January 4, 2007 at 7:41 a.m.
Chisago Lakes finishes third in own tournament
Chisago Lakes finishes third in own tournament
Against Minnehaha, Wildcat senior Chris Golv got the 'Cats off to a good start by burying a three 40 seconds into the game. However, the combination of Redhawk defense, poor shot selection and turnovers shut the home team out for the next seven minutes. During that span, Minnehaha went on an 11-0 run to make the score 11-3. "We were just standing around on offense," said Chisago Lakes head coach Herb Jangor. "We did some good things, but we faded in and out."
The teams traded baskets over the the next two minutes. Zach Sill ended the Wildcat scoring drought on a drive with 10:03 left in the half. Tyler Bouwens' two freethrows made the score 13-7 at the 8:40 mark. After a Redhawk three gave them a nine point lead, the CL offense showed its first signs of life. Josh Figini scored on a drive, Sill dropped a two, Troy Aadland made one of two from the line and a Sill to Joe Knafla pass resulted in a a Wildcat bucket as CL closed the gap to two with six minutes left in the half.
Leading 16-14, the Redhawks drained consecutive three's to rebuild their lead to eight before a Bouwens jumper from behind the arc and a Figini putback made it a 22-19. At the 3:04 mark, Bouwens stepped in front of an airborn Redhawk and took the charge to give the 'Cats the ball. With 2:15 remaining, a Golv fast break drive made it 22-21, but Minnehaha outscored the home team 9-0 over the last two minutes to take a 31-21 halftime lead.
"We came out flat in the second half," Jangor said. The Wildcats fell behind by 15 before a rally gave CL a 55-52 lead. But, the Redhawks altered their defense to close off the inside as time ran out. The Wildcats weren't as patient as they needed to be and got outscored 12-0 at the end of the game. "We settled for the three's they gave us and they didn't fall," the coach added.
Jangor saw some good things in the game. "Tyler Bouwens (15 points) had a nice game for us. Justin Rivard gave us spark off the bench to get us back in it in the second half and Kyle Hogie hit some shots for us when we needed them."
Chisago Lakes 21 34 55
Minnehaha Academy31 35 66
Chisago Lakes Scoring
Tyler Bouwens 15
Chris Golv 7
Zach Sill 9
Troy Aadland 1
Josh Figini 4
Joe Knafla 9
Justin Rivard 2
Taylor Jones 1
Total 55
Osceola vs Chisago Lakes
In the third place game, the Wildcats came out with the kind of defensive intensity that CL fans have become accustomed to. "We didn't play very well on defense the last two games," Coach Jangor commented. This time, "We played 'D' like we're capable of. That really got our offense going." Six players had numbers in the scorebook by halftime as Chisago Lakes outscored the Chieftains 30 to 24 in the first 18 minutes.
In the second half, Osceola battled back to cut the Wildcats' lead to six. "But, then Kyle Hogie hit a couple of three's and we were up by 12," the coach said, "Figini came back with a nice game, Bouwens and Sill did some nice things on the offensive end and we got a good defensive effort from Golv," Jangor added.
The Wildcats switched up their defense in the second half which seemed to cause problems for Osceola. "We scrambled from the top and packed it in around the basket," Jangor said. "For the first time this year, we ran our zone effectively. That was good to see. We're gonna need it!" The defensive changes forced the Chieftains to take more low percentage shots and held them to 24 points in each half.
"This was a good win for us," Jangor continued. "It should help us get back on track for the second half of the season. This team has the potential to have a special season. We have a good group of kids who do the little things. We're on track, but not quite there, yet. I think they'll get us there. After nine games, we're working toward what we can be. If we become a bit more patient and continue to be aggressive, we'll be okay."
Chisago Lakes 30 23 53
Osceola 24 24 48
Chisago Lakes Scoring
Tyler Bouwens 7
Chris Golv 5
Zach Sill 6
Brian Jennissen 8
Josh Figini 13
Joe Knafla 4
Kyle Hogie 6
Taylor Jones 4
Total 53
The Wildcats return to action Thursday, January 4 when they host Columbia Heights before traveling to Spring Lake Park Tuesday, January 9.
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