LaFrentz, Milburn Shine as Decorah Tops Hempstead 73-61

It's your town. Your lives. Your stories. Make sure someone's telling them—donate to Decorah News now. DECORAH — The Decorah Boys Basketball team started their season on Monday, December 1, with an impressive home win against a quick and scrappy Dubuque Hempstead team. The Vikings closed the game with a 73-61 victory. Last season, the team finished with an impressive 22-2 record, and their hopes for this current season are just as high. "We look forward to competing each day whether it be a practice or a game, and striving for excellence in all that we do on and off the court," said Coach Jonathan Carlson, who starts his 14th season leading the Vikings. Wins are important, but like all good coaches, Coach Carlson knows that there is more at stake than just wins and losses. "If we continue to improve on a daily basis the results will take care of themselves," he said. One area of mystery going into the season is at point guard where, last season, All-State floor general Zach Driscoll led the attack. But there are plenty of possibilities for the Vikings. This season, the team returns several key seniors: All-State center Cael LaFrentz, All-District forward Noah Milburn, along with shooting guard Peyton Webb. In addition, the team is looking for solid contributions from Trevor Kuennen and Tanner Caddell, along with senior Caden Malanaphy. "[It's a] good nucleus of seniors with good size and athleticism," said Coach Carlson. Indeed, the seniors are big and athletic. LaFrentz clocks in at 6'10" while the others range from 6'1" to 6'5". And for the team's opening game against Dubuque Hempstead, it was in fact the seniors who led them to victory over a hyped-up Dubuque Hempstead team. Hempstead brought their quick energy to the opening quarter, while Decorah took a while to warm up. At the end of the first, Hempstead led 21-12. But the second quarter belonged to the Vikings who were able to clamp down defensively, holding the Mustangs to just seven points in the second quarter. The Vikings also got a lift from LaFrentz, who was busy hitting free throws, a three pointer, and several blocked shots. Getting in on the three-point action was senior Peyton Webb who lit up the net from behind the arc, giving the Vikings a much needed boost of energy. At halftime, Hempstead led 28-26, but even going into the break, the Vikings had gained the momentum, and they kept that momentum rolling into the third quarter, where the team put up a whopping 24 points while limiting Hempstead to only nine. The Vikings were hot from the behind the arc, but it was not one, not two, but three consecutive dunks from forward Noah Milburn that brought the house down, thus securing the Vikings momentum and victory. Coach Carlson was pleased with how his team responded to their slow start. "Proud of our group for battling through some early season adversity and coming together," he said. "We got in some early foul trouble especially with Noah getting three [fouls] in the first half, but thought Bryson Wemark and Davis Walter both provided us some quality minutes off the bench." Wemark, a junior, and Davis, a sophomore, both provided valuable minutes, points, and energy to the Vikings as they faced an agile and quick-footed Hempstead team. And the early season tests don't get any easier. "We will continue to work on our offensive flow and defensive rotations, as the road doesn't get any easier with Western Dubuque looming on Friday." The team travels to Western Dubuque on Friday, December 5, for their first away game. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. As of publication, there were no individual statistics available on GoBound. Elevate your inbox with the DecorahNews.com newsletter! Receive free thought-provoking articles, actionable advice and inspiring stories every week.