Christmas gift After intercepting the ball, Gunner Johnson runs down the court to score. He scored 16 points in the Cardinals 77- 47 win over Fargo South Dec. 29 during the annual Christmas school break. (Staples World photo by Kelley Kossan) The Staples Motley boys basketball team defeated the Fargo South Bears77-47 Tuesday, Dec. 29 on the Cardinal court.

Thre e Cards scored in double figures - Gunner Johnson and Jon Bristow each with 16 points and Derek Wolhowe adding 14 to lead the charge. Jordan Riewer, who had nine assists, added eight points.

“We played pretty well against Fargo South,” Coach Lynn Peterson said. He added they were able to build up a strong 20 point lead by midway through the second half. “Then they made some baskets and just like that they were within nine points. We adjusted very nicely and very quickly we were back up by 20.”

Peterson liked seeing the game have a “good flow, a comfortable pace. Everybody was in a rhythm.”

The Cards had a lot of weapons on the floor, Peterson said, with both Trevor

Wentworth and Gunner

Johnson in the guard spots. “They set a real nice tone

on defense, I’m not so sure they aren’t our best defensive players.”

He observed that this year opponents are shooting around 38 percent from the field compared to last year’s 46 to 47 percent average. “That’s about a ten point difference. Our defense has improved a lot since last year.”

Fargo South was a decent ball club, Peterson said, with players as big and as quick as Staples Motley. “We turned out to be a little more skilled, perhaps a little better athletes,” Peterson said.

Wolhowe led off the scoring with a three pointer, with Fargo’s Jayme McGillis answering with another just seconds later.

The Bears stayed close for a few minutes, until, first Jon Bristow with two baskets 30 second apart, then Gunner Johnson adding nine points in less than two minutes, to put his team up 20-9.

Long shot Cardinal Jon Bristow drops the ball in the basket, while Fargo South player Garrett Skonseng tried to defend him. Bristow scored 16 points against Fargo. (Staples World photo by Kelley Kossan) Riewer’s sharp passing gave him several assists as he fed Bristow under the basket or dished out to Wentworth.

The Cards kept control of the game, leading 36-20 at half. South narrowed that 16-point lead down to nine with 12 minutes left in the game, before Jason Johnson, Wolhowe and Bristow scored seven points for a 52-36 advantage. From then on the lead just continued to grow, even after bench players came in for both teams in the closing three minutes.

This week the Cards are off until the Target Center spotlight hits them at noon on Saturday against Minnesota Transitions, a Class 1A team that pushed Crosby-Ironton to the wire in the C-I Christmas tournament.

C-I and No. 1 rated Plainview Elgin-Millville play immediately after the SM game on the Target Center floor. Staples Motley will host Detroit Lakes here next Tuesday, Jan. 12, prior to a Jan. 14 contest at Perham.

After six games, Bristow, Wolhowe and Riewer are the leading scorers for the Cards, with both Bristow and Wolhowe at 78 points (13 ppg) and Riewer with 77 (12.8).

Riewer at 48 leads in rebounding, with Wolhowe close behind with 44. Wolhowe has the most offensive rebounds, with 16, followed by Bristow with 13.

Riewer is averaging nine assists a game and has 54 total, with no other

Cardinals close.

Riewer also holds the ‘deadeye’ award, shooting 13 for 32 for 40 percent from behind the arc, even when some of his three-point shots start out in downtown Motley.

Boys results Dec. 29 Fargo South 20 27 - 47

Staples Motley 36 41 - 77

Fargo South (41): Taylor Poss 9, Matthew Wawers 6, Jayme McGillis 4, Ronald Kazane 2, Bradley Shaw 10, Gabriel Deng 2, Andrew Okland 10, David Ernst 4. 3-point baskets: 2 (Poss, McGillis).

Staples Motley (77): Trevor Wentworth 7, Gunner Johnson 16, Jason Johnson 9, Jordan Peterson 5, Derek Wolhowe 14, Jordan Riewer 8, Brandon Larson 2, Jon Bristow 16. 3-point baskets: 8 (G. Johnson 3, Wolhowe 2, Wentworth, Peterson, Riewer).