Eagles sink NRHEG
Published 1:09 am Friday, March 12, 2010
Last time the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva boys’ basketball team played Maple River the Panthers won in dramatic fashion to escape with a two-point victory in New Richland, but Thursday in the 2AA south subsection playoffs the Eagles sucked out the drama early in the second half to beat NRHEG 66-52 in Mapleton.
Second-seeded Maple River (23-5) used a 13-0 run in the second half to break open a game that was tied at 30 at halftime. Clark Minks scored seven of the Eagles’ points during the run to help beat the third-seeded Panthers (20-8) in the second meeting.
D.J. Millan led Maple River with 18 points while Jordan Drager scored 12 and Cole Minks added 11. The Eagles move on to face top-seeded Blue Earth Monday in the subsection finals in Mankato.
“We just got out of our game plan at the end,” said NRHEG head coach Brian Riley. “I thought we did a fairly good job of stopping their transition.”
The Panthers shot 38 percent from the field and found themselves heaving up 3-pointers after falling behind by 16 with less than eight minutes to play. NRHEG hit just five of 21 3-point attempts.
The Panthers got as close as eight in the second half but another run from Maple River put the game out of reach. The Eagles went on a 10-5 run to close the game.
Spencer Busho led NRHEG with 10 points and Tyler Firme added nine.
The Panthers rallied from a six-point deficit in the first half to take a one-point lead before the first half ended, but a late foul gave Maple River an opportunity to tie the game and T.J. Nowak made one of two free throw attempts to tie it at 30.
Firme sank a 3-pointer early in the second half to make a two-point game before the Eagles started their 13-0 run.
NRHEG reached the 20-victory mark for the first time under Riley and graduates six seniors.
Maple River 66, NRHEG 52
NRHEG 30 22 — 52
Maple River 30 36 — 66
NRHEG scoring: Spencer Busho 10, Tyler Firme 9, Evan Ferber 8, Cory Camerer 7, Hunter Eustice 7, Brett Hagen 6, Matt Nafe 3, Trevor Spooner 2.
Maple River scoring: D.J. Millan 18, Jordan Drager 12, Cole Minks 11, Clark Minks 10, T.J. Nowak 5, Jaron Denn 4, Garret FitzSimmons 4 , Alex Maslakow 2.