Points in Reserve

Tebon scoring off the bench at UW-Eau Claire

by KEVIN BONESKE kevin@ppulse.com

Gunnar Tebon went on a scoring spree last month coming off the bench for the University of WisconsinEau Claire men’s basketball team.

The 2020 Sturgeon Bay High School graduate scored a college-career-high 33 points Jan. 18 in the Blugolds’ 95-86 victory over UW-Stout. He saw 24 minutes of action, shooting 9-11 from the field and 5-7 from 3-point range, and made all 10 of his free throws.

“I would just have to say that the ball was kind of coming my way that night, and the opportunities were given me that I just had the chance to knock down shots,” Tebon said.

Though he tallied as many as 35 points in a high school game during his senior season, when he averaged 22.2 points per contest, Tebon said scoring 33 points at the college level “felt like 45.”

“Everything you shot was just going in, and the atmosphere was different,” he said. “It definitely felt way different than high school at the collegiate level.”

Tebon, a junior, tallied 16 points Feb. 4 during a 89-77 loss to UW-Whitewater, and he’s averaging 6.8 points per game in 17 appearances for the season.

Notes

Girls Basketball

Sevastopol’s girls basketball team celebrates clinching the 2022-23 Packerland Conference championship following

Monday’s 59-23 victory at NEW Lutheran.

SubMITTeD

Pioneers Clinch

Girls Hoops Title

Sevastopol’s girls basketball team clinched the 2022-23 Packerland Conference title Monday with a 59-23 victory at NeW Lutheran. bailey rikkola led the Pioneers with a game-high 20 points. Naomi rikkola and reese Schauske added 10 points apiece. Sevastopol, which improved to 14-0 in the conference and 21-1 overall, received a No. 2 seed in Division 5 in the WIaa girls basketball tournament.

The Pioneers have an opening-round bye and will host a regional semifinal feb. 24 against the winner of the regional quarterfinal

Tebon said basketball at the Division III collegiate level is more physically demanding than in high school.

“Everyone’s good; everyone’s skilled; and everyone’s just big and strong, and you’ve got to work much harder than you did in high school,” he said. “It’s definitely an eye-opener when you get to college.”

As a reserve, Tebon said the amount of time he’ll have on the court will depend on the strategy of head coach Matt Siverling and the personnel the Blugolds face from the other team.

“You just kind of always be ready on the bench, and when you get your opportunity, you’ve got to make the most of it,” he said.

Tebon originally committed to playing NCAA Division III basketball at Ripon College out of high school before ending up at UW-Eau Claire, where he is in his second season on the team.

“I really liked the teammates I had there [at Ripon], and the coach was really great, but I wanted to play in the best Division III conference I could, so I decided to transfer to Eau Claire,” he said. “I had a couple of buddies here that helped make the transfer a little easier, and I think everything’s been adjusted pretty well, and I’m really happy with the decision I made.” feb. 21 between No. 7-seeded Suring and No. 10-seeded bowler.

Eagles Edge Past Storm

allianna Dufek made a putback field goal with 7 seconds left to play Monday to lift Southern Door’s girls basketball team to a 58-56 Packerland Conference victory at Kewaunee.

ashlyn Delfosse led four eagle players in double figures with 18 points, followed by Dufek with 14 points, Payton Gilbertson with 13 points and Callie Miller scoring 11 more.

Southern Door (8-7, 13-10) was scheduled to close out the regular season Thursday hosting NeW Lutheran. In Division 4, Southern Door received a No. 8 seed and will host a regional quarterfinal game feb. 21 against No. 9-seeded algoma. The eagles won both of the Packerland Conference games this season against the Wolves.

Vikings Victorious Over Clippers

Gibraltar led by 15 points at halftime and went on to win at home in Packerland Conference action Monday over Sturgeon bay, 61-35.

Mikala Gorham led the Vikings with a game-high 21 points. andie Schar added 16 points, and Colleen Carlisle scored 13 more.

autumn rass and Dasha yeltysheva led the Clippers with 13 points apiece.

Gibraltar (2-13, 4-19) was scheduled to close out the regular season Thursday with a league game at algoma. Gibraltar received

Tebon credits former Sturgeon Bay boys basketball coach Jim Benesh, who passed away last year, for helping him be able to play at UW-Eau Claire.

“He was a really good mentor to me, and he actually was the one that helped me transfer from Ripon to Eau Claire,” he said. “He kind of opened the door to me, and he was a really great coach. I really miss him a lot. I think a lot of people in Door County do.”

Tebon said basketball has helped him in every way in life.

“I have relationships that I never would have had without it – coaches, players, friends,” he said. “I love it. Basketball is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.” a No. 13 seed in Division 5 and will play a regional quarterfinal game feb. 21 at No. 4-seeded Niagara. Sturgeon bay (0-15, 2-20) was slated to host its regular-season finale Thursday against Kewaunee. Sturgeon bay received a No. 11 seed in its Division 3 regional quarterfinal game feb. 21 at No. 6-seeded Clintonville.

Baseball

Southern Door Coach Resigns

The Southern Door School board on Monday accepted the resignation of Dave Neinas as the eagles’ varsity baseball coach, athletic director Mark Jonas stated in an email message to the Peninsula Pulse Jonas said the vacancy is being posted this week, after which the district will field applicants and conduct interviews. The district will have slightly more than a month to hire a new head coach before the WIaa allows high school baseball teams to begin official practices March 20. Southern Door’s schedule has a season-opening home doubleheader set for april 1 against Sevastopol.

The eagles won the Packerland Conference title the past two seasons with Neinas as head coach.

Wrestling 4 EAGLES ADVANCE

TO SECTIONAL four Southern Door wrestlers – Mason Motquin, Wyatt Wilke, Hayden Jeanquart and Cody Nellis – advanced to next

Tebon said his goal is to start his senior season at UW-Eau Claire.

“I think there’s maybe a decent chance of that happening next year, but if not, hopefully to be a solid role player next year,” he said.

Tebon, who is majoring in marketing with a minor in business, said he plans to one day take over his father Jeff’s business, Culligan Water Conditioning of Sturgeon Bay, where he has helped out since he was very young.

“There’s always a chance that I might want to be interested in playing overseas ball, or maybe just coming home right away and taking over the business,” he said. “I would just have to see how the next couple of years go and if I’ve got some means left to play, I guess.”

Saturday’s individual sectional tournament at Wrightstown.

Southern Door recorded third-place regional finishes from Motquin (wrestling at 120 pounds) and Wilke (132), while Jeanquart (160) and Nellis (182) finished fourth.

Sturgeon bay/Sevastopol qualified two wrestlers for the sectional, with ben roman (285) placing second and Zak Wrobel (170) coming in third.

Sturgeon bay/Sevastopol’s Spencer Madsen (126) finished fifth.

The top three in each weight class at the sectional will advance to the state tournament feb. 23-25 at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Swimming

Dcu Boys Swimmers

At D1 Sectional

7TH

The Door County united (DCu) boys swimming team closed out its season feb. 11 with a seventh place finish at the WIaa Division 1 sectional in Neenah.

“In our first year swimming at D1, we proved that we could compete against some really talented competition and found our way to a seventh-place finish [feb. 11] and numerous podium swims,” said DCu head coach erin Peterson.

DCu placed in the top six in seven events, with the team’s best finish recorded by race Kasten, Jack Monfils, Colton blackley and Logan filar placing fourth in the 200-yard medley relay with a season-best time of 1 minute, 44.03 seconds.