Holdingford
Coming off a pair of wins, the Eagles boys’ basketball team had a chance to cap a three-game, regular season-ending homestand with a 3-0 record, and head into the post-season on a three-game winning streak.
The Eagles’ Wyatt Moehrle posted his third straight game of at least 38 points, posting exactly that amount, but this time it wasn’t enough. The Eagles dropped a tight offensive conference battle to the Holdingford Huskers – a team that came in with a 22-3 record and sat atop the conference standings – falling by an 85-79 final Tuesday, Feb. 25.
In the first half, the Eagles shot 46%, but allowed the Huskers to shoot at an even better clip of 50% to go into halftime trailing 37-33.
The two teams played a nearly even second half and game. In the second half, both teams shot 58% from the floor, but the Eagles got outscored by two points. For the game, the Eagles shot 51% from the floor and the Huskers 54%.
Both teams also found the free-throw line frequently. The Eagles finished 19 of 26 (73%) from the charity stripe, and the Huskers 15 of 21 (71%).
Besides posting 38 points, Moehrle also grabbed 14 rebounds to record a double-double performance. Blake Glenz posted 14 points, Lee Dziengel 10 points, and Riley Geislinger nine points to also pace the Eagles.
With the loss, the Eagles finished the regular season with an overall record of 7-19 and a 5-9 mark in Central Minnesota Conference play, finishing sixth out of eight teams.
The Eagles earned the seventh seed in the north sub-section and opened the Section 3AA boys’ basketball tournament on the road versus the north sub-section’s second-seeded team, the Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta Tigers, on Friday, Feb. 28.
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta
Hitting the road for a new season – the post-season – the Eagles fell into a 43-28 halftime deficit behind some strong shooting by the second-seeded Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta Tigers. In the second half, the Tigers didn’t cool off, and the seventh-seeded Eagles fell by an 83-55 final from Morris High School in the opening round of the Section 3AA boys’ basketball tournament Feb. 28.
The Eagles allowed the Tigers to shoot well: 56% from the floor, including 64% in the second half. Meanwhile, the Eagles shot 38% from the floor, including 30% in the second half.
In this game, the Eagles also dropped the turnover and rebounding battle. The Eagles committed 13 turnovers, but forced just six Tiger turnovers. The Eagles lost the rebounding battle by a 37-24 margin.
Offensively, Wyatt Moehrle led the Eagles with 18 points, along with team-highs in rebounds with seven and in assists with five. Riley Geislinger also hit double figures with 13 points, and Bryce Neiman chipped in eight points to also pace the Eagles.
With the loss, the Eagles finish the season 7-20 overall and 5-9 in Central Minnesota Conference play.