Koenig and the Drive return to Menominee Nation Arena, upsetting Wisconsin 102-78
By Tim Wohlers
The Grand Rapids Drive played their second game at Menominee Nation Arena this month, against the Wisconsin Herd.
Once again, the visiting team would come out on top.
“We’re just playing really well in this stretch right now,” said Grand Rapids head coach Ryan Krueger. “We want to force our way into the playoffs, and winning games is the only thing that does that.”
His team’s defense held the Herd to just 78 points – the least scored by an opponent all season. The pressure placed on go-to players such as Marshall Plumlee and DJ Wilson simply proved too much for Wisconsin’s struggling offense.
Forward Derek Willis discussed the Drive’s winning strategy.
“Our team really locks in defensively,” Willis said. “And we lock down on people. We put our best defender on Wilson, and he did a really good job on him. He made him frustrated.”
Another factor contributing to the win was Grand Rapids’ effectiveness shooting the ball – led by KJ McDaniels and first-year-player Bronson Koenig. In one of his best performances, Koenig scored 17 points and had a career-high seven rebounds.
The rookie said he feels like he has begun to adapt to the G League.
“I think I’ve done a good job of adjusting over the past few months and just honing in on my shooting ability,” Koenig said. “I just need to keep it up.”
Coach Krueger agreed, complimenting Koenig on his recent performance.
“He’s doing a lot of good things,” Krueger said of the 23-year-old. “He’s taking good shots. He’s making a really high percentage, and he’s just an efficient player on both ends. We love what he’s bringing to the table every night.”
Wisconsin’s coaching staff conceded that the visitors played well, but mostly blamed themselves for the loss. Assistant coach Justin Wetzel attributed it to many of his team’s ongoing struggles.
The coach expressed his frustration in a post-game interview.
“It’s not just Grand Rapids in particular,” Wetzel said. “We haven’t really been playing up to our potential lately.”
The Drive have now moved ahead of Wisconsin in the standings, and are currently second in the division. If they can continue to extend their six-game win streak, they could find themselves in the playoffs come March.
“We can’t control how many games we have left,” Coach Krueger said. “All we can control is how well we play, how hard we play, and let the chips fall where they may.”
Grand Rapids would play its next game on Feb. 23, against the Greensboro Swarm.
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