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Chisago Lakes Invite-

Chisago Lakes 67

Minnehaha Acad. 66 (OT)

It wasn’t pretty. Actually at times, it was painful, but a win is a win and the Wildcats will take it.

Playing Minnehaha Academy last Tuesday in the first round of the Chisago Lakes Invite, the ‘Cats were stretched as far as they can go, defeating the Redhawks in overtime, 67-66.

It was a back and forth type game that started in the Wildcats favor. Leading 19-14 after the first quarter, Chisago continued to score in bunches, mostly from David Olson who finished with 16 points in the first half and 31 in the game. The ‘Cats scored 18 more points in the second, moving their lead to 37-26 at the break.

“Offensively we did a nice job in the first half,” said Herb Jangor, Chisago Lakes head boys basketball coach. “We’ve been a slow starting team this season so it was nice for us to get out to a good start.”

However the sparks began to fly in the second half and the Redhawks shots began to fall. After scoring 26 points over two quarters, Minnehaha hit for 20 alone in the third quarter, helped out by four three-pointers. Everything they shot- they hit. On the other side of the floor, things didn’t go as well for Chisago who struggled with their offensive flow when the Redhawks went to a half-court trap.

“As good as we played in the first half, we played that bad in the second,” remarked Jangor. “We weren’t playing with intensity and we weren’t playing defense, nobody wanted to step up against their trap. It was a combination of things. We really let up on both sides of the ball in the second half.

In all, Chisago managed just two field goals, both coming from Levi Secord, as Minnehaha trimmed the Wildcat lead to one, 45-44.

The back-and-forth affair was just heating up. While the Redhawks continued to hit their shots, including two three-pointers, the ‘Cats had to go to the free throw line just to stay close. Even though they hit just 5 of 10 free throws in the fourth, they were just enough to keep the pressure on. Olson hit three straight with time winding down. Tied 58-58 with under a minute to play, Minnehaha held for a final shot but couldn’t convert forcing overtime.

“That was a big defensive stop, we played great team defense,” remembered Jangor. “Mike Tschida came up with a big steal when time was running out. It was a good stop for us.”

Trevor Johnson got the Wildcats headed in the right direction in overtime after converting a three-point play, giving the ‘Cats a 61-58 lead. However, the Redhawks answered right back again and again, taking a 66-65 lead late. That’s when Olson took over, driving to the basket and drawing a foul. His two free throws were picture-perfect, giving Chisago a 67-66 lead.

Minnehaha had one last chance, but for the second time in the game, the Redhawks fell short at the buzzer. Although Minnehaha wanted a foul it never came, putting a close to a very entertaining and often times ugly game.

Olson and Johnson combined to score all nine points for the Wildcats in overtime. In addition to Olson’s 31, Johnson added 14, as did Secord. All of the other Wildcats who scored in the game finished with two points.

Chisago Lakes 67

Minnehaha Academy 66 (OT)

1 2 3 4 OT F

Minn. Acad. 14 12 20 12 8 66

Chisago Lakes 19 18 8 13 9 67

Scoring-

Olson 31, Johnson 14, Secord 14, Clausen 2, Maher 2, Collins 2, Lallier 2.

Chisago Lakes Invite

Championship-

Chisago Lakes 72

Osceola (Wisc) 59

Last Wednesday, the Wildcats returned to the court to face Osceola in the championship game of the Chisago Lakes Invite.

After narrowly sneaking by Minnehaha Academy the night before, the ‘Cats made it easier on themselves against the Chieftains, using their size to dominate the paint. That, paired with another all-state performance by David Olson, led to a 72-59 win.

The ‘Cats set the tone in the first quarter by pounding the ball inside. And when they weren’t doing that, the Wildcats looked to run, converting on several fast break baskets. They were taking whatever Osceola was giving them. Olson and Secord benefited the biggest in the first quarter, scoring seven and six respectively. In addition, five other ‘Cats scored points in the quarter, helping them to a 24-8 lead after one.

“That was the first game all year where we graded out a high mark in offense efficiency,” said Jangor. “We swung the ball, got all five guys involved.

After adjusting some things, the Chieftains played the Wildcats even in the second quarter. Osceola concentrated on the inside, holding Secord and company to zero points. However, Chisago used that to their advantage as the guards got involved. Olson added six more in the second, and Jason Kellum sank his second three-pointer of the game as well in the second, making the score 35-20 after one half of play.

It was a shoot-out from that point on. The teams stepped onto the floor in the third and immediately started to score, combining for 44 points between them.

Twenty-three of those points came from Osceola. The Chieftains finally got into a flow on offense, hitting three of their six three-pointers in the in the third quarter. But Chisago answered with five three-pointers of their own, including two more from Kellum who provided a spark off the bench. In addition, Olson added two and Mike Tschida one, helping the ‘Cats fend off the Osceola run.

It was the only run the Chieftains had left. Leading 56-43 in the fourth, five free throws and nine more points from Olson helped Chisago seal the deal en route to a 72-59 win and a Chisago Lakes Invite championship.

“We did what we’re supposed to do on offense and that is get everyone involved,” replied Jangor. “And also, it was a game of runs. Whenever Osceola came at us and pulled with six or seven, we answered back. Good teams have to answer runs like that. We did a nice job with that, making sure that those runs didn’t turn into droughts.”

Once again, Olson’s name was all over the scorebook, finishing the game with 30 points, and finishing the tournament with 71. He also scored his 1,000 career point versus the Chieftains.

Kellum came off the bench to toss in 14 points and Tschida finished with eight. A total of nine Wildcats scored in the game.

The win improved the ‘Cats overall record to 8-2 and it also put their winning streak at six games.

Chisago Lakes 72

Osceola 59

1 2 3 4 F

Osceola 8 12 23 16 59

Chisago Lakes 24 11 21 16 72

Scoring-

Olson 30, Kellum 14, Tschida 8, Secord 6, Maher 4, Froberg 4, Lallier 3, Sill 2, Johnson 2.

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