OFFENSIVE BOARD Lucas Meyer of NRHEG (5) looks for a put-back against Blooming Prairie. (Star Eagle photos by Chris Schlaak)
TO THE HOOP — The Panthers’ Tyler Sorenson drives to the basket between a pair of Blooming Prairie defenders in New Richland last Tuesday.
By JIM LUTGENS
Editor/Publisher
It was a tale of two starts for the NRHEG boys’ basketball team.
The Panthers got off to a bad one Tuesday and lost 62-52 at home to Blooming Prairie. Two nights later they started strong and topped JWP 61-42 for their first conference and home win of the season.
“We came out unprepared,” said coach Josh Churchill of the BP game, in which they fell behind 17-2. “They came out and got after us. We weren’t executing in our motion. I did not do a good job of getting our guys ready to play.”
The Panthers pulled within six before halftime, but BP went on a 5-0 run to take a 31-20 lead at the intermission. The Panthers battled in the second half and came within one point with six minutes remaining while BP’s Michael Thomas sat with foul trouble. Thomas, who finished with 22 points, took over when he came back and the Panthers ran out of gas, according to Churchill.
NRHEG leaders: Tyler Sorenson 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, two blocks; Matt Carlson 18 points; Lucas Meyer five points, four assists, Nic Mangskau seven points.
Defense did it for the Panthers against JWP as they forged a 31-11 halftime lead.
“We played solid defense in the first half,” said Churchill. “They try to get penetration and get in the middle of the paint and we did a good job keeping them out in the first half.”
JWP hit four threes early in the second half to pull within nine, but the Panthers went on a run and put the game away with about four minutes remaining.
NRHEG leaders: Sorenson 19 points, 14 rebounds; Carlson 17 points; Sam Lundberg six points, eight rebounds, four assists; Carter Tollefson eight points, Mangskau seven points; Meyer two points, Kevin Minter two points.
“This was a nice win for our confidence,” said Churchill. “I feel we are improving as a team and get things headed in the right direction after Christmas.”
The Panthers, 2-6, play in the Bethany Lutheran tournament in Mankato Tuesday through Thursday this week.
