By David Paulsen
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
Playing four of their first five Southern Lakes Conference games on the road looked like a challenging task when the season began. The Union Grove High School boys’ basketball team has done quite well, though, emerging with a 4-1 SLC record after those five games.
“Road wins in the Southern Lakes are good,” noted head coach David Pettit.
The latest road win was a 55-44 victory at Elkhorn Dec. 22. Pettit said it was the first time the Broncos had defeated Elkhorn at Elkhorn since Union Grove rejoined the SLC three years ago.
“A big win,” Pettit added.
The win kept the Bronco boys tied for first place with Burlington, and improved their overall record to 6-2.
Union Grove got off to a good start with a 12-2 lead after one quarter.
Elkhorn, little by little, whittled away at that lead, cutting it to 25-18 at the half and 37-33 after three periods.
The closest the Elks got was two points, but Pettit noted that “every time they made a move, we responded.” As a result, the Broncos never relinquished the lead.
Union Grove’s lead fluctuated between three and six points throughout most of the fourth quarter before pulling away in the final three minutes. The Broncos did well at the foul line, making 12 of 18 in the game.
“To hold onto the lead, you have to knock down free throws,” Pettit noted.
The Bronco boys had five players score between nine and 11 points. That balanced scoring has been a key for the team throughout the season.
“We really have six or seven guys that can score,” Pettit said.
Grayson Catania and Matt Wolff led the team with 11 points each.
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