Boys basketball roundup: Brainerd rallies to down Willmar, 70-65
Dec. 10—WILLMAR — Brainerd survived a first-half onslaught by the Willmar boys basketball team. Then coming out after halftime, the Warriors got ahead and never looked back.
Down by 11 midway through the first half, Brainerd came back to win the Central Lakes Conference matchup 70-65 in the Big Red Gym at Willmar High School.
The Warriors trailed 36-33 at halftime, but got a momentum swing when Luke Diem hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer. In the second half, Garrett Gilbert scored a bucket with 15 minutes, 16 seconds left to play to put the Warriors up 40-38. Brainerd never trailed the rest of the way.
Up 44-43, the Warriors pulled away in the second half with a 14-2 run to go up 58-45 with 6:40 to play.
Willmar opened the game on a roll as senior Blake Schoolmeester had a white-hot start. Tied 7-7, Schoolmeester hit four straight three-pointers to put the team up 19-7. Then a shot in the post by Schoolmeester put the Cardinals ahead 21-9 with 9:19 left before the break.
Schoolmeester scored 17 first-half points on the way to a game-high 28. He was 9 of 16 from the field, including 6 of 9 from three-point range. He also grabbed six rebounds.
Sam Raitz added 14 points and six rebounds. Max Mobley scored all 12 of his points in the opening half.
Brainerd had a trio of double-digit scorers, led by Jon Pecarich. He had 16 points. Nick Evanson followed with 15 points and Eli Hoelz added 14.
Willmar's next game is at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday at Alexandria.
Brainerd (3-0) 33 38 — 70
Willmar (1-1) 36 29 — 65
BRAINERD — Scoring: John Pecarich 16, Eli Hoelz 14, Nick Evanson 15, Jake Merseth 2, Luke Diem 9, Korde Roseman 4, Jonathan Benson 2, Garrett Gilbert 8 ... 3-point shots: Pecarich 1, Evanson 3 ... Rebound leader: Pecarich 7 ... Assist leader: Pecarich 3 ... Steal leader: Pecarich 5 ... Block leader: Pecarich 1
WILLMAR — Scoring: Jacob Streed 1, Max Mobley 12, Simon Radermacher 6, Blake Schoolmeester 28, Khalid Muhumed 4, Sam Raitz 14 ... 3-point shots: Radermacher 2, Schoolmeester 6 ... Rebound leader: Mobley 6, Schoolmeester 6, Raitz 6 ... Assist leader: Streed 5 ... Steal leader: Four with 1 ... Block leader: Mobley 1
Cooper Dack had 21 points and Gannon Reidinger, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, added 17 points and 14 rebounds to lead Montevideo past Benson at Montevideo.
Montevideo is now 2-0 in West Central Conference play.
Juan Espinoza scored 21 points to lead Benson.
Montevideo next plays BOLD at 7:15 p.m. Thursday in Bird Island. Benson has a game at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Ortonville.
Benson (0-2) 26 26 — 52
Montevideo (2-1) 35 43 — 78
BENSON — Scoring: Landon Skarsten 6, Tayte Antolick 3, Blake Brehmer 8, Juan Espinoza 21, Jaden McCarter 1, Harold Habben 4, Jahki Brown 7, Joey Pagel 2 ... 3-point shots: Skarsten 2, Antolick 1, Brehmer 1, Espinoza 2, Brown 1 ... Rebound leader: n/a ... Assist leader: n/a ... Steal leader: n/a ... Block leader: n/a
MONTEVIDEO — Scoring: Cooper Dack 21, Gannon Reidinger 17, Mason Jerve 13, Samuel Knoop 10, Carson Boike 8, Devin Ashling 7, Isaac Day 2 ... 3-point shots: Dack 2, Knoop 2, Ashling 1 ... Rebound leader: Reidinger 14, Dack 8, Boike 8 ... Assist leader: Knoop 3, Dack 3 ... Steal leader: Ashling 4, Boike 3 ... Block leader: Reidinger 2
Ryan King scored 27 points to lead BOLD's offense. But it was not enough to beat Melrose as the Dutchmen claimed the West Central Conference victory at Melrose.
BOLD's next game is against Montevideo at 7:15 p.m. Thursday at Bird Island.
BOLD (1-1)
Melrose (2-0)
BOLD — Scoring: Jack Gross 9, Andrew Meyers 11, Ryan King 27, William Penkert 5 ... 3-point shots: Gross 1, King 3, Penkert 1 ... Rebound leader: Gross 12 ... Assist leader: Gross 7 ... Steal leader: Gross 4 ... Block leader: Gross 1, Brayden Gass 1
MELROSE — Stats not available
Ethan Bulthuis and Ryan Harrington led CMCS to its third victory this season at Clara City.
Bulthuis had 19 points and nine rebounds. Harrington had 16 points and nine rebounds.
In MACCRAY's first loss of the season, Jordan Warne scored a team-best 13 points.
CMCS next plays Montevideo at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Prinsburg. MACCRAY plays Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg at 7:30 p.m. Monday in Clara City.
CMCS (3-1) 26 33 — 59
MACCRAY (3-1) 25 25 — 50
CMCS — Scoring: Ethan Bulthuis 19, Ryan Harrington 16, Brayden Marcus 10, Drew Duininck 6, Jaden Dannen 5, Braelin Rime 3 ... 3-point shots: Bulthuis 2, Marcus 2, Duininck 2, Dannen 1, Rime 1 ... Rebound leader: Bulthuis 9, Harrington 9 ... Assist leader: Duininck 7 ... Steal leader: Bulthuis 4 ... Block leader: Duininck 1
MACCRAY — Scoring: Isaac Post 11, Jordan Warne 13, Nathan Wieberdink 9, Willie Miller 7, Charlie Delbosque 2 ... 3-point shots: Post 2, Miller 2 ... Rebound leader: Warne 9 ... Assist leader: Post 5 ... Steal leader: Wieberdink 2 ... Block leader: Post 1
Keegon Wicht put up 19 points, eight rebounds, seven steals and six assists for Dawson-Boyd in a Camden Conference win against Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg at Kerkhoven.
Hunter Kallstrom paced the Fighting Saints with 16 points.
D-B (1-1) 32 30 — 62
KMS (2-0) 18 27 — 45
D-B — Scoring: Keegon Wicht 19, Aiden Swenson 7, Gunner Liebl 3, Brayson Boike 14, Drew Hjelmeland 18, Levi Olson 1 ... 3-point shots: Wicht 4, Swenson 1, Liebl 1, Hjelmeland 2 ... Rebound leader: Wicht 8 ... Assist leader: Wicht 6 ... Steal leader: Wicht 7 ... Block leader: Boike 2
KMS — Scoring: Jacob Walsh 5, Jaiden Henjum 4, Malaki Lee 6, DeAndre Holloway 14, Hunter Kallstrom 16 ... 3-point shots: Walsh 1, Holloway 1, Kallstrom 2 ... Rebound leader: Henjum 4 ... Assist leader: Two with 1 ... Steal leader: Holloway 3 ... Block leader: Holloway 4
Matthew Arndt had 18 points and Kaden Molden added 16 as Lac qui Parle Valley beat Renville County West at Renville.
Rayn Schupp had 17 points, 14 rebounds and five assists to help lead RCW.Both teams play Dawson-Boyd in their next game. LQPV plays Dawson-Boyd on Thursday in Madison. RCW plays at 7:30 p.m. at Dawson-Boyd.
LQPV (1-2) 30 29 — 59
RCW (0-2) 22 32 — 54
LQPV — Scoring: Davis Patzer 5, Eli Hegland 10, R-First Son Shotaro 4, Matthew Arndt 18, Kaden Molden 16, T.J. Mitchell 6 ... 3-point shots: Patzer 1. Arndt 6 ... Rebound leader: n/a ... Assist leader: n/a ... Steal leader: n/a ... Block leader: n/a
RCW — Scoring: Adam Schrupp 5, Ryan Schrupp 17, Jack Wertish 4, Isaac Haen 12, Joe Valdovinos 4, Jon Driggs 12 ... 3-point shots: A. Schrupp 1, R. Schrupp 2, Haen 2 ... Rebound leaders: R. Schrupp 14, Driggs 9, A. Schrupp 6, Wertish 6 ... Assist leaders: R. Schrupp 5, A. Schrupp 4, Haen 3 ... Steal leaders: Haen 4, Wertish 2, Valdovinos 2 ... Block leader: none
Canby dominated Yellow Medicine East as five players scored at least 10 points at Canby.
Zach Ourada led Canby with 20 points. Evan Weber, Michael Tol and Trevor Gray each had 12. Kolton Duis had 11.
YME's DJ Whitebuffalo scored 19 points in the loss.
The Sting play at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City in Grove City.
YME (1-2)
Canby (2-0)
YME — Scoring: DJ Whitebuffalo 19, Drew Almich 13, Bryce Sneller 9, Owen Torvik 3, Andrew Flaten 2, Landon Anderson 2 ... 3-point shots: Almich 3, Whitebuffalo 1 ... Rebound leader: Sneller 8 ... Assist leader: Cody Dahlager 7 ... Steal leader: Whitebuffalo 3 ... Block leader: Torvik 3
CANBY — Scoring: Zach Ourada 20, Evan Weber 12, Michael Tol 12, Trevor Gray 12, Kolton Duis 11, Liam MacArthur 4, Evan Engesmoe 2 ... 3-point shots: Ourada 6, Weber 2, Tol 2, Duis 2 ... Rebound leader: Duis 5 ... Assist leader: Weber 3 ... Steal leader: Gray 3 ... Block leader: Ourada 2
Jack McCann pumped in 22 points and Alex Draeger had 11 in Litchfield's road win at Eden Valley-Watkins.
Litchfield (1-1) 23 40 — 63
EVW (0-1) 32 25 — 57
LITCHFIELD — Scoring: Jack McCann 22, Blake Aller 9, Tucker Liestman 7, Creighton Huhner 2, Alex Draeger 11 ... 3-point shots: McCann 5, Aller 1, Liestman 1, Draeger 1 ... Rebound leader: McCann 7 ... Assist leader: Aller 5 ... Steal leader: McCann 2 ... Block leader: Liestman 1
EVW — Scoring: Wyatt Moehrle 7, Landon Neiman 10, Nolan Geislinger 20, Myles Dziengel 4, Caden Neiman 3, Parker Schultz 4, Noah Stommes 9 ... 3-point shots: Moehrle 1, L. Neiman 1, Geislinger 4, C. Neiman 1 ... Rebound leader: L. Neiman 6, Stommes 7 ... Assist leader: Geislinger 3 ... Steal leader: Schultz 2 ... Block leader: Stommes 1
