Mason Huth helped Omro build a 12-point lead in the second half.
The Foxes nearly saw it slip away.
A few key stops in the final couple possessions helped Omro escape with a 68-65 road Flyway win against Winnebago Lutheran on Thursday night.
Huth had a team-high 21 points, with 17 coming in the second half after having to sit nearly half of the first half with two fouls.
"It's never easy to sit that long and then get back into it, but he did a good job getting warmed up at halftime," coach Steven Egan said. "He was patient, he didn't force anything, he let the game come to him."
Huth scored 9 straight points starting at the 7:31 mark of the second half, building Omro's lead to 60-48. That spurt included a deep 3-pointer with a defender in his face.
Huth said he stayed patient, trusting his teammates would pick him up until he got going.
"We knew we had to be patient," Huth said. "I know we've got other guys that can score the ball, I couldn't try to do everything by myself. [I had to] trust other guys to get the ball, I knew my points were going to come.
"I'm not really too hoggy on getting my points. A win is a win, I couldn't care less how many points I have."
WLA (2-3 overall, 1-1 in Flyway) rallied in the final minutes behind junior guard Gannan Schwartz, who had a game-high 23 points.
Schwartz made numerous floaters in the second half and also found Miles McAuly for a pair of late buckets. McAuly finished with 13 points.
"It's always tough to come in here and play," Egan said. "WLA is always going to play hard and obviously, Gannan Schwartz is a heck of a player.
"[Huth] and Gannan were kind of going back and forth. Score here, score there, it was fun to watch."
WLA cut the deficit to 4 twice before finally getting it down to 68-65. Marcus Christensen had an open look from 3 to tie it on the final possession but missed the shot.
Omro (3-1, 1-1) got 13 points each from Blake Stachura and Lucas Kasuboski. Egan said the team is still experiencing some inconsistency early in the season as players adapt to new or expanded roles.
"We're going through some growing pains, but they're coming along," Egan said. "That's what matters at this time of the year, as long as we're improving."
PHOTO GALLERY: Omro at WLA boys basketball - 12/12/2024
Comments