Reading varsity boys basketball shuts down Addison in 57-25 victory

READING — In the second of Reading's four-game homestretch, the Rangers were looking to bounce back from a home loss to conference rival Homer on Jan. 11. The Rangers' high powered offense was unable to take advantage of their offensive opportunities and fell behind early. The Rangers were determined to not let it happen again as they battled the Addison Panthers in a non-conference showdown. 

Head coach Brett Kerspilo and the Rangers did just that as they shut down Addison and held the Panthers to zero points in the second quarter. After starting the game with a 11-11 tie, the Rangers would only give up 14 more points in the remaining three quarters to beat Addison 57-25. The Rangers' offense bounced back to score 57 points, seven points short of doubling their effort against Homer. 

Addison, who is now 2-5 on the season, has scored less than 30 points in two of the past three games. The Rangers had a 21-5 scoring advantage in the third quarter, enough to pull the rangers away for the 30-plus lead differential. 

It was a true all-around offensive effort from the Rangers, which saw every player on the roster score points. 

Senior Eli Irelan scored 10 points to lead the Rangers. Junior Colton Wiler scored seven points. Junior Maverick Messenger scored seven points. Senior Nico Kersten scored seven points. Junior Zac Affholter scored seven points. Senior Cole Webster added six points. Junior Luke Potter scored five points. 

The Rangers are now 5-2 on the season, and have scored more than 55 points in four of those five wins. They are currently 1-1 in the Big 8 conference, and have four conference games on their upcoming schedule to end the month of January. First up for the Rangers is the Union City Chargers. The Big 8 opponent has dropped their past two games to Bronson and Jonesville by double digits. The game is scheduled for this Thursday, Jan. 20 at 7:00 p.m. The game will be the third home game in a row for the Rangers. 

They will also have a Saturday afternoon contest versus the Quincy Orioles at home. The Jan. 22 game is currently scheduled for 3:30 p.m.