|
|
| Home Page |  |
Milaca topples PC, Princeton Milacaís boys basketball team completed regular-season by sweeping a pair of Rum River Conference games last week. The Wolves boosted their final regular-season mark to 16-6 by stopping Pine City 54-43 Monday, Feb. 24, at Pine City before trimming Princeton 67-51 in front of a large crowd Friday night at Milaca. Milaca finished 12-4 in Rum River games. "We wanted to finish the regular season on a positive note and we accomplished that," said Milaca Coach Jeff Meyer. "We didnít play real well at Pine City but we came back with a strong game against Princeton. "Itís always special to get a win against Princeton. That game had sort of a tournament feel to it, with a large, vocal crowd. It was a fun game to win, especially because we played well." Milaca opens Section 6AA Sub-Section 18 Tournament play tonight (Thursday) at home against Pierz. Milaca 54, Pine City 43 The Wolves took a 28-19 margin at halftime, then held the Dragons off in the second half. Senior forward Jon Matthews led Milaca with 13 points while senior center Eric Bergstrom scored 12 points and sophomore guard Adam Ruis had 10. Milaca shot 51.4 percent (19-for-37) from the field while Pine City shot 41.9 percent (18-43). The Wolves had a 12-4 edge in free throws. Pine City held a 25-16 edge in rebounds. Milaca 67, Princeton 51 Princeton got off to a quick start and held a 14-9 lead with 2:10 left in the first quarter. The Wolves sliced that margin to 14-13 heading into the second quarter, with Bergstrom scoring Milacaís final four points in the quarter on a pair of baskets from close range. A three-point basket by Matthews early in the second quarter put Milaca ahead 16-14 and the Wolves never trailed after that. With Bergstrom scoring eight points, Milaca outscored Princeton 18-7 in the second quarter to take a 31-21 halftime lead. The Wolves held a 31-15 lead with a minute left in the period before the Tigers ran off six points to cut the halftime margin to 10. The Tigers added to their string of points by scoring seven straight early in the third quarter, slicing Milacaís edge to 31-28. And, a three-point basket by senior guard Eli McVey trimmed the Wolvesí lead to 35-33 with 3:15 remaining in the third quarter. But, in a game of scoring strings, Milaca put together a 10-point surge to take a 45-33 lead into the final quarter. A slam dunk by Bergstrom and a three-point play by senior guard Tim Veurink gave the Wolves a 54-37 lead with 4:22 left in the game. Still, Princeton scrapped back, cutting Milacaís lead to 10 points at 56-46 with 2:48 left to play. The Wolves then pulled away with an 11-5 scoring edge. Bergstrom, who was 11-14 from the field, led Milaca with 23 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Veurink added 12 points while Matthews totaled 11. Senior guard Daren Koppendrayer added eight points and nine rebounds and sophomore guard Cody Pearson had eight rebounds and four points. Milaca shot 54 percent (27-50) from the field while Princeton shot 31.7 percent (19-60). The Wolves had a 33-28 margin in rebounds. "We played a strong defensive game and we showed good patience on offense," said Meyer. "We worked the ball well and we were able to get it inside to Eric." McVey, who sank four three-pointers, had 18 points before fouling out with 3:22 left in the game. Senior forward Gordy Sanford, who was also in foul trouble, added 17 points while senior guard Tyler Gronli had 11 points. Veurink was able to limit the dangerous Gronli to two points (on free throws) over the first three quarters. The Tigers, who have been without senior guard Paul Burroughs (sprained ankle) for over two weeks, dropped to a 13-13 season record, 6-10 in RRC games. Milaca swept Princeton this season, also winning 69-66 Jan. 21 at Princeton. Milaca 54, Pine City 43 Pine City (43) FG FT F PTS Points Per Quarter Princeton (51) FG FT F PTS Points Per Quarter
©Mille Lacs County Times |