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Boys basketball: Florence outduels Crandon, 65-59

Bobcats move into 2nd place in NLC standings; Schuls scores 24 points

Florence's Kaden Schuls (23) splits the defense in Tuesday's Northern Lakes Conference game with Crandon. (Burt Angeli/The Daily News)

FLORENCE, Wis. — Florence knocked off another tough Northern Lakes Conference opponent Tuesday.

Kaden Schuls scored 24 points and Riley Hixon added 22 as the Bobcats turned back Crandon 65-59.

“Two in a row, that’s nice,” said Florence head coach Bryan Bomberg, referring to last week’s win over Laona-Wabeno and now the Cardinals.

The Bobcats (3-2, 2-1) raced to a 20-4 lead in the first seven minutes of the game. The Cardinals closed to seven at halftime and as close as four after Tichenor hit a triple with 38 seconds left in the game.

Florence then answered with buckets from Evan Beaster and Hixon.

“We matched their toughness,” Bomberg said. “Crandon is well coached. They obviously have a great player in Blake Weber, reigning player of the year in the conference, and height inside.”

Tyler Tichenor led the Cardinals with 18 points and Riley Weber had 17. Foul trouble and the defense of Schuls and Toby Wheeler checked Blake Weber to six points.

“I was happy with our man to man defense,” Bomberg said. “We still have to get better on our help side.”

Florence, playing with reckless abandon at times, had 19 turnovers in the game — eight in the second half.

“We have to be a little more disciplined,” Bomberg said.

Beaster grabbed 16 rebounds. Wheeler had seven steals. Schuls scored six points in the second half but had six assists.

The Bobcats travel to Elcho on Friday.

Crivitz defeated Florence 29-24 in the junior varsity game.

Crandon 31 28 — 59

Florence 38 37 — 65

CRANDON (59): Tichenor 18, VanZile 7, B. Weber 6, Mekley 11, R. Weber 17. FT: 1-6. F: 22. Fouled out: B. Weber. 3PT: Tichenor, VanZile, Mekley 2, R. Weber

FLORENCE (65): Krueger 7, Schuls 24, Hixon 22, Beaster 7, Wheeler 5. FT: 10-15. F: 9. 3PT: Krueger, Schuls 2, Hixon 2.

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