NRHEG boys advance to sub-section title game
By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The NRHEG boys’ basketball team stormed into Sub-Section 2AA play last week with a pair of impressive wins to help build momentum toward a showdown with Gopher Conference champion Maple River in the sub-section finals.
NRHEG 59, Waseca 50
Three-pointers proved to be a dangerous weapon for the Panthers in their 59-50 win over Waseca on Friday, Feb. 27, in the Sub-Section 2AA South semifinals. This time, however, NRHEG would need to deploy their long-range shots to help them rally in the late going after trailing for most of the game.
Much like their regular-season meeting in Waseca on Feb. 3, the atmosphere on the neutral court in Mankato was electric. In the prior matchup, NRHEG jumped out to a 13-5 lead and held off the Bluejays for the rest of the game en route to a 74-53 win.
This time around, it was the No. 3-seeded Bluejays who jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead and kept the Panthers at bay for most of the game.
“What a great atmosphere at Mankato East and what a great basketball game on Friday night,” said NRHEG coach Pat Churchill. “I thought they came out ready and really flustered us early.”Waseca pushed the lead to nine at 21-12, but the Panthers were able battle back with an 11-2 run and tie the game at 23-23 late in the first half before Waseca finished with a 4-0 spurt to give the Bluejays a 27-23 lead at the break.
Waseca would again open a nine-point lead in the second half, going up 43-34 with just over six-minutes remaining. That’s when the long-range bombs began to fall for the Panthers.
Oakley Baker connected on three rapid-fire three-pointers while Trevor Tracy sniped in a pair of his own from behind the arc to help the Panthers gain their first lead of the night at 49-46 with just over three-minutes left to play.
The Bluejays were forced to foul late and the Panthers capitalized at the stripe, converting on 10 of 11 free throws down the stretch to preserve the win and advance to the sub-section finals.
“Baker hit two big threes to tie the game up and then Waseca came down and hit another three to go back up three, then Tracy came right back to hit a three to tie it up again,” said Churchill. “Oakley also did a great job on the boards. It was the best overall game I've seen him play. I'm just so proud of these boys and what they've accomplished.”
Spencer Tollefson led the Panther scoring with 15 points on the night. Baker finished with 13 points and 11 boards while Tracy added 11 points for the Panthers.
Shane Streich led all scorers with 20 points for the Bluejays. Waseca finished the season with 22-5 overall record.
NRHEG 80, Medford 39
The Panthers took down Medford, 80-39, in the opening round of sub-section play on Tuesday, Feb. 24, with a steady bombardment of long-range jumpers.
Medford hung tough for the first eight minutes of the game, but leading 18-14, the Panthers went on a 10-0 run to pull away en route to a 40-18 halftime lead.
“This was a nice team win tonight,” said Churchill. “I thought when it was close early, Spencer carried us to that 10-0 run with his rebounding and decision making. We shot the ball extremely well tonight.”
Tracy led all scorers with 28 points and rained in seven three-pointers for the Panthers. On the night, the Panthers went 11-for-16 from beyond the arc.
Tyler Raimann netted 11 points for the Panthers while Tollefson added 10 in the win. Luke Peterson paced the Tigers with 19 points.
The No. 7-seed Tigers finished the season 5-19.
Section 2AA
The Panthers (23-4) will look to avenge two regular-season losses to Maple River (25-3) Wednesday, March 4, with the winner advancing to the Section 2AA finals on Friday, March 6 at 8 p.m. to face either Glencoe-Silver Lake (21-5, No. 1 seed 2AA North) or Jordan (20-6, No. 3 seed 2AA North) for a berth in the state tournament.
NRHEG
Spencer Tollefson 10 points, Trevor Tracy 26 points (7 three pointers), Macoy Schwierjohann 4 points, Kevin Kalis 6 points 7 rebounds, Oakley Baker 7 points, John Cole 2 points, Chad Agrimson 4 points, Tyler Raimann 11 points 6 rebounds, Brady Beenken 5 points, Kelson Titus 3 points, Andy Shutrop 2 points.
Medford
Luke Peterson 19 points, Lucas Cronin 7 points, Richie Powers 9 points, Whyatt Volkmann 1 point, Nate Carty 1 point, Bryce McCarty 2 points.
NRHEG
Spencer Tollefson 15 points 5 rebounds, Trevor Tracy 11 points, Macoy Schwierjohann 4 points, Kevin Kalis 7 points, Oakley Baker 13 points 11 rebounds, John Cole 5 points, Tyler Raimann 4 points.
Waseca
Shane Streich 20 points, Nick Dufault 6 points, Isaac Highum 9 points, Tyler Kolander 10 points, Elijah Carter 4 points, Jake Guse 1 point.