Nevis jumped out to a 15-6 lead and never trailed in handing Nashwauk-Keewatin a 57-43 setback in a battle of two of the state’s top Class A boys basketball teams at Nashwauk on Tuesday, Feb. 9.

Eddie Kramer hit three 3-pointers and Derek Lindow connected on a 3-pointer to give the Tigers the early lead. Nevis carried a 33-22 lead into the intermission and sealed the win when Lindow hit 10 of 11 free throws and Ty Warrington scored on a pair of layups down the stretch.

Lindow’s 23 points and three assists and Kramer’s 20 points led the Tigers, who entered this game rated No. 1 in the state Class A poll. Warrington scored eight points and had two steals and Jack McNamee had five steals, four rebounds and four assists. Cain Mitchell grabbed five rebounds and Joe Houchin had two steals as Nevis improved to 8-0 on the season.

Nashwauk-Keewatin, which was rated No. 8 in the state Class A poll, fell to 6-2.

“We got off to a great start against a very good Nashwauk team. They started three guys over 6 feet, 5 inches (tall), so we knew that we would have our hands full in the paint. We rose to the occasion and really frustrated them defensively,” said Nevis head coach Scott Kramer. “McNamee and Mitchell were the key defensively in the paint and our ball pressure on the perimeter didn’t give them many good looks. I was really impressed with our guys getting after them defensively to set the tone for the entire game. It was a great win for us at their place.”

Nevis girls fall

Ramsey Tulenchik scored 23 points as Pine River-Backus defeated the Nevis girls basketball team 73-34 in a Northwoods Conference game at Pine River on Tuesday, Feb. 9.

Rylie Hirschey added 20 points as PR-B improved to 4-0 in the conference, 5-0 against Section 5A teams and 6-0 overall. PR-B, which was rated No. 11 in the latest state Class A poll, outscored the Tigers 31-11 in the second half after leading 42-23 at the break.

Ava Isaacson (8), Kayli Bessler (8) and Makenna Frazier (6) combined for 22 points for the Tigers, who fell to 3-3 in the conference, 1-3 against section teams and 4-4 overall this season. Nevis played without starting point guard Addison Lindow.

“We went into the game against a power opponent missing our floor leader,” said Nevis head coach Paul Schroeder. “Regardless of the score, the girls never quit playing hard. It was definitely a challenging night, both physically and mentally, but their attitudes and outlook are still intact. We will try to regroup, get back out on the floor and compete again.”

NEVIS: Isaacson 8, Bessler 8, Frazier 6, Stacey 4, Funk 3, Mitchell 3, DeWulf 2.

PINE RIVER-BACKUS: Tulenchik 23, Hirschey 20, Adkins 9, Hanneken 9, Dahl 6, Johnson 4, Borman 2.

Halftime: PR-B 42, Nevis 23.