The MCC Rebel Boys were in Lamberton to take on the Falcons of Red Rock Central on Tuesday night. The Rebels were still sitting in first place in the Red Rock Conference heading into the game, but the Rebels finish the season with two big games which means, if they want to win the conference, they need to win 3 games before the test of the final two games to even have a chance. The Rebels would be tested and then some Tuesday night.
The Falcons came into the game with an 8-12 record and, though they have had their ups and downs, they have been competitive since getting healthy. This game would be about defense and the inability of either team to get easy shots. The first half was played at a slow pace and the two teams would trade runs. MCC scored the first six points of the game with the Falcons scoring the next 7. The Falcons made a couple more shots than the Rebels, but only two players scored more than one basket in the first half from the field. Ashton Holman scored 7 points for RRC while Christian Tentinger scored 4 points. The Falcons led at the half 15-14.
The second half would see an increase in scoring, but neither team shot the ball very well. RRC would build a 27 to 14 lead to begin the second half. MCC responded with the defense forcing 14 second-half turnovers from the Falcons. The Rebels picked up their play, rebounding the basketball both on the offensive end and on the defensive end. The Rebels chipped away at the lead, led by Tanner Graphenteen and Aiden Dierks who scored 11 points each in the second half. With a couple of minutes to play in the game, the Rebels would tie the game at 3838. The Rebels did not make it easy, missing one free throw after another, but they did manage to make enough to extend the lead to four points. Several times in the second half, the Rebels missed free throws, followed by offensive rebounds, which would turn into more free throws. The Rebels gound a way to win 45 to 41.
The Rebels shot just 29% from the field and 50% from the free throw line to win the game. RRC would shoot 38% from the field and 58% from the free-throw line. What made the difference for MCC was the rebounding and turnovers. The Rebels got 52 shots from the field and 26 free throws. The Falcons shot the ball 38 times from the field and took 12 free throws. In a close game, the extra shots made the difference. The Rebels were led in scoring by Graphenteen and Dierks with 11 each, while Christian Tentinger added 9 points and 8 rebounds. The Falcons were led by Ashton Holman, with 13 and Isaac Simonson, with 12. The Rebel’s win streak increased to 9 games with Adrian Ellsworth coming to Slayton on Friday.
