ELGIN — The Wolfpack went cold shooting the ball in the second quarter and it cost them in a 49 to 42 loss to Neligh-Oakdale last week.
Leading 15 to 11 after one quarter, thanks in part to a trey by Paiton Hoefer at the buzzer, EPPJ managed just four points in the second quarter as the Warriors dropped 18 on them to take a 29 to 19 lead at halftime.
The deficit proved too much to overcome in the game which was played at the EPS gym on Tuesday night, Dec. 8.
In the second half, EPPJ outscored the Warriors 23 to 20 as they fought back.
The Warriors built a 17-point lead midway through the third quarter when EPPJ began to claw their way back. Over the final four minutes of the third quarter, the Warriors were held scoreless as Blake Henn, Colton Wright and Hoefer scored to cut the lead to 11 points, 41 to 30, with one quarter to go.
The Warriors managed just two points over the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. At the other end of the court, Jack Wemhoff had four points and Austin Good added a field goal. After a layup by Henn, freshman Nick Anderson hit one of two free throws to cut the lead to 43 to 39 with 2:37 left on the clock.
That’s when Warrior Julien Hearn took over. He scored the Warriors’ final six points to seal the victory for the Warriors.
EPPJ (1-2) was led in scoring by Wemhoff and Wright, each with 10 points. The Wolfpack made just over 25 percent of their field goal attempts (15-56).
Wright finished with a double-double as he pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds. Wemhoff led in assists with three.
Neligh-Oakdale 49, EPPJ 42
Warriors………11 18 14 6 — 49
Wolfpack……..15 4 15 8 — 42
Wolfpack — Blake Henn 3-5 0-0 6, Jack Wemhoff 2-7 4-6 10, Paiton Hoefer 3-17 2-4 9, Austin Good 1-8 0-0 2, Camryn Pelster 0-2 0-0 0, Nick Anderson 1-4 2-6 5, Colton Wright 5-12 0-0 10, Ethan Hinkle 0-1 0-0 0. Team totals: 15-56 9-16 42. Three-point shots — 3-14 (Jack Wemhoff 1, Paiton Hoefer 1, Nick Anderson 1).
Team statistics: Rebounds — Wolfpack 32 (Colton Wright 10, Nick Anderson 7). Assists — Wolfpack 7 (Jack Wemhoff 3). Turnovers — Wolfpack 5.
