Eagles improve to 7-0 and take control in the Greater Lansing Athletic Conference with 57-48 win over Perry. Nick Buckley/The Enquirer
Eagles take control in Greater Lansing Athletic Conference with 57-48 victory to improve to 7-0
OLIVET - The Greater Lansing Athletic Conference wasn't won on Tuesday night.
But the Olivet boys basketball team earned a big victory toward that effort, topping previously unbeaten Perry to keep its own undefeated record intact.
Olivet led wire-to-wire to win, 57-48. The victory helps the Eagles improve to 7-0 on the season and take sole possession atop the GLAC with a 3-0 mark in league play.
"Perry is well-coached and they play hard, too, and we had our work cut out tonight," said Olivet coach Travis Brown. "We played more focused than we have all year. Our theme tonight was play the next play - don't worry about what happened before, and we did a good job of that tonight."
Perry (6-1, 2-1 GLAC) was led offensively by 6-foot-7 senior center Logan Daniher with 17 points. But the Ramblers' leading scorer, 6-foot-6 sophomore forward Caleb Leykauf, was held without a field goal in the contest, finishing with four points.
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"The unsung hero tonight is Dylan Redfield. He locked up Caleb Leykauf," Brown said. "He got frustrated because Dylan was giving him fits all night."
The Eagles were paced offensively by 6-5 senior forward Ryan Wallenberg with a game-high 19 points to go with eight rebounds and two blocks. He also electrified the Olivet gymnasium with a pair of dunks - including an emphatic one-handed jam in the third quarter.
"We want to run over every single team - that's what we're going to do," Wallenberg said. "We all have talent and know how to work with each other ... We want to keep our poise. We don't want to get in over our heads - just maintain a calm mentality."
Olivet's Nick Jungel, a 6-7 senior center, was an imposing force. He posting a well-rounded stat line of eight points, 15 rebounds, four blocks, five assists and three steals. Junior guard Nate Zona added seven points and three assists, while senior guard Logan Fuentes also had seven points.
Having an unblemished record while sitting atop the GLAC does put a bull's-eye on Olivet, but the Eagles don't plan on changing their approach.
"Am I happy that we're undefeated? Sure. But in the end, it comes down to us playing the game," Brown said. "We were talking about that - next game is up now, so we're talking about Leslie at this moment."
Nick Buckley can be reached at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley.