Staff writer
“For the last seven games we have had only one where we have played badly,” Goessel High School Coach Justin Coup said after the team defeated Little River Feb. 15. “We continue to get better.”
The Bluebirds turned things around after four losses with a 61-40 win. The inside game with Aaron Reimer’s season-high 24 points, and the outside shooting of a variety of players, led to a successful night and another league victory for the Bluebirds.
Little River held a small lead for the last part of the first quarter, but 9 points from Aaron Reimer in the second quarter and 3-pointers from Hayden Goerzen and Chad Wedel gave the Bluebirds a commanding 31-13 lead at halftime.
Goessel’s lead ballooned to 26 points at 45-19. The Redskins then outscored the Bluebirds, 12-2, but Goessel regained their composure and finished the game with a final score of 61-40.
Scoring for the Bluebirds included Reimer with 24, Bryant Miller 10, Goerzen 9, Wedel 8, Braden Unruh 6, and Weston Hiebert 4.
Ell-Saline
The Goessel boys continued winning Feb. 16 against an athletic team. The league game with Ell-Saline was close early as the 13-13 score indicated. The Bluebirds scored 6 points in a row and then led at halftime, 22-15.
A 9-2 run to start the third quarter gave Goessel their largest lead, 31-17, but the Cardinals kept the game interesting.
With 2 minutes, 31 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Ell-Saline trailed 40-33 and Braden Unruh’s 11 points in the final period allowed Goessel to finish the game with a 47-37 win.
Scoring for the Bluebirds with Ell-Saline were Unruh with 16 points and three steals, Goerzen 10 points, Reimer 9, Bryant Miller scored 4 points and dished three assists. Weston Hiebert led the team with seven rebounds and 4 points. Isaac Fast sank a 3-pointer and Corey Buller scored 1 point.
Canton-Galva
The boys continued their winning streak Friday in the last regular season game with Canton-Galva. Goessel dominated the boards, 33-22, as they went on to win, 56-34.
Buller got the Bluebirds off to a good start with 6 first-quarter points and Goessel jumped out to a 15-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Seven points from Weston Hiebert in the second quarter with 5 points from Bryant Miller pushed the Bluebirds to a comfortable 29-19 lead at halftime.
After an Eagle bucket to start the second half, the Bluebirds scored 8 consecutive points. Goessel pushed their lead to its biggest margin, 51-26, as both coaches emptied the bench.
The Bluebirds coasted to a 56-34 win to get their league record to 4-7 and their overall record to 10-10.
Scoring for the Bluebirds against Canton-Galva were Hiebert with 15, Reimer 11, Unruh and Buller 8 each, Miller 5, Fast 3, and Goerzen, Brubaker, and Cameron Stultz each had 2 points.