February 11, 2008 at 9:26 a.m.
Wildcat boys play hard, but still fall to Benilde St. Margaret
Wildcat boys play hard, but still fall to Benilde St. Margaret
"This was one of those games where we put two good halves together," Wildcat head coach Herb Jangor said.
The first period was close all the way, with BSM holding a 32-26 halftime advantage. In the early minutes of the second stanza, the Knights opened up a 15 point lead before CL clawed its way back within 10.
"The guys really played hard! But, after cutting the lead to 10, we just kinda ran out of gas," Jangor said. "It takes a lot of energy to come back, especially against a good team like Benilde. We couldn't hit enough three's in the second half. We didn't shoot as well as we did in the first half, and, even though we didn't make a lot of mistakes, we made too many to have a chance to win this game.
"Earlier in the year, we would have gotten blown out. They had to play well to beat us. We're making progress - everyone's doing his job. The bench was unbelievable, again. Guys like Lallier (Jerad) and Jorgenson (Matt) gave the team a real lift, even though they haven't played a lot," the coach continued.
"Taylor (Jones) and Josh (Figini) were outstanding, again. Kyle Hogie, despite not scoring like he has some games, did the little things. He rebounded well and had some steals. Manny (Cruceru) came in and gave us some needed energy and Evan Tienken came out and had a good game after not playing much lately.
"The kids played a heck of a game. We've played very well in our last two games - well enough to win most. We played the game the right way and did the things we need to do to get better. I told the seniors after the game, 'If you don't take these last two games and turn them into something positive for the rest of the season, I'll be surprised.'"
GAME SUMMARY
Benilde 32 45 77
Chisago Lakes 26 28 54
Wildcat Scoring
Eric Reed 2
Kyle Hogie 5
Mike Corradi 2
Evan Tienken 7
Taylor Jones 11
Josh Figini 18
Jake Warkel 2
Benj Figini 2
Manny Cruceru 5
Total 54
CL at St. Francis
In a game that changed its complexion at halftime, the Wildcats were defeated at St. Francis Saturday, February 2 by a score of 61-54.
"It was a good first half of scoring," coach Jangor said, "But we couldn't get much going in the second. We played good D, but we just couldn't score."
Even though they played well on the offensive end, the Wildcats were down by seven at halftime. After the intermission, the Fighting Saints maintained their advantage and, midway through the half, enjoyed a 10-point lead.
Jangor employed a one-three-one defense, with senior Mike Corradi at the top, to put some pressure on the home team. "Mike sparked us with his defensive energy. His pressure disrupted them and he got a couple of steals, despite playing with four fouls. We battled back with great effort and cut their lead to three," Jangor explained.
"We had some chances at the end, but they didn't miss freethrows and we didn't execute as well as we needed to. We made a mistake and they scored a layup as a result," Jangor continued. "Some of our guys played real well. Evan (Tienken) had a nice first half and Josh (Figini) is Josh. We need to get everybody playing well at the same time.
"It was a fun game to coach - a good high school basketball game. This was our third straight game where we played good basketball. We just need to get a win," Jangor concluded.
GAME SUMMARY
St. Francis 38 23 61
Chisago Lakes 31 23 54
Wildcat Scoring
Eric Reed 1
Kyle Hogie 11
Quinn Collins 2
Mike Corradi 5
Evan Tienken 10
Taylor Jones 6
Josh Figini 19
Total 54
The Wildcats continue their conference schedule at Irondale Friday, February 8 and at home against Columbia Heights Tuesday, February 12. Both contests are scheduled start at 7:15.
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