyler Thelen has 14 points for St. Patrick and Jerryd Scheurer has 8 points.

Aaron Simon has 14 points for Fowler and Jacob Halfmann has 12 points.

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. The Shamrocks miss a three pointer from the wing. Charlie Thelen steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Landon Simpson steals an Eagle pass. Joe Epkey blocks a Shamrock layup. Asher Koenigsknecht hits a fast break layup for the Eagles to give his team a 37-31 lead.

Alex Halfmann guards a Shamrock player and forces a “closely guarded for five seconds” turnover. Tyler Thelen steals an Eagle pass. Brady Leonard drives and hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing. Brady Leonard passes to Charlie Thelen, who hits a layup to chop the Fowler lead to 37-35.

Charlie Thelen dives and nearly steals the ball for the Shamrocks, but kicks the ball while he is on the floor; Fowler retains possession. Jacob Halfmann whips a cross court pass to Asher Koenigsknecht, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give Fowler a 40-35 lead.

St. Patrick misfires on a triple try from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler takes possession. Tyler Thelen gets his hand on the ball, but the Eagles are able to preserve their possession. Fowler misses a layup. St. Patrick fouls on the rebound. Jacob Halfmann tosses the ball to Aaron Simon, who hits a twelve foot shot in the lane for Fowler. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Aaron Simon is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of his two free throws to give Fowler a 43-35 lead with 4:10 to play in quarter number three.

The rebound from the missed free throw goes out of bounds and St. Patrick takes possession. Jerryd Scheurer gets into the lane and hits an eight foot shot for the Shamrocks. Fowler misses a three pointer from the wing. Jacob Halfmann blocks a Shamrock layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets another ooportunity. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Charlie Thelen, who is cutting to the basket and hits a reverse layup to trim the Fowler lead to 43-39.

Nathan Fears harasses a Fowler dribbler into committing an offensive foul. Charlie Thelen is fouled as he drives for a reverse layup. He hits one of his two free throws to close the Fowler lead to 43-40 with 2:11 to to go in quarter number three.

Isaac Thelen passes to Aaron Simon, sho hits a three point shot from the corner to give his Eagles a bit of breathing room. Aaron Simon gets his hand on a Shamrock pass and knocks it out of bounds. St. Patrick retains possession. Isaac Thelen gets his hand on a Shamrock pass, but St. Patrick recovers. Isaac Thelen steals the ball for the EAgles. Fowler misses a fast break layup and fouls on the rebound. St. Patrick is assessed with a traveling violation. Fowler misses a three pointer from the side. Joe Epkey steals the ball for the Eagles and passes to Aaron Simon, who hits a three point shot from the wing to boost the Eagle lead to 49-40.

Jerryd Scheurer fakes a threeball and drives to the basket for a Shamrock layup. Fowler misses a driving layup and fouls on the rebound. Fowler misses a fast break layup and fouls on the rebound. Jonah Thelen steals the ball for the Eagles. Usually, I don’t report who misses shots, but Isaac Thelen launched a ball from the midcourt line that arced down, hit the backboard and hit the inside of the front of the rim before it finally fell to the floor as the buzzer announced the end to quarter number three.

With three quarters in the record book, Fowler holds a 49-42 lead.

Fowler inbounds the ball to open the fourth quarter. The Eagles miss a three pointer fromo the side. St. Patrick misses a driving layup. Tyler Thelen gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Jonah Thelen forces a tieup for the Eagles. The Possession Arrow decrees that the Shamrocks shall get the ball. St. Patrick misses a fifteen footer from the side of the lane. Aaron Simon hits a fast break layup to give Fowler a 51-42 lead.

Asher Koenigsknecht guards a Shamrock player closely for five seconds and forces a turnover. Tyler Thelen steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Landon Simpson, drives, spins and banks in an eight foot hook shot for the Shamrocks. Fowler misses a driving layup. A Shamrock layup is negated by a traveling violation. Jerryd Scheurer draws a charging foul from Fowler. St. Patrick is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. With 4:53 left on the clock, Fowler’s lead is at 51-44.

Fowler misses a threeball from the corner. Joe Epkey pulls down the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing. Tyler Thelen blocks an Eagle putback. St Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Alex Halfmann knocks the ball away from St. Patrick and Asher Koenigsknecht picks it up for Fowler. Fowler misses a fast break layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Eagles get another opportunity. Aaron Simon passes to Jacob Halfmann, who hits a three pointer from the corner to give Fowler a 54-44 lead.

St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the side. Landon Simpson pulls down the offensive re/bound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Fowler misses a three pointer from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Aaron Simon steals the ball for the Eagles. St. Patrick commits four fouls so that Fowler will be forced to shoot a free throw on the next one. Aaron Simon is fouled and hits one of his two free throws. With 1:43 left in the game, Fowler has a 55-44 lead.

St. Patrick misses a three pointer near the top of the key. Jacob Halfmann is fouled and hits two free throws for Fowler. St. Patrick misses a three point from the wing. Asher Koenigsknecht is fouled and hits one of his two free throws to boost the Eagle lead to 58-44 with 58.0 seconds.

Gabe Wernet passes to Jerryd Scheurer, who relays the ball to Tyler Thelen, who hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Fowler dribbles out the rest of the time on the clock.

The Eagles win the game by the final score of 58-44 and will play Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart in the district semifinal at Sacred Heart on Tuesday.

Tyler Thelen had 16 points to lead the St. Patrick scoring. Jerryd Scheurer joined his teammate in double figures with 12 points. Charlie Thelen contributed 9 points. Brady Leonard added 5 points. Landon Simpson and Nathan Fears each scored 2 points.

Aaron Simon hit six three point shots for Fowler. Three of them were in the second quarter when Fowler was catching up to St. Patrick and two more in the third quarter when the Eagles solidified their lead. He had 26 points for the game to lead all scorers. Jacob Halfmann supported his teammate with 17 points; he had a number of big layups in the second quarter to slow down a hot Shamrock team. Asher Koenigsknecht chipped in with 11 points and Augustine Spitzley had 4 points.