ELGIN — Having built, then squandered a lead in the first half, things didn’t look good for the Wolfpack boys as CWC took a six-point lead into the fourth quarter. Then, like the moon rising in the eastern sky, EPPJ came roaring back to earn a 44 to 37 victory Tuesday night.
Anyone who left St. Boniface Gym early, missed out on one of the great Wolfpack comebacks in recent years. Down two possessions to start the fourth quarter, EPPJ outscored the Renegades 17 to 4 to earn the victory, improving their record to 8-12.
“We did a better job of rebounding in the second half and limiting their inside touches and that led to some better baskets on the offensive end. When we had opportunities inside, our guys took advantage of it,” Coach Michael Becker said about the victory. “We hit the front end of a couple of one and ones which was big down the stretch…at one point in time, everybody that was on the floor stepped up and made a free throw.”
In the fourth quarter, EPPJ made 10 of 13 free throws.
Senior Conor Ramold got the comeback started with a trey from the left corner and Colton Wright followed with a two-pointer at the 6:41 mark to make the score 33 to 32.
After a Josh Klabenes basket bumped CWC’s lead to 35 to 32, the Wolfpack chipped away at the lead with free throws from Paiton Hoefer and Wright. Then, with 1:55 left in the game, EPPJ took a 37 to 35 lead on a three-point play by Adam Dreger.
After another free throw by Wright, Klabenes broke free under the basket to cut EPPJ’s lead to 38 to 37 with 1:04 left in the game. Then, in the final 48 seconds of the game, the Wolfpack pulled away using free throws. Held scoreless all night, freshman Jack Wemhoff swished two free throws, Dreger sank two more then Hoefer closed out the game with two for a seven-point margin of victory.
“We just really tried to make the other team (CWC) earn it and, in the end, that was the difference,” Becker said about the victory.
Earlier in the game, EPPJ led 21 to 13 lead with two minutes to go before halftime when the Renegades put together a seven-to-zero run to cut the lead to one point, 21 to 20. Klabenes had four points.
In the third quarter, CWC outscored EPPJ 13 to six, setting the stage for the Wolfpack’s fourth quarter comeback.
Hoefer and Wright led EPPJ with 13 points apiece.
