Pointers survive challenge from Cuba City for OT win

The free throw line can be your best friend or your worst nightmare.

Thursday night for the Mineral Point boys basketball team it was a little of each. And it played a key role in the Pointers’ 54-51 overtime win over upstart Cuba City.

The free throw line was fickle in regulation play for the Pointers as the time wound down. Usually very successful from 15 feet away the Pointers missed the front end of bonus throws three times in the last 90 seconds. They also had a trio of rim shots that did not fall.  So, four extra minutes of free basketball were awarded to the fans.

Jaxson Wendhausen does what he does best and that is swish three  pointers. His trey in overtime was the lone Pointer basket.  The Pointers scored the first five points of the extra frame and never looked back.

The rest of the extra  period scoring came from the free throw line that only minutes earlier had been foreign territory. The Pointers got the ball in Eli Lindsey’s hands and he made five of six attempts. Post Jacob Phillips also drew a foul and was one for two.

Those points allowed the Pointers to outscore the Cubans 9-6 in the extra period for the win.

The Pointers had five players score in the game and four made it to double figures. Wendhausen led with 15, Drew Aschliman added 13, Lindsey 12 and Keaton Dempsey put in 11 coming off the bench.

Mineral Point coach Dan Burreson was relieved to see the Pointers earn the win.

“I am proud of how our guys battled.” Burreson said. “I thought we played very well defensively. Offensively we had great balance but we need to move the ball better at times.  It is a matter of consistency. At times we moved it really well.”  

Burreson pointed out that four guys were in double figures:.

“Jaxson Wendhausen led us with 15, Drew Aschliman added 13, Eli Lindsey 12 and Keaton Dempsey had 11,” he said. “Anytime you have four guys in double figures it is positive, but especially in a close game.” 

He also felt the Pointers did the other things needed to get the win.

“Great team effort on the boards,” he said. “Eli Lindsey, Jake Phillips and Jaxson Wendhausen each had seven while Keaton Dempsey added four.  Eli led us with four assists and Keaton had four steals.”

Gavin Vaassen led the Cubans with 15 points and Miles Hinderman added 10.

SCORE BY HALVES

Mineral Point     25   20   9    54

Cuba City           22   23   6   51

BOX SCORE

MINERAL POINT 54: (fg-ft-tp) Bossert 0-0-0, Wendhausen 6-0-15, Lindsey 2-8-12, Aschliman 5-2-13, Dannenberg 0-0-0, Dempsey 4-2-11, Potterton 0-0-0, Phillips 1-1-3 Totals 18-13/19-54. Fouls-19. Fouled out-Aschliman

CUBA CITY 51: Richard 3-1-8, Vaassen 4-7-15, Kieler 2-3-8, Hinderman 4-0-10, Ta. VanNatta 0-0-0, Tr. VanNatta 2-1-6, Richards 1-0-2, Johll 0-2-2  Totals 16-14/21-51  Fouls-19. Fouled out-Hinderman

3 point goals:

MP-Wendhausen 3, Aschliman 1, Dempsey 1

CC-Hinderman 2, Richard 1, Kieler 1, Tr. VanNatta 1