Boys basketball roundup: Willmar Cardinals close regular-season with a road win

Tom Elliott, West Central Tribune, Willmar, Minn.
·4 min read

Mar. 3—SAUK RAPIDS — The Willmar boys basketball team helped create some momentum for its playoff run by closing the regular season impressively Friday night.

The Cardinals beat Sauk Rapids 64-54 in a Central Lakes Conference game at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School.

Willmar wraps up the regular season with a 4-12 CLC record and an 11-15 overall mark. Sauk Rapids finishes 7-8 in the conference and 10-14 overall. Willmar's next game will be in the Section 8AAA playoffs. The seeds have yet to be announced. First-round games are Tuesday at high seeds.The Cards fell to the Storm 54-50 on Jan. 26 in Willmar. This time, Willmar shot well and got a huge game from Blake Schoolmeester.

The Cardinals shot 47.2% from the field, making 25 of 53 field-goal attempts. There were 10 of 19 from 3-point range, good for 52.6%. Sauk Rapids shot 32.1% from the field, 18 of 56. The Storm were 21.7% from two-point range, 5 of 23, and 39.4% on their threes, 13 of 33.

Willmar also out-rebounded Sauk Rapids, 40-23.

Leading the way for the Cardinals was Schoolmeester.

The 6-foot-6 senior forward had 21 points and 17 rebounds. He was 8-for-12 from the field, 66.7% and 5-for-5 from 3-point range. Schoolmeester also had four assists.

Senior guard Jacob Streed contributed nine assists and seven assists. Sam Raitz added 12 points and Khalid Muhumed scored 11.

Mason Rudolph had 16 points and Logan Bauer added 12 for Sauk Rapids.

Willmar (11-15) 36 28 — 64

Sauk Rapids (10-14) 20 30 — 54

WILLMAR — Scoring: Jacob Streed 7, Max Mobley 5, Nathan Marthaler 2, Simon Radermacher 2, Tyler Kowalczyk 4, Blake Schoolmeester 21, Khalid Muhumed 11, Sam Raitz 12 ... 3-point shots: Streed 2, Schoolmeester 5, Muhumed 1, Raitz 2 ... Rebound leaders: Schoolmeester 17, Muhumed 7 ... Assist leaders: Streed 9, Schoolmeester 4, Radermacher 3 ... Steal leaders: Mobley 2, Radermacher 2 ... Block leaders: Streed 1, Mobley 1, Schoolmeester 1

SAUK RAPIDS — Scoring: Kelelr Hanson 9, Mason Rudolph 16, Logan Bauer 12, Andrew Harren 4, Austin Kunz 8, Max Loesch 2, Shea Koster 3 ... 3-point shots: Hanson 3, Rudolph 3, Bauer 4, Kunz 2, Koster 1 ... Rebound leader: Harren 9 ... Assist leaders: Rudolph 3, Harren 3 ... Steal leaders: Rudolph 2, Bauer 2 ... Block leaders: Bauer 1, Loesch 1

Kaden Pieper recorded his 2,00th career in Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa's regular-season finale at Brooten.

Pieper finished with 34 points. The senior guard shot 15-for-29 from the field and made 2 of 3 free throws. He also had seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Luke Dingmann added 26 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots to the Jaguars' cause.

Hudson Ver Steeg, a 6-foot-6 junior guard, had 21 points to lead the Owls.

Hancock (12-13) 29 30 — 59

BBE (22-4) 34 42 — 76

HANCOCK — Scoring: Brayden Kisgen 2, Jackson Koehl 14, Rylan Meierding 2, Jared Koehl 8, Chase Evink 10, Jordan Chunn 2, Hudson Ver Steeg 21 ... 3-point shots: Koehl 4, Ver Steeg 6 ... Rebound leader: Evink 8 ... Assist leader: Meierding 3 ... Steal leader: Koehl 2 ... Block leaders: Evink 1, Paxton Rohloff 1

BBE — Scoring: Kaden Pieper 34, Luke Illies 6, Luke Dingmann 26, Brady Schwinghammer 9, Jamison Reed 1 ... 3-point shots: Pieper 2, Dingmann 2, Schwinghammer 3 ... Rebound leaders: Dingmann 8, Pieper 7 ... Assist leaders: Pieper 4, Schwinghammer 4 ... Steal leaders: Dingmann 3, Pieper 2 ... Block leader: Dingmann 2

Community Christian School advanced to the Christian Athletic League tournament championship with a victory over Valley Christian of Osceola, Wisconsin.

CCS plays Immanuel Lutheran for the title at 2:15 p.m. Saturday in Mankato.

Valley Christian 16 13 — 29

Community Christian 37 27 — 64

VALLEY CHRISTIAN — Scoring: Noah Spading 5, Dante Barlow 6, Ethan Sapding 5, Charlie O'Brien 9, Carter Stafne 4 ... 3-point shots: E. Spading 1 ... Rebound leader: n/a ... Assist leader: n/a ... Steal leader: n/a ... Block leader: n/a

COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN — Scoring: Joanthan Reid 18, Mark Arnold 12, Ben Reinertson 11, Sam Mulder 7, Gavin Mulder 6, Kody Tollefsrud 4, Will Chapin 3, Micah Nelson 2, Zephaniah Bonnema 1 ... 3-point shots: Reid 4, Arnold 2, Reinertson 1, Muller 1, Chapin 1 ... Rebound leaders: Reid 7, Mulder 7 ... Assist leaders: Tollefsrud 3, Chapin 3 ... Steal leaders: S. Mulder 3, G. Mulder 3 ... Block leader: G. Mulder 1