Kuehler, Shuck lead Groom to dominant win over Claude on Tuesday
GROOM — When Groom and Claude faced off in girls basketball on Tuesday night, it started off as a close contest with little scoring before Claude pulled away.
The boys contest? Pretty much the exact opposite.
The scoring was slow for Claude to start and throughout, but Groom was right at home as Bryson Shuck made three shots from beyond the arc in the opening period alone. He ended up with five three-pointers and 17 points, while Stephen Kuehler, had 18 as the Tigers cruised to a 62-39 victory in a District 2-1A contest.
while Claude is 5-16 and 0-1 in District 2-1A.
Groom (7-8, 1-0) was hot from the very beginning, with Shuck leading the way in the opening period. Kuehler ended the game with a pair of treys himself and numerous driving layups. Nearly the entire roster had a shot to participate with Dylan Robison contributing 14 points and Noah Wood adding 11.
"It sure is (a confidence booster) to start out 1-0 in district," Groom coach Allen Grant said. "We came out and executed well. Getting the young kids in was a good confidence booster."
It helped when Shuck and Kuehler played the way they did.
"They were huge," Grant said. "Once we hit those (three-pointers) it set the wheels in motion and we went from there."
Claude (5-16, 0-1) wasn't completely without success.
The Mustangs made five three-pointers as a team with Conner Garth making two. Holden Tice led the way with 13 points, while Cinch Deeds had 12. Still, Claude found itself down 13-4 after one quarter, 36-16 at halftime and 53-24 entering the fourth as they struggled to put the ball in the basket throughout the evening.
"(The lesson from tonight) is going to have to be perseverance," Claude coach Curt Camp said. "(It's about) doing what we learned in practice and executing what we're trying to accomplish. We've come a long way this year and we still have a long way to go.
"Really, it's about coming out and executing and fighting through that adversity. We're fighting different things that the program is used to having. It's really easy to quit playing when things aren't going your way. That's the biggest battle is learning how to play through that."
Groom is scheduled to play at White Deer at 7:30 p.m. Friday, while Claude will host Hedley at the same time on the same day.
GROOM (7-8, 1-0)
Greyson Peet 1-2, 1-2, 3; 3 Noah Wood 4-8, 3-5, 11; Stephen Kuehler 7-15, 2-3, 18; Tate Schaffer 1-2, 0-0, 2; Cooper Treadwell 1-2, 0-0, 2; Bryson Shuck 6-6, 0-0, 17; Kenny Blackwell 0-1, 0-0, 0; Blayne Shuck 3-5, 1-2, 7; Ryan Wienheimer 1-4, 0-0, 2; Dylan Robison 3-3, 7-10,14. Totals 27-48, 14-22, 62.
CLAUDE (5-16, 0-1)
Javon Lee 1-1, 0-0, 3; Holden Tice 5-11, 2-4, 13; Cinch Deeds 5-10, 1-3, 12; Conner Garth 3-4, 0-0, 8; Diego Vega 0-3, 1-2, 1; Cool Pennon 0-1, 0-0, 0; Grady Denson 0-0, 0-1, 0; Raymond Milner 0-1, 1-2, 1. Totals 14-31, 5-12 39.
Halftime — Groom 36, Claude 16.
3-Point Goals — Groom 7 (Bryson Shuck 5, Stephen Kuehler), Claude 5 (Conner Garth 2, Javon Lee, Holden Tice, Cinch Deeds
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Kuehler, Shuck lead Groom to dominant win over Claude on Tuesday
