Red Devil boys future is now

The future of Noxon Red Devil basketball is not on the horizon – it is out there on the floor right now.

Going without two starters and utilizing four eighth graders as high school roster players, the Noxon boys lost a pair of District 14C conference games last week, falling 61-24 at St. Regis Friday and 47-33 to Plains in Noxon Saturday.

The Devils wrap up regular season play visiting St. Regis Friday and hosting Plains Saturday for senior night in Noxon. The District 14C tournament will begin next Tuesday (see other story).

With one starter out due to concussion protocol and another out for a few games with bad grades, Noxon coach Ben Johnson focused the instruction mode last week, playing eight graders for significant stretches of time in the varsity games last week.

In fact, Johnson wanted to concentrate the focus of this week’s Red Devil boys report on the Noxon junior varsity team being coached by Jared Mellott. The Noxon JV won their game in St. Regis as eight grader Brian Ortwein-Risch led the Devils, scorching the nets for 29 points.

Fellow eight graders Ian Brown and Sam Burgess added four and three points each. Charles Boehme scored 13 points, Sam Christensen five and Nate Cano two.

“I wanted to give Jared and his boys some credit because they have really been having a great season,” Johnson said, “and because these kids are the future of Noxon basketball.”

In the varsity game with St. Regis, Cano scored a team-high nine points, Wyatt Lackner added six, Otwein-Risch four, Jared Webley and Derreck Christensen two each and Burgess one.

Caleb Ball scored 16 points for St. Regis, Andrew Sanford 15 and Tanner Day 13.

Against Plains, Derreck Christensen and Lackner scored eight points each to lead Noxon, Cano added seven, and Cade VanVleet and Ortwein-Risch five apiece.

See other story for Plains scoring.