Breckenridge at Fulton – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 22, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen’s journey takes him to Fulton High School, where the Pirates will square off with the Breckenridge Huskies in boys’ basketball. Fulton enters this game in second place in the MSAC with a 14-3 record while Breckenridge is in fourth place with an 11-6 record. Both teams are 15-6 overall.

While we wait for this game to start, I hope you will enjoy this duet of “This Land Is Your Land” from my You Tube Channel. Mark Wilcox, a long time professional singer and drummer, sings along with me!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ9XoJtKIbE

I got to Middleton in plenty of time to enjoy the great buffet at the Middleton Diner. For home-style food, this great restaurant can’t be beat. I always try to stop there when I do games at Fulton.

Ian Lamkin is a fine perimeter defender for Fulton and he has an accurate three point shot. Bryson Sattler also defends well on the perimeter. Parker Billings patrols the post where he is a tough defender, rebounder and scorer. Thomas Thelen is a gritty post defender who is a great glue guy. He sets screens, makes the right pass and generally does a lot of the unsung things that a good team needs. Peyton Reynolds provides quality post defense. Parker Duflo is a tough, determined perimeter defender who handles the ball and passes well. He is also a threat from the three point line.

This is the first time I have seen the Breckenridge Huskies this year. Coach Jeff Ostrander provided me with this information about his players.

Jaxon Laubscher is a talented athlete who is simply a good player as he is skilled at everything a player needs to do. He is a fine defender who is quick and athletic enough to play on the perimeter as well as being tall and athletic enough to defend in the lane. On offense, he is a strong ball handler and passer who can be really hard to stop on drives to the basket. He also has a good three point shot.

Noah Barr is a fine three point shooter who is also adept at slashing to the basket. He defends the perimeter well. Maddax McCaw will run the point for the Huskies tonight. (A couple of their varsity players are injured and players are filling new roles tonight.) He is a good ball handler and perimeter defender. Trey Most is a post player who scores, rebounds and defends down low. Zander Mapes is a fine post scorer who can also hit the three point shot. He helps defending and rebounding in the post. Aimon Humm and Blaze Snyder are solid perimeter defenders. Isaac Bush will help defend in the post.

I was at the gym in time to see the entire JV game. Breckenridge’s JVs opened a 13-7 lead after one quarter and extended that lead to 24-10 at halftime. Breckenridge got out to a 48-19 lead after the third quarter and won the game by the final score of 56-27.

Korbin Marecek led the Fulton JVs with 8 points. Cameron Diana had two three pointers for 6 points. Ethan Henry put in 5 points. Colton Rus added 4 points. Zach Litwiller and Parker Kosloski each tallied 2 points.

Isaac Bush led the victorious Huskie JVs with 29 points. Dylan Davenport supported him with 9 points. Derek Becker tossed in 6 points. Blaze Snyder notched 4 points. Keegan Suhr, Chase Beard, Mikel Wolgast and Justin Toner each had 2 points.

Fulton’s Pep Band did a fine job tonight before the game. In addition to playing the “Fulton Fight Song” I also heard them do a solid job on the old Rolling Stones song, “Paint it Black” among others!

It was Senior Night at Fulton. The Pirates saluted Jaxon Laubscher, the only senior Huskie who was able to come to the game tonight (because of injuries). They then made a nice presentation to their seniors, Braydin Marvin and Thomas Thelen, who took the court with their parents.

It is now time to learn the events of this game through the eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league in ages past. Alas, he never learned that it is truly best to pass the ball only to other players wearing the same shirt color as yours. While the young version of your Bleacher Denizen thought he was being inclusive, his coach was not supportive and cut his playing time dramatically!!

Fulton wins the opening tap. The Pirates miss a three point shot from the wing. Parker Billings fights for the offensive rebound for the Pirates and the ball is tied up. The Possession Arrow looks up from its crossword puzzle and decides to award the ball to the Huskies. Parker Duflo steals the ball for Fulton. Fulton misses a layup. Ian Lamkin gets his hand on the ball and knocks it out of bounds; Breckenridge retains possession. Jaxon Laubscher inbounds to Trey Most, who hits a layup to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead.

Fulton misses a three point shot from the corner. Bryson Sattler gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup. Bryson Sattler hits a putback for Fulton tie the game. Parker Duflo steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for Fulton. Breckenridge turns the ball over. Fulton misses a three point shot from the corner. Parker Duflo knocks a pass out of bounds; the Huskies retain possession. Breckenridge misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the side. Zander Mapes hits a putback for Breckenridge to tie the game at 4-4.

Zander Mapes steals the ball for the Huskies. Noah Barr is fouled on a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the baseline. He hits two free throws to give Breckenridge a 6-4 lead with 4:51 to play in the first quarter.

Bryson Sattler passes to Nick Duflo, who pours in a threeball from the wing for the Pirates to give them a one point lead. Fulton’s press forces a Breckenridge turnover. Bryson Sattler passes to Peyton Reynolds, who fakes, drives and is fouled on a layup. He hits one of his two free throws to give Fulton an 8-6 lead with 3:59 left in the quarter.

Breckenridge misses a driving layup. Jaxon Laubscher steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for the Huskies to tie the game. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Jaxon Laubscher takes the rebound and goes coast to coast for a layup that gives Breckenridge a 10-8 lead.

Fulton misses a layup. Peyton Reynolds hustles to save the offensive rebound for his Pirates. Bryson Sattler throws in a threeball from the wing to give Fulton a one point lead. Bryson Sattler steals the ball for the Pirates. Connor Cunningham passes to Peyton Reynolds, who hits a layup to give Fulton a 13-10 lead.

Connor Cunningham knocks the ball away from Breckenridge and Peyton Reynolds picks it up for Fulton. Fulton misses a threeball from the wing. Breckenridge misses a fast break layup. Fulton misses a three point shot from the side. Breckenridge misses a twelve footer off the dribble from the side. Maddax McCaw steals the ball and hits a layup for Breckenridge to cut the Fulton lead to 13-12.

Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Parker Hungerford grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates, but there is no time to shoot before the first quarter buzzer introduces itself to the game.

After one quarter, Fulton holds a 13-12 lead.

Fulton inbounds the ball to get the second quarter started. Parker Duflo drives and dishes the ball to Parker Reynolds, who is fouled on a layup. Parker Reynolds hits one of his two free throws and Fulton has a 14-12 lead with 7:18 to play in the quarter.

Ian Lamkin pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Ian Lamkin hits a three point shot from the side for Fulton. Breckenridge is assessed with a traveling violation. Laxon Laubscher steals the ball for the Huskies. Ian Lamkin knocks the ball out of bounds to prevent a Huskie layup. Breckenridge gets another opportunity.

Bryson Sattler steals the ball for the Pirates. (There is something I love about sentences that involve Pirates stealing – – – ) Fulton misses an eight foot shot off the dribble in the lane. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow and the other participants at its quilting bee vote to award the ball to Breckenridge. Jaxon Laubscher hits a twelve foot shot off the tribble in the lane to shave the Fulton lead to 17-14.

Fulton is whistled for a three seconds (in the lane) violation. Donovan Sattler knocks a Huskie pass out of bounds; Breckenridge retains possession. Breckenridge misses a ten foot shot off the dribble from the baseline. Zander Mapes gets the offensive rebound for the Huskies. Peyton Reynolds knocks a Huskie pass out of bounds. Breckenridge gets another possession. The Huskies miss a jumper off the dribble from the free throw line. Maddax McCaw saves the rebound and passes to Zander Mapes for a layup that pulls Breckenridge to within one point at 17-16.

Fulton misses a layup. Parker Reynolds pulls down the offensive rebound and passes to Ian Lamkin, who throws in a threeball for the Pirates. Breckenridge loses a pass out of bounds. Jaxon Laubscher steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for the Huskies. Trey Most plays tough defense and forces Fulton to call timeout to preserve its possession. Fulton misses a layup. Thomas Thelen gets the offensive rebound and passes to Bryson Sattler, who hits a three point shot from the side to boost Fulton to a 23-18 lead.

Bryson Sattler steals the ball for the Pirates. The Pirates are fouled on a layup, but miss two free throws. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fulton gets another possession. Bryson Sattler drives the lane and hits a layup for the Pirates to give them a 25-18 lead.

Breckenridge misses a three point shot from the side. Maddax McCaw grabs the offensive rebound for the Huskies. Breckenridge misses a three pointer from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fulton takes possession. Fulton misses a threeball from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Breckenridge takes possession. Connor Cunningham knocks the ball out of bounds; Breckenridge gets the ball back.

Parker Billings intercepts a Breckenridge pass. Fulton misses a threeball from the corner. Breckenridge misses a three point shot from the side. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Parker Billings pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup. Bryson Sattler hits a putback for the Pirates; he is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 1:08 left on the first half clock, Fulton has a 27-18 lead.

Breckenridge misses an eight foot shot off the dribble from the baseline. Zander Mapes steals the ball for the Huskies. Breckenridge misfires on a threeball from the wing. Fulton misses a layup. The halftime buzzer rudely interrupts the proceedings before Breckenridge has a chance to shoot.

Fulton has a 27-18 lead at halftime.

Jackson Laubscher has 8 points to lead the Breckenridge scoring at halftime.

Bryson Sattler has 12 points for Fulton and Ian Lamkin has 6 points.

At halftime, while we wait for the game to resume, I hope you will enjoy these tunes from my You Tube Channel.

Here is a somewhat silly attempt at “Chopsticks.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIqXxw1t5V0

And here is an original song, “A Man Like Me!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTdeYRUEOkc

Breckenridge inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. The Huskies bounce a pass out of bounds. Fulton reciprocates and throws a pass out of bounds. Thomas Thelen dives and knocks the ball out of bounds; Breckenridge gets the ball back. Breckenridge misfires on a triple try from the wing. Jaxon Laubscher dives and nearly steals the ball for the Huskies. Fulton misses a threeball from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Breckenridge takes possession.

Parker Duflo knocks the ball away from Breckenridge to a Pirate teammate. Fulton misses a layup. Breckenridge misses a twelve foot shot from the side and fouls on the rebound. Parker Billings is nearly able to save an errant pass, but Fulton loses the ball out of bounds. Breckenridge misses a three pointer from the side. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Parker Billings hits a putback to boost Fulton to a 29-18 lead.

Parker Billings steals the ball for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup. Jaxon Laubscher hits a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the baseline for Breckenridge. Bryson Sattler passes to Parker Billings, who hits a layup for the Pirates. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 4:12 to go in the third quarter, Fulton’s lead is at 31-20.

Bryson Sattler knocks the ball out of bounds; Breckenridge retains possession. The Huskies miss a three point shot from the side. Zander Mapes hits a six foot shot off the dribble in the lane for Breckenridge. Fulton misses a driving layup. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow consults its Magic 8 Ball and awards the ball to Fulton. Bryson Sattler passes to Ian Lamkin, who hits a three point shot from the wing to boost Fulton to a 34-22 lead.

Noah Barr inbounds the ball to Jaxon Laubscher, who banks in a six foot shot for the Huskies. Trey Most steals the ball for the Huskies. Breckenridge misses a twelve foot shot from the side. Fulton misses a driving layup and fouls on the rebound. Breckenridge misses a threeball from the wing. Fulton misses a threeball from the corner. Ian Lamkin grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing.

Peyton Reynolds gets back quickly to foil a Huskie fast break layup. The ball is tied up. The Possession Arrow has been meditating and misses the play; the ball is awarded to Breckenridge. The Huskies miss a threeball from the wing; the rebound goes out of bounds and Breckenridge gets the ball back. Jaxon Laubscher hits a twelve footer off the dribble in the lane and is fouled. He hits his free throw to trim the Fulton lead to 34-27 with 54.8 seconds left in the period.

Fulton misses a three point shot from the corner. Parker Hungerford gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a three pointer from the corner, but gets another offensive rebound. Fulton misses a threeball from the corner. Connor Cunningham gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Parker Billings hits a layup for Fulton. Breckenridge misses a threeball from the wing as the third quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

After three quarters, Fulton holds a 36-29 lead.

Fulton has the ball to start the fourth quarter. The Pirates miss a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fulton gets another opportunity. Trey Most blocks a Pirate layup; Fulton recovers the loose ball. Bryson Sattler passes to Parker Billings, who hits a sweet five foot hook shot in the lane to give his Pirates a 38-27 lead.

Breckenridge misses a three point shot from the wing. Jaxon Laubscher steals the ball and is fouled on a six foot banked shot from the side. He hits both hits free throws for the Huskies. Jaxon Laubscher steals a Fulton pass in the lane. Jaxon Laubscher is fouled on a twelve footer off the dribble from the wing. He hits one of his two free throws to shave the Fulton lead to 38-30 with 6:29 left on the clock.

Jaxon Laubscher steals a Fulton pass. Breckenridge misses a three point shot from the wing. Parker Duflo spins and hits a left-handed layup. He is fouled on the play and makes his free throw. Ian Lamkin steals the ball for the Pirates. Bryson Sattler is fouled on a shot and hits one of his two free throws. With 5:47 to play, Fulton has a 42-30 lead.

Ian Lamkin alters a Breckenridge threeball from the side. (It may have actually been partially blocked; a good shooter shot it and it fell at least six feet short of the basket.) Jaxon Laubscher steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for Breckenridge. Fulton misses a three point shot from the corner. Breckenridge misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Jaxon Laubscher steals the ball and hits a fast break layup to cut the Fulton lead to 42-34.

Peyton Reynolds passes to Ian Lamkin, who drains a threeball from the corner for Fulton. Breckenridge misses a long three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Breckenridge gets the ball back. Bryson Sattler steals the ball for Fulton. Parker Duflo drives from the side and hits a layup for the PIrates. Bryson Sattler gets his hand on the ball and the Huskies lose it out of bounds. Bryson Sattler is fouled and hits two free throws to give Fulton a 49-34 lead with 2:47 left in the game.

Breckenridge misses a driving layup. Jaxon Laubscher blocks a Pirate layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and Fulton gets the ball back. Fulton loses a pass out of bounds. Jaxon Laubscher throws in a LONG three pointer from the wing for Breckenridge. Parker Duflo drives and dishes the ball to Thomas Thelen, who hits a layup to give Fulton a 53-37 lead.

Jaxon Laubscher drives and hits a layup for Breckenridge. Bryson Sattler is fouled and hits one of his two free throws for Fulton. Maddax McCaw hits a three point shot from the side for Breckenridge. Parker Duflo is fouled and hits one of his two free throws for Fulton. Bryson Sattler steals the ball for the Pirates. Parker Duflo is fouled and hits one of his two free throws for the final point of the game. With 34.2 seconds left, Fulton’s lead is at 56-42.

Breckenridge misses a three point shot from the wing. Zander Mapes gets the offensive rebound for the Huskies. Donovan Shinaver blocks a Breckenridge layup. Breckenridge steals the ball, but Donovan Shinaver blocks another Huskie layup. Breckenridge recovers the ball. The Huskies miss a threeball from the side. Zander Mapes gets the offensive rebound for the Huskies. Breckenridge misses a twelve foot shot from the side. Fulton dribbles out the clock.

Fulton wins this MSAC Conference matchup by a 56-42 score.

Jaxon Laubscher had a fantastic game for Breckenridge and led all scorers with 27 points. Zander Mapes added 6 points. Maddax McCaw tossed in 5 points. Noah Barr and Trey Most each scored 2 points.

Bryson Sattler led the Fulton scoring with 18 points. Parker Duflo and Ian Lamkin each chipped in with 12 points. Parker Billings scored 8 points. Peyton Reynolds added 4 points and Thomas Thelen had 2 points.