The MCC Rebel boys didn’t expect their final home game of the year to come until Tuesday but Mother Nature had a different idea. With a blizzard scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, the Rebels moved their game with Edgerton up to Monday to make sure it got played. The move would put the Rebels in position, with a win, to play for the Red Rock Conference Title on Friday night against Southwest Minnesota Christian. For the Rebels to win a conference title, they would need their 11th win in a row on Monday and they did just that.
MCC came out gunning, scoring the first 17 points of the game. Tanner Graphenteen and Derek Kluis combined to make 3 of 4 three-point shots in the first couple minutes of the game. Then, the Rebels got four points each from Christian Tentinger and Bryce Hoekman. The Rebels were off and running, but then the Rebels slowed down. The Dutchmen didn’t score their first point until there was 8:38 to play in the first half when Michael Gunnink converted a layup to make the score 17-2. After a long scoreless stretch that would see the Rebel’s lead shrink to ten points, MCC got the ball inside to Carter Lewis and Christian Tentinger and the duo would score four points each. MCC led at the half 26 to 12.
The Rebels scored one more point in the second half than they did in the first, but the Rebel’s defense didn’t allow Edgerton to make a run. Conner Ockenga was the only Edgerton player scoring on a regular basis. The forward made 5 shots in the game. Four of those were three-point shots. The Flying Dutchmen never threatened the Rebels in the second half. In the second half, Tanner Graphenteen would scoop up a loose ball and throw it ahead to Bryce Hoekman. The 6’8” junior center got the first slam dunk of his career. The two-handed throwdown was the Rebel’s second dunk of the season coming against Edgerton, as Christian Tentinger dunked in the first meeting. It was the first time in MCC Rebel history that more than one Rebel dunked in a season. The last time it happened for the Slayton Wildcats was in the 1989-1990 season. The Rebels coasted to a 53-30 win.
The Rebel’s bigger players led the way. Tentinger scored 15 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Bryce Hoekman scored 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds while blocking a handful of shots. Tanner Graphenteen added 10 for MCC in the win. Conner Ockenga led the Flying Dutchmen with 14 points. The Rebels have won 11 games in a row heading towards Friday when they will play Southwest Minnesota Christian for a Red Rock Conference Championship.
