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Lyle/Austin Pacelli's Koak, team's defense, too much for Fillmore Central

pat ruff, post-bulletin, rochester, minn.
·3 min read

Mar. 6—ROCHESTER — Lyle/Austin Pacelli's habit hadn't been a good one.

It hadn't led to many losses — just five — but the Athletics' tendency was to start slow.

"I talk to them all the time about coming out with intensity," L/AP boys basketball coach Carl Truckenmiller said.

That plea seems to have finally sunk in. At least it was heeded on Monday night in the Section 1A quarterfinals as the No. 4-seeded Athletics took on No. 5 seed Fillmore Central at Mayo Civic Auditorium.

L/AP didn't just begin fast — it began blazing.

After a driving basket by program all-time leading scorer Buay Koak, the Athletics had built a 23-7 lead. Star guard Jake Truckenmiller had been heavily involved, too, netting a couple of his five 3-pointers.

There would be a brief offensive lull later in the game by L/AP, but the early damage that Carl Truckenmiller had been begging for had been done. On this night, that paved the way for an easy 72-52 win.

"We usually have a really good second-half burst," Carl Truckenmiller said. "But today our focus was there and we got up early."

The Athletics are going to need a fast start, a fast middle and a fast end on Saturday. That's because next up is No. 1 seed and top-ranked Goodhue. L/AP will take on the Wildcats at 11 a.m. Saturday in the section semifinals at Mayo Civic Auditorium.

"If we find our open spots and play our basketball, we'll be good," said 6-4 high-leaping forward Koak.

Speaking of good, that was Koak once again on Monday. The senior had a 28-point night with four 3-pointers and nine rebounds.

He got it comfortably, as is his custom. He also got it dramatically at times, mixing in a pair of resounding dunks.

Koak is a scoring machine, now with more than 2,200 career points.

It's a role he relishes.

"I like being that guy that our team can rely on," said Koak, also a stellar student with a 3.9 grade-point average. "I like being a guy you can give the ball to and everyone can clear out. I'm used to that role. But at the same time, when you are a big scorer, you also have to know when to pass it out to an open player."

A good guy to do the latter with is Jake Truckenmiller. The fellow senior is a 1,000-point scorer. He added to that on Monday with those five 3-pointers and 18 points, Koak and others nicely finding him.

As much as Carl Truckenmiller liked what he saw offensively from his team Monday, it was on the other end of the court that he was most satisfied.

Fillmore Central, which finished its season 17-11 overall, entered the quarterfinals averaging 70 points per game. On this night, it managed just 52.

And the truth is, the Athletics coach wasn't surprised.

"Our defense doesn't get talked about much, but it's good," Truckenmiller said. "Holding a team that averages 70 points to 52, that's pretty good defense."

It was a game where the Athletics delivered all night long. Starting Saturday, they're going to have to do it all over again, and then some.

Lyle/Austin Pacelli 72, Fillmore Central 52

FILLMORE CENTRAL (52)

Luke Hellickson 16 P, 2 3-PT; Jayce Kiehne 8 P; Dillon O'Connor 9 P; Matthew Marzolf 2 P; Bryce Corson 17 P, 5 3-PT.

LYLE-AUSTIN-PACELLI (72)

Jake Truckenmiller 18 P, 5 3-PT; Mac Nelson 16 P, 2 3-PT; Landon Meyer 7 P; David Christianson 1 P; Buay Koak 28 P, 4 3-PT; Dylan Christianson 2 P.

Halftime: LAP 35, FC 24.

Free throws: FC 11-17, LAP 10-22.

Three-point goals: FC 7, LAP 11.