The early-season matchup between Sturgeon Bay and Southern Door in boys basketball was all Clippers, as they came away with a 76–40 victory Friday night on U102.1.

 

While both teams look much different than they have in years past, the Clippers have used the few extra games they have played this season to fine-tune their ship more effectively on this night. This was the Clippers’ sixth game, compared to the Eagles’ third.

 

The Clippers jumped out to an early lead behind the hot hand of Ben Ash, who dominated the entire first half. Even if he had been the only scorer for Sturgeon Bay, he still would have held the halftime lead. Ash scored 19 first-half points alone, compared to the Eagles’ 17 total team points. It took Lauden Berg several minutes to score the first eight points for the Eagles, and Southern Door trailed 40–17 at the halftime break.

The second half featured a more spread-out scoring effort for both squads, though it still favored Sturgeon Bay. The Clippers won the second half 36–23. Late in the game, both coaches sent full squads of substitutes onto the floor as the outcome had been decided well before the clock hit zeros.

 

Leading scorers for the Clippers were Ben Ash with 30 points, Jaxzen Bleck and Siggy Hansen with 10 each, and Rylan Ruenger with nine. Southern Door was led by Lauden Berg with 14 points, Ryker Lohrey added six, and Talon Mueller contributed five.

The Clippers now have a brief break before heading to Big Foot on December 30. The Eagles return to action Thursday, December 18, at home against Algoma. You can listen to that game live by joining Jacob Nate at 6:45 for the pregame show, followed by the 7:00 tipoff.