Andrew Tucker It took a bit for the Aquinas boys basketball team to find its rhythm offensively Saturday morning in the opening game of the Midwest Players Classic at the La Crosse Center, but once things were clicking, it was off to the races. "You just gain confidence with every play that you make," head coach Brad Reinhart said. Arcadia hung tough with the Blugolds early, but a run to close out the first half allowed Aquinas to cruise to a 73-38 victory. Both teams traded buckets throughout much of the first half, and it was the Raiders (6-7) that led 20-19 after a three-point play by senior forward Maverick Drazkowski with 4:20 left. Reinhart thought his players were forcing things a bit too much in the early part of the game, trying to will their way to a high-scoring performance in a big game. People are also reading... Teen's promising swimming career in limbo after he is accused of slapping teammate on the backside 'Front row seats' to activities at latest homeless encampment a concern for La Crosse businesses 'Hot for Chancellor' beer sells out, 608 Brewing cashes in on Gow controversy in La Crosse School district's long-range plan goes beyond proposal to close two La Crosse elementaries How to watch, stream, listen to Wisconsin men's basketball vs. Ohio State Steve Cahalan: Camping World, mall store closings and food hall update top local business news Two face multiple charges after drug bust in Bangor Sparta woman, 18, faces felony charge for driving wrong way on Interstate 90 while intoxicated Trempealeau police searching for person reported missing in La Crosse High school boys basketball: Kowal, Manchester families meet in Onalaska for one last game La Crosse man arrested, jailed on $100K bond for throwing projectiles at police cars Winter storm bearing down on Wisconsin. Here's what to expect through Wednesday morning La Crosse man found sleeping inside vehicle arrested on drug charges La Crosse area divorces 'Serious threat to the public': Elderly La Crosse man gets 10 years for sexually assaulting preschooler Aquinas (11-1) was able to lock in from there, closing out the half with a 13-0 run for a 32-20 lead at the break. That hot shooting continued to start the second, with the Blugolds going on a 12-2 run in the first three minutes to stretch the gap to 20-plus points and the Raiders were never able to recover. Arcadia typically has a potent offense, with both Drazkowski and junior Kaiden Rotering both scoring 20-plus points earlier in the week in a win over Cochrane-Fountain City. Drazkowski scored 19 to lead the Raiders, but none of the team's other players scored more than seven points as the Blugolds defense did not give them much space. "We just talked about playing together defensively and making sure we were communication, understanding their personnel and what their strengths were and trying to limit those," Reinhart said. Sophomore guard Logan Becker took control of the Aquinas offense, scoring 27 points. Becker hit five 3-pointers, but added some midrange jumpers and some putback buckets as well in a well-rounded performance at all three levels. "He plays with a ton of confidence and he's got the full trust of our 14 other guys on the roster and if they find him, he's going to make a play," Reinhart said. Becker's strength Saturday was that he was a patient player, utilizing the various phases of his game while also knowing when it is time to take a backseat. "He kind of has that understanding of when it's time to attack and time to share. When you let the game come to you like that, the offense can become really potent and things can become easy for you," Reinhart said. Senior wing Walter Burns also hit double figures, scoring 14 points as the Blugolds won their seventh straight. Andrew Tucker can be reached at andrew.tucker@lee.net or via Twitter @andrewjtucker16 Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Tags Sports Basketball Games And Toys Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter Sent weekly directly to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Andrew Tucker Sports reporter Author twitter Author email Follow Andrew Tucker Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today