STEPHEN-ARGYLE DEFEATS CLIMAX-FISHER IN CLOSE BATTLE 68-63

The Stephen-Argyle Storm Boys Basketball team defeated the Climax-Fisher Knights in the First Round of the Section 8A Boys Basketball Tournament with a close 68-63 win. 

FIRST HALF-
In the first half, Jarrett Steinmetz got the first basket of the game for Climax-Fisher to give the Knights the early advantage. Blaine Smith answered later with a free throw line jumper for Stephen-Argyle’s first basket. Ty Torrence got an and one for the Knights to make it 8-4 with the Knights leading. Anders Thompson hit three threes for the Storm to give them a 17-12 lead. Steinmetz answered with a scoop shot off the glass to make it 17-14. Ethan Evitts tied it up at 20 with a layup down low for the Knights. Jake Carlson got an offensive rebound and put it back up and in for the Storm to pull them ahead 22-20. Dylan Widner knocked down a three for the Storm to give them a 25-22 lead. Ryan Morris for Climax-Fisher got an and one to tie the game at 25 apiece. Gabe Wentzel hit a three for the Knights to make it 28-25. Towards the end of the half, Shay Setterholm connected from downtown for Stephen-Argyle to make it 33-31 as Climax-Fisher held the two-point lead at the half. 

SECOND HALF –
In the second half, Smith got a layup for the Storm to tie it up at 33 after the first couple of minutes were full of great defense by both sides. Tyler Evitts banged home a very deep three for the Knights to give them a 38-33 lead. Widner answered with a three to tie it at 38 and got an and one to go up by two. On his free throw, he missed it, but Rylan Anderson got the offensive rebound and banked it in to go up 42-38. Morris answered with two jumpers to tie the game at 42. Steinmetz got a feed down low, and he was able to connect on a reverse layup to give the Knights a 46-45 lead. Morris later on came up with a steal and capped off the fastbreak with a two-handed slam to make it 48-45. Caden Pagnac for Stephen-Argyle hit a three to tie it up at 48. Ethan Evitts responded with a layup down low to make it 50-48 with Climax-Fisher in the lead. Widner got a layup on the other end as he tied it at 50. Setterholm hit a three for the Storm to make it 54-52 with Stephen-Argyle in the lead. Blaine Smith went off the glass with his floater to give the Storm a 60-52 lead with only a few minutes left. Stephen-Argyle made their free throws late to keep their lead above one possession as the Storm won 68-63.