East Mills boys basketball off to 4-0 start

    The East Mills boys basketball team had its 20-point first-half lead trimmed to as few as six in the second half before a fourth quarter Wolverines run put Sidney away 53-38 in Corner Conference basketball on Friday.

    “We didn’t shoot it well but thankfully neither did they,” East Mills coach Kevin Schafer said.
    The Wolverines (4-0 overall, 3-0 in the conference) started quick, built an early 20-point lead and went into a lull in the third quarter that allowed the Cowboys to chip away at the lead.
    “We got a quick start and communicated on defense as well as we have all season but we let down a little bit and let them back in,” Schafer said. “I was very pleased with how we shot free throws.”
    East Mills shot just 36.3 percent (16-of-44) from the field but made 17-of-23 at the free throw line compared to the Cowboys’ 8-of-19 shooting  and just 16-of-44 from the field. The Wolverines also held a 31-29 rebound edge.
    Luke Schafer led East Mills with 14 points. Colden Hillyer added 12 points and five rebounds.
    Sidney was led by Casey Cruickshank’s 14 points and 10 rebounds.

East Mills 59,
Essex 38
    East Mills’ Daniel Duysen scored a game-high 18 points and added six rebounds and six assists in a 59-39 victory over Essex last Tuesday.
    “We started slow and it took us a little while to get going,” East Mills coach Kevin Schafer said. “We finally got it going in the third quarter by shooting better.”
    The Wolverine defense held the Trojans to 35.1 percent (13-of-37) shooting from the field while holding a 30-23 rebounding edge. The Wolverines shot 47.2 percent from the field (26-of-55).
    Duysen  hit 6-of-9 shots, including 3-of-5 from behind the arc, for his season-high 18 points.
    “He hit some shots early and got some confidence and our guys did a good job finding him,” East Mills coach Kevin Schafer said of Duysen.
    Pierre Bassich added 10 points and six rebounds for East Mills.
    Luke Schafer chipped in with nine points and Colden Hillyer eight.
    Jordan Jones scored 18 points to lead Essex.