Defense, shooting leads Bay Port over Ashwaubenon

SUAMICO - The Bay Port boys basketball team is going through a part of its schedule that can best described as head-shaking.

In a four-game stretch the Pirates are scheduled to play De Pere, Ashwaubenon, Pulaski and West De Pere - all ranked in the FOX 11 Top 11 boys basketball poll and with a combined record of 45-9 before Tuesday. Bay Port lost to De Pere last Friday and up next was Ashwaubenon on Tuesday.

The seventh-ranked Jaguars had won six of their last seven games and entered the game with one of the best scoring duos in the Fox River Classic Conference in 6-foot-10 Bennett Koch and 6-4 Kyle Monroe. Meanwhile, Bay Port brought in just an 8-6 overall record.

The Pirates knew they were up against it Tuesday and played like a team needing a big win. Bay Port, behind a stingy 2-3 zone defense and quality perimeter shooting beat Ashwaubenon, 71-55.

"It was a huge win for us," said Peyton Armstrong, who scored 19 points for the Pirates. "To just come out and play the way we should is a huge win for us and a big step."

Bay Port (7-3 in FRCC) set the tone early defensively that it wasn't going to be easy for the Jaguars (11-4, 7-3). The Pirates opened in a 2-3 zone and packed it in against Koch (who entered the game averaging 17.1 points per game) and Monroe (16.8).

Many times the Jaguars passed the ball around the zone but didn't attack and it slowed the offense down. Koch, who patrolled the middle of the zone, did score seven first-quarter points but was held without a shot in the second quarter, while Monroe, who was on the baseline, had two first-half points.

That enabled Bay Port to build a 28-19 halftime lead and then the start of the third quarter Bay Port established itself again with a 12-2 run to stretch the lead to 40-21.

"That was big for us," Armstrong said. "Coach said we have to come out with fire and keep going at them and that's what we did."

Koch finished with 14 points and six rebounds, while Monroe had six points and four assists. The 20 combined points were 14 points below their combined average per game.

"I think it was really big," Armstrong said of the team's defense. "We just tried to pack it into the lane and make them shoot threes and I thought it was successful."

Bay Port coach Nate Rykal doesn't play a lot of zone, but the size of Koch and Monroe forced his hand.

"We really did hold (Monroe) down," Rykal said. "He was averaging as much as Koch and rebounding the heck out of it too. It was good to take one of those guys out of it."

Bay Port's defense came to play and so did its 3-point shooters. The Pirates drilled 8 of 17 shots from beyond the arc and the ability to shoot from the perimeter limited Koch's presence on defense.

"It's a big part for us," said Armstrong, who was 4 for 4 from 3-point range. "As you can see we're not that big, so we need to really be on our outside shooting."

Overall, Bay Port was 23 for 40 from the field for 57.5 percent.

"That's what we haven't done in the other games; we haven't consistently hit shots," Rykal said. "We made them. When you make shots, that helps you win. It was a great shooting game for us. If we shoot like this we have a great chance to beat anyone."

Up next for Bay Port is a trip Friday to No. 3 Pulaski, which may be playing the best among all FRCC teams. Just another tough game for the Pirates.

"It's really tough," Armstrong said of the team's stretch. "We just have to stay focused and do what we're supposed to do."

Bay Port is two games behind De Pere and Pulaski in the FRCC race so it's iffy if it can grab a piece of the conference title. If not, piling up wins for the postseason to get a good seed is the goal.

"That's what we're looking for more wins, we've had some letdowns," Armstrong said. "We just gotta keep going game by game and get some wins."

• 3-pointers: The teams combined for 55 points in the fourth quarter. ...  Eddie Mattia (8 for 12 from the field) led Ashwaubenon with 19 points. ... Bay Port had 21 assists and five turnovers, while Ashwaubenon had 12 assists and 13 turnovers.
• Game ball: Armstrong, who was on the mark on offense and helped check Koch on defense.
• Numbers game: 57.5 Percent Bay Port shot from the field.

BAY PORT 71, (7) ASHWAUBENON 55
Ashwaubenon....12   7   10  26  — 55
Bay Port...............16  12  14  29 — 71

Ashwaubenon (11-4, 7-3): Eddie Mattia 19, Kyle Monroe 6, Bennett Koch 14, Jake Imig 9, Jack Messenger 2, Zak Imig 5. Sam Wisneski 1. 3-pointers: 6 (Mattia 3, Imig 3). Totals: 20 9-13 55.
Bay Port (9-6, 7-3): Steven Minzlaff 13, Ryan Frieder 10, Ty Sagal 11, Peyton Armstrong 19, Ryan Grabig 10, Ryan Fuglestad 2, Zac Jahnke 2, Zach Lorbeck 4. 3-pointers: 8 (Frieder 2, Sagal 1, Armstrong 4, Grabig 1). Totals: 23 17-23 71.

Follow Doug Ritchay on Twitter @dougritchay

doug.ritchay@wluk.com