LINCOLN – East Butler's defense gave Elmwood-Murdock an unpleasant experience in the East Central Nebraska Conference tournament early Saturday morning.
East Butler forced 26 turnovers and held the E-M boys to single-digit scoring in all four quarters during a 41-24 victory. Elmwood-Murdock hit 7 of 32 field goals in the consolation contest and did not make a second-half shot until Jake Kuhlman's 3-pointer with 51 seconds to play in the game.
“Their defensive pressure really hurt us and caused us to turn it over way too many times,” E-M head coach Terry Warner said. “That was the key to the game. They turned us over and capitalized on our turnovers, and we didn't get many shots at the basket as a result. When you turn the ball over, that's how many opportunities you miss to shoot at the basket and get the ball in.”
Both teams endured rough stretches to begin the game, as the schools combined for eight points and 12 turnovers in the first four minutes of action. East Butler's Ryley Cidlik, Alan Vandenberg and Vincent Aerts all scored baskets in the final 1:40 of the first quarter, and four straight Cameron Smith free throws gave the Tigers an 18-12 lead 1:16 before the break. Elmwood-Murdock's Zach Zobel found Sam Burtch for a layup with 56 seconds left before halftime to keep E-M within 18-14.
East Butler took over the game after halftime by cranking up its defensive pressure even more. The Tigers used eight third-quarter turnovers to build a 30-16 lead, and the team forced three E-M giveaways in the first two minutes of the fourth period to go up 32-18. Warner gave his bench players the chance to see court time the rest of the way.
Aerts led all scorers with 14 points and he added three steals for East Butler (11-4). Cidlik had 11 points and Smith scored 10 points.
Zobel and Matt Rorie both led Elmwood-Murdock (8-9) with five points apiece. Kuhlman had three points and Burtch, Tyler Drueke, Jordan Steffen, Lance Steffen and Adam Neels all had two points. Lance Steffen led E-M's defense with three steals.
Elmwood-Murdock will finish the regular season with road games at Mead Feb. 13 and at Louisville Feb. 19. Warner said the team is aiming to finish the season on a positive note.
“We've still got two more games and then we've got subdistricts, and all you have to do there is win three,” Warner said. “We just have to go back to work and work on taking better care of the basketball. Turnovers have been our big thing all year. We just have to go back and try to get better.”
East Butler 14 4 12 11 – 41
Elmwood-Murdock 9 5 2 8 – 24
East Butler (41)
Smith 2-5 6-7 10 Cidlik 4-6 3-4 11, Pernicek 1-2 0-0 2, Vandenberg 1-2 0-0 2, Aerts 5-8 4-6 14, Niemann 0-1 0-0 0, Kost 0-0 0-0 0, Pierce 0-1 2-4 2, Nielsen 0-0 0-0 0, Chadwick 0-0 0-0 0, Kubik 0-0 0-0 0, Erickson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-25 15-21 41.
Elmwood-Murdock (24)
Vavak 0-4 0-2 0, Zobel 2-9 0-2 5, Burtch 1-2 0-0 2, L. Steffen 1-4 0-0 2, Rorie 2-7 1-1 5, Hohman 0-0 0-0 0, Kuenning 0-0 0-0 0, Drueke 0-0 2-2 2, J. Steffen 0-1 2-2 2, Kuhlman 1-4 0-0 3, Neels 0-0 2-3 2, Boeckman 0-0 1-2 1, Schwaller 0-0 0-0 0, Luetchens 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 7-32 8-14 24.
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