Game breaker

With a flick of the wrist, Travis Krenske can break an opponent's will.

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The freshman shooting guard for the Central Lakes College Raiders men's basketball team has made a habit of burying opposing teams with his deadly outside shooting.

And, in January, nobody has been playing better than Krenske. In eight games last month, Krenske averaged 15.3 points while hitting 3.6 three-pointers a game.

Krenske's best game was Jan. 28 against Rainy River where he scored a season-high 22 points while hitting six threes. Behind his stellar play, the Raiders went 7-1 in January and are atop the North Division at 7-0 as well as being ranked No. 1 in the state. CLC is 15-4 overall.

Finding a player to fill the outside shooter role this season was one of the top priorities for CLC coach Jim Russell. He got that and more in Krenske.

"Our team is a big puzzle," Russell said. "Every piece has a certain role and Travis has picked up that role greatly for us. We rely so much on the inside and if you have a threat from the three-point line it opens up the floor.

"The three-pointer is a big momentum builder. If you're behind you can come back quickly, or go ahead quickly."

Scoring

Leonard Langdon 11.4

Travis Krenske 11.2

Mike Pater 9.8

Deejay Mayfield 9.8

Andy Schmitz 8.7

Louis Roseman 6.4

Ronald Jackson 5.9

Chris Metcalf 5.9

Adam Carson 5.6

Jesse Dunn 5.0

Mike Peeters 4.4

Eli McVey 0.9

Top 3

Rebounding

Mike Pater 5.9

Ron Jackson 3.6

Leonard Langdon 3.6

Assists

Andrew Schmitz 4.4

Ron Jackson 3.1

Travis Krenske 2.6

Steals

Travis Krenske 56

Deejay Mayfield 48

Ron Jackson 25

FG percentage

Chris Metcalf 65.4

Leonard Langdon 58.9

Louis Roseman 58.6

3-pt. percentage

Andrew Schmitz 51.1

Travis Krenske 44.3

Deejay Mayfield 38.5

FT percentage

Eli McVey 100.0

Travis Krenske 80.0

Deejay Mayfield 73.3

Women

Scoring

Bobbi VanWechel 17.9

Kaylee Bandemer 11.8

Megan Eastman 10.5

Jada Illies 6.2

Nikki Perlinger 3.6

Lindsey Finco 2.7

Terra Winscher 1.8

Jackie Sullivan 1.6

Beth Rogge 0.8

Top 3

Rebounding

Kaylee Bandemer 7.6

Bobbi VanWechel 5.9

Nikki Perlinger 5.2

Assists

Megan Eastman 4.8

Kaylee Bandemer 1.8

Nikki Perlinger 1.8

FG percentage

Megan Eastman 46.2

Bobbi VanWechel 41.5

Kaylee Bandemer 34.6

3-pt. percentage

Megan Eastman 47.2

Bobbi VanWechel 35.6

Lindsey Finco 25.0

FT percentage

Bobbi VanWechel 80.6

Kaylee Bandemer 75.5

Megan Eastman 63.6

One big reason Krenske is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 points and hitting 44 percent from behind the arc, is because of the short-term memory every good shooter needs.

"If you miss you can't think about it," Krenske said, "you just think about the next shot. If I miss I just keep on shooting. I practice all the time and get my touch. I don't really have a jump shot, it's more of a set shot, and I always follow through."

But Krenske isn't just a shooter. He leads the team in steals with 3.1 per game and is third in assists at 2.6.

"A lot of people have labeled Travis as a shooter," Russell said, "but they don't realize how good of a defender he is. He's always got his hands on the ball somewhere. He's also a good passer. One reason why we're successful is that we can rely on him to do other things."

As easy as the threes have fallen for Krenske so far, it hasn't come from a lack of hard work. At the beginning of the season, Krenske put in extra time at the gym shooting to find his touch.

"For a week or two Travis came to the gym and shot a couple hundred shots a day," Russell said. "For him to adapt to our system, and the players, is a great credit to him."

But things may get a little more difficult for Krenske as the word about his play gets out. As the Raiders see division opponents a second time, Krenske is sure to get extra attention.

"As a team, you have to work on the other little things like setting picks for him," Russell said. "Travis also has to understand how to read the picks and the defenders. Those things will help him get loose."

Raiders women's notes

The Raiders (2-5 in the North Division, 3-16 overall) looks to avenge a 79-69 loss to the Itasca Vikings on Jan. 16. Itasca is at CLC 1 p.m. Saturday.

Itasca is second in the North Division at 4-1 and is 8-6 overall. The Vikings boast the state's top scorer in Karli Gross (19.3 ppg) who also averages 9.7 rebounds. Besides Gross, CLC will need to handle 6-foot-1 center Erica Ohrn, who's averaging 14.2 rebounds.

Raiders post players Kaylee Bandemer and Jada Illies will need to control the boards for CLC to beat the Vikings.