MCC PULLS OFF THE UPSET AGAINST SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA CHRISTIAN

The MCC Rebel Boys Basketball team came into last week knowing they were playing their toughest four-game stretch of the season. The Rebels would play the top two teams in the Camden Conference and the top 2 teams in the Red Rock Conference over the span of one week. Last week, the Rebels lost the first three games of the stretch getting blown out by RTR and then losing to both Lakeview and WWG late in the game, when the offense went cold or turnovers were committed at terrible times. That left the final game of the run, Tuesday at home against Southwest Minnesota Christian. The Eagles are again one of the top teams in the area and were coming off a 3-point loss to RTR on Monday night. This would be a game the Rebels will never forget.

The first half started well for the Rebels as MCC took a small early lead, but the Eagles soon countered that with a run of their own. The Eagles were able to pound the ball into the low post to 6’7” senior Jarett Kuipers who scored at will. The Rebels really didn’t have an answer for the big man inside and the Rebels’ big man Bryce Hoekman struggled with the physical play underneath. The Rebels were getting a nice contribution from everyone but not enough in the first half to keep the Rebels in the lead. MCC trailed at the half 37 to 30 but the Rebels were in the game.

The second half was all Eagles early on as their lead ballooned into double figures. Five minutes into the second half the Rebels were down 51 to 36. The Eagles kept going to the low post to Kuipers and MCC didn’t have an answer. What did help the Rebels was their outside shooting, which hasn’t been a strength over the last week. Along with some good outside shooting, the Rebels executed a more patient game plan by moving the basketball and cutting to open spots on the floor which created easier shots. The Rebels trailed 59 to 42 with just over six minutes to play. The Rebels went on a huge run by making 3’s and forcing turnovers, but also picking up key rebounds. MCC would take just two minutes to tie the game and take the lead. With 2:42 to play, Christian Tentinger would score a big basket underneath to give the Rebels a 4-point lead. From that point on, the Rebels would never give up the lead. MCC would pull off the upset win 74 to 69.

So how did the Rebels pull off the win? Both teams had similar turnovers and shooting percentages nearly everywhere on the court. The differences came at the free throw line and the three-point line. MCC made 11 of 18 three’s in the game good for 61%. The Eagles made 2 of 16 three-point shots, good for just 12%. At the free throw line, the Rebels made 13 of 25 only 52% and the Eagles made 13 of 18 for 72%. Though the Eagles shot a better percentage at the free throw line, the Rebels and Eagles made the same number, making the three-point shooting the biggest difference in the game. Jarrett Kuipers had a terrific game with 41 points but 7 different Rebels scored 7 or more points. MCC was led by Aiden Dierks with 13, Tanner Graphenteen with 12, Jaden Deacon with 10, Derek Kluis with 9, and Christian Tentinger Abe Paulzine and Carter Lewis with 7 points each. It was truly a team-win and effort. The Rebels will travel to Edgerton Public on Thursday before playing HLOF in Okabena on Saturday.