---

The Wildcat boys broke out of their six-game skid with a 65-47 win at Totino-Grace Tuesday, February 5.

"We controlled it right from the start," said Wildcat head coach Herb Jangor. Evan Tienken scored 12 of his 15 points and Taylor Jones scored eight of his 13 in the first half to lead the early Wildcat surge.

"Evan and Taylor really got it going for us and the kids played some good D," Jangor continued. The play of the two seniors helped the Wildcats build a 31-18 halftime lead.

After the intermission, CL gradually increased its lead to 20 before a Totino eight-point run cut the margin to 12 with seven minutes to play. Eagle sharpshooter Micah Koehn led the rush with a couple of "NBA" threes. "You could see that look in their eyes - they thought they had a chance," Jangor said.

Then, "Coach MacIver called the right play," said Jangor. That call got the ball to Wildcat junior Josh Figini on an out-of-bounds play, He handed it off to Jones for an easy hoop. "When they pulled back to within 12, you could see they had some confidence. The OB play threw them back on their heels," the coach added.

The play seemed to fire up the 'Cats and, in rapid succession, Jones hit another two, Figini stepped out to hit a pair of three's and Kyle Hogie drained one from downtown. Suddenly, the Wildcats were back in control.

"We're probably playing our best team ball right now. This is the fourth game in a row that we've played very well, and we finally got a win," Jangor commented. "The guys stuck together in the tough times, and now they're getting rewarded. Let's hope that continues."

Jangor shared that the win was a real team victory. Assistant coaches, "Fisher and Lallier had some nice calls, too. There's a lot of little things that take place during a game. We're showing a lot of character and we're starting to come together."

After repeating his praise of seniors Jones, Hogie and Tienken, he spoke about Figini's play. "Josh is Josh! Those two three's he hit were huge. He had 22 points, 12 rebounds and about eight blocks - just another typical game fore him. It was like he just stepped up and said, 'To heck with this. We're not losing this game.'"

GAME SUMMARY

Totino 18 29 47

Chisago Lakes 31 34 65

Wildcat Scoring

Eric Reed 2

Kyle Hogie 8

Mike Corradi 2

Evan Tienken 15

Taylor Jones 13

Josh Figini 22

Henry Fitzpatrick 3

Total 65

Chisago Lakes at Irondale

Friday, February 9

"They made a few more plays in the second half than we did," said Jangor about the Wildcat's 62-58 loss to the Knights.

The North Suburban Conference rivals slugged it out in the first 18 minutes. The 'Cats held a 23-21 lead at the break.

After halftime, the Knights broke away with a 10-0 run. Then, the Wildcats, led by Eric Reed, fought back to narrow the margin.

"Eric was instrumental in getting us back in the game," said Jangor. "He made some nifty, penetrating moves (on offense) and made six points as we came back. Quinn Collins played well for us, too.

"We played well and we played together. I can't remember the last time we didn't. Here's an Irondale team that's won six games in a row, including a win over Cooper, and we go into their place and have a real chance to beat them."

Jangor continued, "They had a couple of guys have big games. We had a lot of guys have good games, but we needed someone (in addition to Josh Figini) to have a big game. They made a few three's while we made two's and they did the little things a little better than we did.

"We've gotta figure out a way to look at our games as opportunities rather than obstacles. If we keep improving, we'll find a way to win some of these close ones," Jangor concluded.

GAME SUMMARY

Irondale 21 41 62

Chisago Lakes 23 35 58

Wildcat Scoring

Cole Johnson 2

Eric Reed 6

Kyle Hogie 2

Quinn Collins 5

Mike Corradi 2

Evan Tienken 6

Taylor Jones 7

Josh Figini 22

Matt Jorgensen 2

Henry Fitzpatrick 4

Total 58

Friday, February 15 the 'Cats play at Columbia Heights at 7:15. The next evening, CL hosts Mahtomedi at 7:00. Tuesday, February 19 the Wildcats host Robbinsdale-Cooper at 7:15.

---