By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The Panther boys’ basketball team continued their hot hand last week, winning all three contests en route to pushing their winning streak to nine games. NRHEG won a pair of tight non-conference matchups before closing out the week with a 68-36 win over Gopher Conference foe Faribault Bethlehem Academy.
The Panthers now sit at 15-2 on the season, 7-1 in the Gopher Conference.
NRHEG 65, Blue Earth Area 46
It took awhile for the Panthers to find their shooting stroke Tuesday, Jan. 20, against the Bucs on the road. NRHEG led by just six, 33-27 at the half.
“We settled for quick shots in the first half,” said Panther coach Pat Churchill. “I thought we did a decent job defensively, but we just couldn't get it going offensively.”
The Panthers started strong after the break and quickly pushed the lead up to 15 after finding the offensive net more consistently.Oakley Baker led the Panthers with 26 points. Spencer Tollefson added 11 points in the win.
NRHEG 65, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 54
The Bulldogs tried to grind their way to a win with a stubborn zone defense, and rode that tactic to a 26-21 halftime deficit. But the Panthers broke through after the break to secure their eighth-straight win.
“The first half was a grind-it-out pace with both teams not getting much offense going,” said Churchill. “I thought our intensity level improved and we were able to extend our lead to double digits.”
Oakley Baker again paced the Panthers with 19 points while Spencer Tollefson netted 17. Trevor Tracy also added 10 points in the victory. Ricky Johnson led all scorers with 22 points for the Bulldogs.
NRHEG 68, Faribault Bethlehem Academy 36
The Panthers used a balanced attack and cranked up the defensive pressure to easily put away Gopher Conference foe Faribault Bethlehem Academy on Friday, Jan. 23.
The game was never in doubt as NRHEG held the Cardinals to just 11 first-half points en route to a 33-11 margin at the break.
“I thought we came out defensively and really did a nice job making them work extremely hard for their shots,” said Churchill. “Every look they had was a tough one and we were able to get the board. To hold a team to 11 first half points is a great team job on defense.”
Eleven Panthers contributed points in the balanced offensive effort. Kevin Kalis finished with 15 points to lead NRHEG while Spencer Tollefson netted 14.
“That was huge, having played our sixth game in eleven days our legs were a little tired, said Churchill. “When you can spread the ball around and get a lot of guys scoring, that eases the pressure a little bit.”
Individual stats:
NRHEG - Spencer Tollefson 11 points, Trevor Tracy 8 points, Macoy Schwierjohan 4 points 7 assists, Kevin Kalis 8 points 9 rebounds, Oakley Baker 26 points, John Cole 2 points Chad Agrimson 2 points, Brady Beenken 4 points
BLUE EARTH AREA - Derek Johnson 14 points, Bailey Olson 6 points, Conor Barnett 12 points, Tyler Hannaman 7 ponts, Kyle Engesser 2 points, Alan Davids 2 points, Kellen Jacobs,
NRHEG - Spencer Tollefson 17 points 6 rebounds, Trevor Tracy 10 points, Macoy Schwierjohan 9 points, Kevin Kalis 7 points 6 rebounds, Oakley Baker 19 points 6 rebounds, John Cole 3 points 7 rebound
JWP - Kyle Fisel 12 points, Ricky Johnson 22 points, Jordan Richardson 11 points, Zach Janike 7 points, Tim Kjolstad 2 points
NRHEG - Spencer Tollefson 14 points , Trevor Tracy 6 points, Macoy Schwierjohan 4 points, Kevin Kalis 15 points 7 rebounds, Oakley Baker 8 points 8 rebounds, John Cole 3 points, Chad Agrimson 5 points, Brady Beenken 4 points, Tyler Schlaak 2 points, Sam Prigge 5 points, Tyler Raimann 2 points
FBA - Brendan Trump 7 points, Kyle Ell 2 points, Pete Clark 10 points, Ben Jandro 6 points, John Schoolmeester 2 points, Alex Bongers 4 points, Avery Hunt 5 points