"You'll never get ahead if you don't take care of what you have." - Doris Waddell, RIP

The late Ralph E. Williams with "Heidi" - morris mn

The late Ralph E. Williams with "Heidi" - morris mn
Click on the image to read Williams family reflections w/ emphasis on UMM.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Wheels come off for boys in second half

Monte 53, Tigers 39
Montevideo came to our MAHS gym Tuesday (2/9) and took charge in the second half. The game took on an ugly complexion, from the viewpoint of our home fans, as the Thunder Hawks outscored our Tigers 32-16 in the second half. Ouch! The final horn sounded with the visitor up 53-39.
Some Monte fans had their evening meal at DeToy's Restaurant before the game. That's how I knew we were playing Montevideo. It's nice to see the restaurant back to serving top-notch hash brown potatoes again.
Those Monte fans went home happy. In my youth this team was known as the Mohawks. There was a neat mural painting at the gym showing an Indian with headdress silhouetted. It was nice art but I guess it had to go. That painting was a trademark I associated with Montevideo. I used to enjoy going to Montevideo to run in the Fiesta Days 10K. Today? Walking a couple blocks is just fine.
Monte's win was its 16th so they're having a fine season. Our Tigers emerged still over .500 at 13-9, but fans had to feel a little discouraged. A second half collapse does not bode well. My goodness, we actually led at halftime by two, 23-21!
We're all familiar with Troy Diggins of the T-Hawks. It was Troy who did a lot of the second half damage. For the game he posted a team-best 17 points. Riley Emery and Preston Herfurth each scored ten. Isaac Douglas and Travis Dreyer each put in seven points. Nate Heig added two points to the mix. Diggins made both of Monte's 3-pointers.
Derek Kilibarda was the top T-Hawk in rebounds with five, followed by Dreyer and Jared Saue each with four. Emery dished out four assists and Herfurth had two. It was Herfurth topping the steal list with four followed by Diggins with three.
It should be noted that Sean Amundson was no-go for MACA due to injury. Is it important to emphasize that? From my background, I can say that sometimes parents resent the emphasis on a sidelined player because it implies the other players can't cut it. I wrote an article for the Hancock Record that suggested it was good news that a suspended player was coming back, and I caught absolute hell from a parent.
Eric Staebler's efforts weren't enough to stop the second half bleeding. But he did score 17 points. Jacob Zosel put in 12 points. Then we have Lukus Manska and Ryan Bowman each with three points, and Philip Anderson and Ryan Dietz each with two. Zosel, Staebler and Manska each made one 3-pointer.
Staebler collected nine rebounds and Cam Arndt seven. Arndt had two assists.
I wonder if the Monte coach gets some of the credit for Monte's second half dominance. Is that possible? Is coaching important? I have learned through the years that coaching is important when MACA wins. When we lose, the rhetoric seems different.
 
Tigers 62, Sauk Centre 51
Back last Friday, the Tigers presented a much more encouraging performance. We came out on top over the Sauk Centre Streeters, 62-51. Eric Staebler was in his usual primary role, coming at the Streeters with 28 points. We upped our conference record to over .500 at 6-5.
We asserted ourselves in the first half, outscoring Sauk 37-20. We had things well in hand. Jacob Zosel was a force with 18 points scored. Sean Amundson scored seven points, while these three Tigers each scored three: Robert Rohloff, Lukus Manska and Cam Arndt. Staebler made three shots from 3-point range, while Amundson and Zosel each made one long-ranger.
Staebler had the team-high 13 rebounds. These three Tigers each had three assists: Amundson, Zosel and Staebler. Staebler stole the ball three times.
Jay Friedrichs was the top Sauk Centre scorer with 16 points. He along with Riley Primus and Tanner Rieland made the Sauk three-pointers.
 
Girls: Sauk Centre 52, Tigers 38
It was a bleak night for the orange and black in GBB play on Friday (2/5). The home gym didn't help as we took it on the chin vs. Sauk Centre. Sauk kept surging, upping its stellar record to 18-1 and staying unbeaten in conference play.
The Tigers fought to get a halftime lead, 20-16. But in the second half, Sauk Centre took off to outscore the Tigers 36-18. So the final score was 52-38 as the Tigers slipped to two games under .500 with a record of 9-11.
Hats off to the Streeters, the No. 2-ranked team in Minnesota Class AA.
Sauk Centre took off with its fortunes thanks in large part to three-point shooting. Five players together produced eight 3-pointers. Three Streeters each made two of these: Madi Greenwaldt, Jill Klaphake and Maesyn Thiesen. Victoria Peschel and Morgan Gamradt each made one long-ranger. Klaphake was the Streeters' top scorer with ten points.
Ashley Solvie topped the MACA scoring list with 17 points. Moira McNally put in ten. The list continues with Correy Hickman (5), Riley Decker (2), Becca Holland (2) and Nicole Solvie (2). Here's a rarity: we didn't make any 3-pointers.
Holland had eight rebounds followed by Hickman, Decker and McNally each with six. Hickman had five assists and Holland had four. Holland stole the ball twice.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

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