A quick start helped NRHEG to a quick 9-0 advantage.
The Knights battled back behind Dom Ofsdahl and Matt Erickson to pull within 22-16 late in the half.
NRHEG scored the final five points of the half to leave the floor holding a 27-16 advantage.
Mangskau drilled three triples during an 11-point first half, and Tollefson was right behind with 10 points.
Ofsdahl scored six points for A-C, one more than Erickson.
NRHEG quickly pushed its lead to 15 points in the second half and was never seriously threatened the rest of the way.
“We felt like we had to play better defense tonight than we did Saturday against Hayfield,” said Churchill.
NRHEG nailed six three-pointers and hit 11 of 12 free throws in the game, including 8-8 in the second half.
Alden also dropped six threes, but was just 3-4 from the foul line.
Mangskau paced the Panthers with 21 points, including three triples.
Tollefson was 8-8 from the free throw line on the way to a 20-point evening.
Trevor Tracy nailed three triples to finish with nine points.
Macoy Schwierjohan handed out five assists for the winners.
Elijah Hallman fired in four triples while scoring 14 points for Alden. Erickson chipped in with 11 points.
Kevin Kalis yanked down 11 rebounds for the Panthers, Tollefson snared seven boards, Mangskau grabbed six caroms and Schwierjohan speared five rebounds. Scchwierjohan also blocked three shots.
“I felt like we did some good things offensively against their 3-2 zone,” said Churchill. “We didn’t rush shots, moved the ball around and got really good looks.”
NRHEG’s junior varsity captured a 44-29 victory.
Randolph
RANDOLPH – NRHEG overcame a hot start by the Rockets to post a 69-53 victory Friday. It was the highest output of the season for the Panthers.
Randolph, which lost to NRHEG 57-41 and 64-20 last season, fell to 0-4 in the conference and 6-8 for the year.
The Rockets took a 12-4 lead at the start behind Jake Dubbels, who scored 11 points early in the game.
NRHEG rallied to tie the game with 11 minutes left in the half and soon stretched its lead to double digits. The Panthers settled for a 36-28 lead at the break.
Tollefson scored 12 first-half points and Tracy added seven.
NRHEG stretched its lead to 50-30 in the second half and then cruised home with the easy win.
Tollefson led four Panthers into double figures with 21 points, followed by Mangskau with 12, Kalis with 11 and Tracy with 10.
“For us to be successful, we need to be able to spread out our scoring,” said Churchill. “We had a lot of guys put the ball in the hole tonight.”
Dubbels led the Rockets with 13 points and Austin Moorhouse scored nine.
“Noah Krell, Preston Peterson and Jarek Schendel all gave us positive minutes tonight,” said Churchill. “It was a nice win for a young team on our longest road trip of the year.”
The NRHEG junior varsity improved its record to 8-4 with a 56-46 win over Randolph.
The Panthers will battle Blooming Prairie in a conference game at home Friday.
NRHEG then has a week to prepare for a road game against United South Central.
NRHEG 59, Alden 41
Alden 16 25 41
NRHEG 27 32 59
NRHEG (59): Mangskau 21, Tollefson 20, Tracy 9, Kalis 4, Goette 3, Peterson 2, Schendel 0, Krell 0, Schwierjohan 0. FG: 14 2-pters., 6 3-pters. FT: 11-12 (92%), PF: 8, TP-59.
NRHEG 69, Randolph 53
NRHEG 36 33 69
Randolph 28 25 53
NRHEG (69): Tollefson 21, Mangskau 12, Kalis 11, Tracy 10, Schwierjohan 6, Peterson 6, Krell 3.
NEXT: Friday – Blooming Prairie at NRHEG, 7:15 p.m.
