Wolves Suffer Tough Loss In Circle

The Wolf Point boys’ basketball squad played very well for three quarters, but the Wolves lost a heartbreaker in Circle, 54-49, on Tuesday, Jan. 23.

“We’re getting closer to playing a complete game,” Wolf Point Coach Cole Hanks said about the effort.

The three-point shooting of Cade Stafne and Peyton Summers led the Wolves to an 18-15 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

Behind by a 20-18 margin, the Wolves got hot with the next 10 points on two three-pointers and a turnaround shot by Stafne and a 16-footer by Lennoxx Lilley.

After a three-pointer by Rebel Mays put the Wolves up 31-24, 6-5 senior Donovan Gibbs led Circle’s efforts as the Wildcats closed the gap to 32-28 at the half.

The scoring of Jace Curtiss tied the contest at 34-34 two minutes into the third quarter, but the Wolves regained the lead with the next 13 points for a 47-34 advantage. A three-point play by Zandon Calder off an assist from Jack Kolstad started the streak.

After Stafne scored four straight points, Lilley tallied four points including a basket off a long pass from Summers to end the third quarter.

A 14-footer by Richard Campbell put Wolf Point up by a 49-37 margin with 6:17 remaining in the game, but Circle stopped Wolf Point’s offensive attack for the rest of the contest. A drive by Xavier Nasner closed the margin to 49-48 with 2:13 remaining.

The Wildcats took the lead on a basket by Tripp Wahl off a pass from Owen Beery with 1:26 remaining. A free throw by Wahl and a three-pointer by Kashua Ereaux produced the 54-49 final.

Stafne finished with 20 points for the Wolves. Lilley added eight points.

Also scoring were Campbell with six, Summers with five, Kolstad with four, Mays with three and Calder with three.

Circle’s top scorers were Beery with 11, Ereaux with 10 and Wahl with 10. Gibbs, Curtiss and Nasner scored seven points each.