Panthers defeat KW, St. Clair

By TROY THOMPSON

Sportswriter

The NRHEG boys’ basketball team tuned up for the Section 2AA Tournament with a pair of non-conference wins last week.

With the victories, the Panthers finished the regular season with a 21-4 record and will take a No. 2 seed into Section 2AA South play beginning Tuesday, Feb. 24 with a home game against No. 7 seed Medford.

NRHEG 68, Kenyon-Wanamingo 40

The Panthers struggled early against a patient KW zone defense, but eventually pulled away for a 68-40 win on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

The Knights took an early 10-4 lead and stayed in front for the first eight minutes of the game. The Panthers were finally able to break down the zone en route to an 8-point lead at the half.

“We were struggling to get anything going against their zone,” said NRHEG coach Pat Churchill. “We were getting sloppy because of their patience on the defensive end. After we took the lead we were able to extend it to 8 by halftime. I told the kids that they outworked us to start the game and that is a bad habit to get into.”

The Panthers went to work in the second half, holding the Knights to just 6 points in the first eight minutes of play after the break. NRHEG took advantage to push the lead up to 20 points and cruise to the win.

Spencer Tollefson paced the Panthers with 18 points. Oakley Baker netted 11 while Macoy Schwierjohann and Tyler Raimann each added 10. Gavin Roosin and Connor Sviggum each scored 13 to lead the Knights.

NRHEG 69, St. Clair 53

The Panthers used defense and an effective transition game on offense to close out the regular season with a 69-53 victory at St. Clair on Thursday, Feb. 19.

NRHEG worked to get a 13-point lead late in the first half, but back-to-back St. Clair 3-pointers closed the gap to 7 points at the break. The Panthers responded with some key defensive stops and pulled away from the Cyclones by pushing the ball up the court in transition.

Trevor Tracy led the Panthers with 13 points while Kevin Kalis added 12. Tollefson recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Section 2AA

The Panthers (21-4) opened section play with a win over Medford Tuesday, Feb. 24. They’ll face a tough road as the No. 2 seed in Section 2AA South. Maple River, who swept the Panthers in the regular season and won the Gopher Conference outright, enters the post-season as the No.1 seed in the south.

The Panthers meet up with a dangerous Waseca team (No. 3 seed, 23-4) in a game scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27 at Mankato East High School. Glencoe-Silver Lake (20-5) is the No. 1 seed in Section 2AA North. The section semifinals and finals are slated for March 3 and March 6 at Minnestoa State University-Mankato.

NRHEG 68

Spencer Tollefson 18 points, Trevor Tracy 7 points, Macoy Schwierjohann 10 points, Kevin Kalis 4 points, Oakley Baker 11 points, John Cole 4 points, Brady Beenken 3 points, Colton Hagen 1 point, Tyler Raimann 10 points 9 rebounds.

KW 40

Gavin Roosen 13 points, Eddie Matul 4 points, Eric Hokanson  2 points, Connor Sviggum 13 points, Kwazi Spencer 2 points, Ethan Benda 4 points, Tanner Warner 2 points.

NRHEG 69

Spencer Tollefson 10 points, 13 rebounds, Trevor Tracy 13 points, Macoy Schwierjohann 8 points, Kevin Kalis 12 points, 9 rebounds, Oakley Baker 8 points, John Cole 7 points, Chad Agrimson 3 points, Brady Beenken 2 points, Colton Hagen 2 points, Dempsey Tucker 2 points, Tyler Raimann 2 points.

St. Clair 53

Kenny Strobel 9 points, Brandon Frietag 6 point, Austin Nagel 7 points, Mitchell Weber 6 points, Brandon Goebel 3 points, Andrew Yock 8 points, Taylor Lehman 2 points, Michael Thompson 2 points, Sam Schruin 6 points, Quin Seys 4 points.