By DALE KUGATH
Sportswriter
No matter when it happens, the end is abrupt for athletic teams.
The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva boys’ basketball season saw a turn-around season ended by Gopher Conference rival Waterville-Elysian-Morristown.
The second-seeded Panthers crushed Medford in the opening round.
NRHEG, which was 6-19 a year ago, turned that around with a 19-7 mark this winter, including a share of the conference championship.The Panthers were 10-3 on their home court and 9-4 on the road.
Medford
NEW RICHLAND – Beating this team three times in one season proved to be no problem for NRHEG. The Panthers thumped seventh-seeded Medford 65-30 in the sub-section quarterfinal in New Richland March 25. NRHEG defeated the Tigers by 20 and 17 points during the regular season.
NRHEG took care of business from the start and was never seriously threatened in the game. The Panthers jumped to a quick 9-2 lead. Three-pointers by Trevor Tracy and Oakley Baker got NRHEG started and it was 39-17 at the break.
The Panthers had great scoring balance. Baker paced NRHEG with 22 points, Spencer Tollefson scored 14, Tracy 13 and Ryan Patraw 11 while dishing out six assists.
Kevin Kalis pulled down eight rebounds, one more than Baker.
WEM
MANKATO – WEM won the rubber game of three and advanced to the sub-section title game with a 79-64 victory at Mankato East Friday.
The loss snapped NRHEG’s six-game winning streak and improved WEM to 19-8 for the year.
The two conference rivals had split during the year. The Bucs won 63-50 in Waterville and the Panthers won 72-58 in New Richland.
The two teams went back-and-forth the first eight minutes, forcing a 16-16 deadlock. WEM made a nice run the final five minutes of the half to take a 34-25 halftime lead.
Freshman Zach Olson and Landon Harmon combined for 23 points in the first 18 minutes.
“We never stopped either one of them all night,” said Churchill.
Olson led WEM with 26 points. Harmon was 5-5 from behind the arc in scoring 23 points. Cole Pope added 11 points and seven assists.
WEM shot 55 percent from the floor and knocked down 18 of 27 free throws.
“We struggled defensively tonight,” said Churchill. “We were late to help and they dictated the game from start to finish.
Kalis led the Panthers with 19 points. Tollefson scored 12, Tracy 11 and Baker 10, one more than Patraw. Patraw nailed three triples and Baker hit a pair. Tracy handed out four assists, one more than Patraw and Baker.
“WEM’s defense really bothered us tonight,” said Churchill. “We did not play with any confidence and that’s a credit to Jeff (Wagner) and his team. WEM came ready to play tonight and deserved to win.”
WEM held a 41 to 25 rebounding advantage. Olson and Harmon both had double-doubles for the Bucs, snaring 15 and 10 rebounds, respectively. Tollefson grabbed nine.
NRHEG was guilty of just three turnovers to 13 for the Buccaneers.
WEM moves on to the sub-section championship against St. Peter, a surprise 52-49 winner over number one seed Waseca.
South Sub-Sect. 2AA (QF)
Medford 17 13 30
NRHEG 39 26 65
Medford (30): Snyder 13, Cronin 8, Peterson 4, Ramirez 2, Carty 2, Borash 1.
NRHEG (65): Baker 22, Tollefson 14, Tracy 13, Patraw 11, Kalis 4, Schultz 1.
South Sub-Sect. 2AA (SF)
WEM 34 45 79
NRHEG 25 39 64
WEM (79): Olson 26, Harmon 23, Pope 11, Dotterweich 8, Dorenkemper 6, Thompson 5.
NRHEG (64): Kalis 19, Tollefson 12, Tracy 11, Baker 10, Patraw 9, Cole 3.