Shamrocks even season series with Blue Devils
~February 1, 2008~Boys
By Michael Orr

Photos by Morgen Orr Top left: Dreher's Derrick Hallback passes from the floor while being guarded by Eau Claire's Dominic Robinson- Neal (#5) and Stanley Young (#4). Top middle: Dreher's Chris Brown and Eau Claires David Kearse fight for position for a pass. Top right: Eau Claire's Stanley Young shoots over Dreher's Sylvester McCrae (#25) in the fourth quarter.

Eau Claire led Dreher for almost the entire game, pulling out a 62- 52 victory on the road February 1. Stanley Young's 20 points led the Shamrocks and David Kearse added 18 more to give Eau Claire a season split with the Blue Devils.

Each team struggled mightily to score in the opening quarter. Between unforced turnovers, missed shots and good defense, both sides were unable to get into any offensive rhythm. Young's two three-pointers in the early going gave Eau Claire an early lead, though he would temporarily leave the game midway through the first with an injured ankle. The Shamrocks ended the first quarter with a 9- 5 advantage.

The difficulty in scoring continued in the early second quarter for both teams. Dreher's 6'9" center Case Stiglbauer committed his second foul and was forced to be very passive defensively, finally opening up inside opportunities for the Shamrocks. Kearse scored six points in the quarter, all inside, stretching the Eau Claire lead. The game's pace finally picked up with just over two minutes left in the half but Dreher was unable to catch up with the Shamrocks leaving a halftime score of 23- 17 in favor of Eau Claire.

The Blue Devils opened the second half with six unanswered points, tying the score and reinvigorating the team and home fans. But Eau Claire was able to respond and inch back into the lead. The Blue Devils put together several such runs to challenge the Shamrocks, but each time Kearse would calmly answer the Dreher run and keep Eau Claire ahead. Both teams found their scoring touches in the third quarter with Dreher scoring more in the third than they had in the first half. Balanced scoring kept Eau Claire's defense off balance as Sylvester McCrae, Chris Brown and Stiglbauer all scored at least four points in the quarter. Kearse added ten to his tally in the third giving the Shamrocks a five point lead entering the fourth quarter, 41- 36.

Stiglbauer took control of the Dreher attack in the fourth, willing his way to the basket and controlling the boards. His eight points in the fourth kept the Blue Devils afloat as Eau Claire's Young and Dontell Riley poured in points from all over the court. Young in particular attacked the strength of the Dreher defense, their shot blockers, drawing fouls and scoring from the free throw line. The Blue Devils switched out of their familiar zone defense to a man- to- man late in the game to try to slow the slashing attacks of Young and Riley, but it was ultimately too little, too late. Young's clutch free throws in the game's waning moments gave Eau Claire a cushion enough to breathe easily with a ten- point road victory.