JACKSONVILLE, Ill. (WLCSports.com) - Juniors
Grayson Goetz (Aurora, Ill.) and
Jacob Hefle (Germantown, Wis.) scored 16 points each to lead Wisconsin Lutheran College to a 76-58 win over Anderson (Ind.) on Friday in the Bill Merris Tournament at Sherman Gymnasium.
A back-and-forth first half between the Warriors (2-1) and Ravens (2-2) featured eight ties and seven lead changes. AU held a five-point lead, its largest of the game, twice within the opening seven minutes of the contest.
WLC took the lead for good late in the first half on a pair of free throws and three-pointer from senior
Trevor Stiede (Pulaski, Wis.). Wisconsin Lutheran went into halftime with a 40-36 lead after sophomore
Jaxon Borchardt (Aurora, Colo.) sank two from the charity stripe.Â
The Warriors scored the first seven points of the second half to open up their first double-digit lead of the game after junior
Ryan Broeckel (Chilton, Wis.) capped the run with a layup. The advantage climbed to 15 points at 57-42 following a Goetz layup at the 14:34 mark.
Anderson responded with its biggest run of the game, a nine-point swing to bring its deficit down to just six points with 10:42 remaining.
WLC scored the next four points and extended its lead to 16 points with a 16-5 run after Broeckel hit two free throws with 2:08 left to play. The lead reached a game-high 18 points with 0:45 seconds left on a pair of junior
Jacob Stoltz (Kewaskum, Wis.) free throws.
Goetz and Hefle tied for a game-high with 16 points each, Stoltz finished with 15 points, and Broeckel posted a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds. Wisconsin Lutheran shot 38.3 percent for the game, but improved in the second half by shooting at a 46.2 percent clip.
Camden Smith scored 13 points to lead the Ravens, who shot 37.3 percent from the floor.
The Warriors face host Illinois College (3-1) tomorrow at 3 p.m. in the championship game of the Bill Merris Tournament. Live coverage links will be available at WLCSports.com.
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