December 8, 2020 – Slinger, Wi – The Slinger Owls boys varsity basketball team hosted North Shore Conference rival West Bend East Suns in a heated Tuesday night matchup.
Early in the game both teams struggled in the paint with a great deal of turnovers and fouls. This highly defensive battle led to a 19-19 tie at the half.
However, in the second half the Suns kicked their game into the next gear starting off with an 8-0 scoring run.
This momentum shift also brought the Suns bench, which was active all game, to a new level of energy with players constantly rooting their teammates on.
While Slinger had a lot of fire, the team failed to stop the Suns from making several key rebounds. The Owls also racked up 19 total team fouls compared to 10 for the Suns.
West Bend East senior George Seaman led all scorers with a game high 18 points, while the Owls top scorer was senior Aydan Dautermann with 10 points.
Post-game Suns’ head coach Charles Ruffing talked about how he was able to get his players so energized, especially those on from the bench. “It is all about the culture we are trying to build as a coaching staff,” he said. “To bring a positive, energy (driven) culture, and bringing that energy on or off the court for the full 40 minutes, no matter where you are on the team.”
Ruffing is a young coach in his first year with the Suns after previously coaching as an assistant at Wisconsin Lutheran College.
Ruffing was quick to praise the poise and leadership of five (out of eight) seniors on the team. “It would be a disservice to all their hard work to single just one senior,” he said. “It is a great collective of guys who give their all, in practice and on the court.”
Slinger’s next game is a conference match at home against Nicolet (Glendale) on Friday, December 11 with a 7:15 p.m. tip-off.
West Bend East plays at home against Homestead (Mequon) on Thursday, December 10 at 7:15 p.m.
In other scores: Slinger girls varsity beat West Bend East 58-39.
