By: Jayden Birkner
The first opponent of the week for the Musketeers was the New Athens Yellow Jackets on Jan. 28. They had a better record than the Musketeers coming into the game, but it was a very winnable opportunity for a team who had been struggling to find wins.
The Musketeers started the game out slowly offensively. They missed some looks they should have made and had a few unforced errors. Luckily, the defense played a stellar quarter and only allowed five points. Alex Kueker had six of the team’s 10 points in the quarter.
The Musketeers’ defense fell off in the second quarter. They gave up two 3-pointers and fouled a lot which led to free throws for the Yellow Jackets. The offense was able to do enough to get it tied going into the break at 24. Max Simpson hit a mid range jumper for the Musketeers in the quarter and Carter Wiegard made six free throws.
The Musketeers displayed a lot more energy in the second half, which is what they had lacked in the first half. They began to force turnovers and get easy transition buckets. The game remained close as the fourth quarter started, but the Musketeers pulled away as they scored 19 in the final quarter. Wiegard finished with 17, Kueker had 16, and Jayden Birkner had 10. The Musketeers beat the conference foe 57-42.
For more on the Musketeers, please see this week’s print edition.