REBEL BOYS BASKETBALL VS HBC

All good things have to come to an end, but when it comes to high school basketball in Southwest Minnesota, there are a couple places that you want your end to come at. One of them being in Marshall, at the R.A. Facility at SMSU. It’s a dream that many young basketball players have, working to be a part of that atmosphere before they graduate. This group of Seniors and this Rebels basketball team earned the right to experience this special game. Coming up short on the scoreboard against a tough Hills-Beaver Creek team, 6044, the fight was evident to the last seconds. If you want to be remembered for one thing and leave a lasting impression on a huge crowd of people, that might be the best way to go out.

The first half of the game was back and forth with HBC showing their athleticism, gaining offensive rebounds and earning second and third chance opportunities early and often on offense. This would lead to a big shot discrepancy as the Patriots took 62 shots to the Rebels 49. MCC held HBC to just 35% shooting, but the Patriots knocked down 11 three’s out of 24 attempts, a 46% clip, while the Rebels went 3-13 from beyond the arc.

A combination of things led to the three’s for both teams, as HBC makes you earn it on the offensive end and the Rebels giving up offensive rebounds, led to kick out three’s and a handful of poor rotations on defense. Good ball movement also gave the Patriots some nice looks from beyond the arc.

The Patriots hit 7 three’s in the first half. Five different Patriots connected as well, which puts a lot of pressure on the defense. The Rebels did a nice job of keeping the ball out of the high post, where HBC was lethal in their first two matchups. The high low game that the Patriots athletes can play from that position of the floor and the way their point guard can attack and finish in the lane was going to be crucial to keep the Patriots offense from being efficient.

MCC went into the half down 32 to 21, 21 of those points coming from beyond the arc for the Patriots. MCC had its opportunities to score in the first half. Unfortunately, they didn’t connect on high percentage shots in the lane consistently. Whether it was post ups or attacks from the perimeter, in a game against this quality of an opponent, every bucket was magnified as they are going to be earned. Aidan Swenson led the way with 9 first half points, while four other Rebels scored as well. Gavin Gillette, Hudson Schryvers, Max Miller, and Tristan Behrends.

The second half produced some major momentum changing moments, as HBC built up a 20 point lead with under 10 minutes to go, but the Rebels did not go away. In less than two minutes, MCC cut the lead in half. Using a full court press, the Rebels made the Patriots uncomfortable and were putting a lot of pressure on the ball, creating tipped passes, a lack of flow in their offense, and steals. MCC turned this defense into offense as Dylan Kluis and Max Miller each hit a three. Gavin Gillette got to the rim and foul line, as did Hudson Schryvers. Aidan Swenson and Schryvers were crashing the boards, earning offensive rebounds and second chance points. MCC would not give up! Carson Engelkes was a menace in the press, Unfortunately, he injured his ankle during the Rebels run, as he was one of the sparks that ignited the Rebel run.

With time running short and HBC taking advantage of a scrambling Rebel defense one too many times, they extended the lead back to 15 and end up winning the game by 16, 60-44. MCC would finish their season with 18 wins and a Sub-Section 3a South runner up. Not bad for a 6th seed. A big thank you to all of our Seniors, Theran Mannon, Ava Johnson, Dawson Schreier, Carson Engelkes, Drew Wajer, Andrew Holm, Dylan Kluis, Hudson Schryvers, and Gavin Gillette, who were able to play their last game or manage their last game on the cherished and historic floor at SMSU. The amount of people you were able to influence and inspire will never be completely known, but you can be sure that the experience you gave an awesome crowd full of supportive fans of all ages left a lasting positive impression on them all.

Leading Scorers: Aidan Swenson, 15. Gavin Gillette, 13. Rebounds: Aidan Swenson, 12. Hudson Schryvers, 8. Assists: Hudson Schryvers, 5. Steals: Gavin Gillette, Carson Engelkes, and Dylan Kluis each had one.