How they Drew it up: Bowers scores career-high as fast-paced Zebras beat Culver in opener

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

CULVER — Things are moving quickly for the Rochester boys basketball team.

Last year, they played 21 games and never scored 70 points in a game.

But in their first game of this season, they routed host Culver 70-35 at John R. Nelson Gymnasium Nov. 22.

Drew Bowers scored a career-high 19 points, Tanner Reinartz had 13, and Owen Prater had 12 for Rochester, who defeated Culver for the seventh consecutive year in their annual Thanksgiving Eve opener.

Twelve different Zebras scored.

Adria Guasp, a foreign exchange student from Spain making his Culver debut, led the Cavaliers with 15 points on five 3-pointers.

David Hite, a junior and Culver’s most experienced player, picked up his third foul with 3:47 left in the first half, and Rochester went on a 19-3 run with him on the bench to take a 39-19 lead at halftime.

Sophomore Jack Reffett triggered the run with a 3-pointer from the right wing, and Bowers, a junior who led the Zebra JV in scoring last year, scored 10 points during that run.

Reinartz scored all of his points in the first half, including a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer and a pull-up 18-footer during the run. Bowers found Robert Bozzo for a layup to complete the run.

“David Hite got in foul trouble, and we had to take him out,” Culver coach Kyle Evans said. “The moment we took him out, everything kind of fell apart. … We just didn’t have the decision-making up top that he gives us. Once he went out, it turned into turnovers and layups for them, so you can’t guard that.”

Prater hit a pair of 15-foot jumpers from the high post in the third quarter and later scored on a bay jumper from the left baseline to make it 48-25.

He had a putback and a steal and a layup in the fourth quarter as part of another 19-0 run as the lead reached 69-28.

The team continually looked to push the ball upcourt off defensive rebounds and Culver turnovers.

“Well, it’s been a point of emphasis in the offseason, knowing who we had coming back,” Rochester coach Rob Malchow said of the uptempo style. “Really, at any point in time, everybody that’s on the floor can either handle it a little or a lot. We trust them. Now obviously, we give more responsibility to some than others, but every single one of the guys that took the floor tonight has the skill to take a couple dribbles, look up and find somebody that’s out front.”

The starting lineup consisted of Bowers, Reinartz, Prater, Bryce Baugher and Dylan Hook. Only Reinartz is a returning starter from the team that lost 54-43 to Lewis Cass in the sectional semifinals in March. Prater, Bowers and Baugher split time between the varsity and JV last year, and Hook did not play at all.

“So we just put that in last year, but we didn’t really execute it well, so over the summer and the first month of practice, that’s what we were focused on is getting the ball up ahead, look ahead and run fast,” Bowers said.

Bowers said he identifies as a point guard.

“I play-make for the team, but if I need to score or if I’m open, I think I’m capable of doing it,” Bowers said.

Rochester also had a 21-6 advantage in bench points. Carson Paulik pressured Culver on top of the Zebras’ zone defense and added six points, including a transition bucket just before the third quarter buzzer. Jack Reffett hit two of the Zebras’ four 3-pointers and also had six points.

“The thing is with our bench, I don’t know what our bench is going to be down the road,” Malchow said. “At the same time, some of those guys might end up starting some games. The bench might be a revolving situation. The thing that’s really enjoyable about these guys is they’re so competitive. Our practices are getting to be … so competitive that I think we can see our team having different lineups every now and then just because maybe a couple players have a great week of practice and look like they’re ready to go, and we do things like that.”

Culver big man Ethan Binion picked up his third foul five seconds after Hite picked up his third, and he eventually fouled out with 4:56 left in the third quarter. Hite fouled out with 2:55 left in the game.

Junior Logan Caudill, getting the first extensive varsity action of his career, scored all six of Culver’s bench points. At 6-3, he is Culver’s tallest player.

“He outworks guys, where his work ethic alleviates some other issues he has as far as maybe what he’s capable or not capable of,” Evans said. “And again, when you play as hard as that, it’s going to make you look a lot better. I thought he was the hardest-working guy on the floor tonight really, and as he continues to develop skill-wise, he’s going to be a really nice player.”

Senior Jack Rodgers did not play for Culver. He was ejected from the season-ending sectional football loss to Triton and had to serve a one-game suspension per IHSAA rules. Evans said Culver would look like a completely different team with a full complement of players.

Game notes

This marked the first boys basketball game at the renovated John R. Nelson Gymnasium. The floor, bleachers and locker rooms were upgraded.
Malchow became a grandfather for the third time on Nov. 18. His daughter Abbie Overmyer gave birth to daughter Hallie. Hallie has an older sister named Hannah. Becky Lee, Malchow’s other daughter, is mother to Caroline. Caroline’s father is former Zebra player Wilson Lee.

Rochester 70, Culver 35

ROCHESTER (70) (1-0)

Drew Bowers 6 6-7 19, Owen Prater 6 0-0 12, Bryce Baugher 2 0-0 4, Tanner Reinartz 6 0-0 13, Dylan Hook 0 1-8 1, Davis Renie 0 1-2 1, Luke Malchow 1 0-0 2, Hunter Honkomp 0 0-0 0, Robert Bozzo 1 0-0 2, Carson Paulik 3 0-0 6, Jonas Kiser 0 2-2 2, Grant Clark 1 0-0 2, Jack Reffett 2 0-0 6

TEAM: 28 10-19 70

CULVER (35) (0-1)

David Hite 2 0-1 4, Jonas McCuen 2 3-3 8, Caleb McCuen 0 2-2 2, Adria Guasp 5 0-0 15, Ethan Binion 0 0-0 0, Adam Peterson 0 0-0 0, Logan Caudill 2 1-2 6

TEAM: 11 6-8 35

Three-point field goals:

Rochester 4 (Reffett 2, Bowers, Reinartz),

Culver 7 (Guasp 5, J. McCuen, Caudill)

Total fouls: Rochester 17, Culver 20

Fouled out: Binion (CUL), 4:56, third; Hite (CUL), 2:55, fourth

Turnovers: Rochester 10, Culver 20

Score by quarters

Rochester 16 23 19 12 – 70

Culver 9 10 9 7 – 35