January 29, 2022 – Jackson, WI – The longstanding rivalry between Kettle Moraine Lutheran and Plymouth brought plenty of weight and drama to this game, which was further enhanced by it being KML’s senior night.
The contest was evenly matched throughout, as both teams played a gritty and aggressive style.
The Chargers struggled on offense early, mostly in creating space for shots, and rebounding during offensive drives.
The Chargers were still able to physically impose their will on the Panthers defensively, and although the Chargers entered halftime down 46-40, they made the Panthers work for every basket.
Undeterred by score, the Chargers brought the same energy of the first half, only to be stopped by Plymouth’s defense, whom prevented KML from gaining consistent offensive momentum.
The Panthers also got a boost from their three-point shooting, as the Chargers were chasing a 4 to 12 point Panthers’ lead throughout the entire second half. Ultimately, despite a great all-around effort, the Chargers fell to the Panthers’ 82-72.
The Chargers’ leading scorer was senior Austin Wagner who 28 points. For Plymouth, senior Jake Steinhardt was the top scorer with 15 points.
KML head coach Joshua Lindner gave a lot of credit to Plymouth and their preparation to play and beat his team, “they were more physical than us, knocked down their open shots and had a great gameplan.”
Lindner also took time to acknowledge his seniors for their work, equating the team to a family. Family is a key conception in many religions, especially Catholicism, so when asked what impact religion has on his family of players Lindner said “as a family, we always talk about God’s love for us he died in the cross for our sins and because of that we have the opportunity to play this game. Everything we do is for him; it drives us to be at our best.”
KML still sit atop the East Central Conference with a 14-3 (6-1 in conference record) and will look to rebound in their next game at Kewaskum on Tuesday February 1 with a 7:15 p.m. tip-off. Plymouth will definitely look to follow up on this win and (8-9, 4-3) has a non-conference game against Martin Luther next on February 1 at 7:15 p.m.