REBEL BOYS HAVE BUSY WEEK WITH WIN AGAINST RRC AND LOSSES TO RTR AND LAKEVIEW

JANUARY 13 RRC AT MCC

The MCC Rebel Boys were back at home against RRC on Friday night looking to add to their two-game winning streak. The Rebels beat HBC one week earlier and the big win over MLAC on Tuesday got the Rebels back on track. The Red Rock Central Falcons came to Slayton looking to end their three-game losing streak. The Falcons would find things difficult inside with their top player struggling with injury.

The Rebels, one week earlier put 91 points on the scoreboard against Hills Beaver Creek. This game wouldn’t see as many points scored, but the Rebels dominated this game more than that one, because of defense. The Rebels would hold the Falcons to just 38 points for the game while MCC scored 40 in the first half alone. The Rebels were led by three players scoring nine points each in the first half. Bryce Hoekman, Christian Tentinger, and Aidan Dierks all had their moments. Corey Arkell scored 6 first-half points for the Falcons. The Rebels led at the half 40 to 19.

The Rebels’ defense stayed strong in the second half only allowing another 19 points. Hoekman, who has struggled the last five games for MCC, played well, scoring 12 secondhalf points as he was able to catch the ball in the paint and score. Derek Kluis would score 5 second-half points and Carter Lewis added 4 but it was the defense that would carry the day. MCC led by 35 points in the second half which led to the running clock in the final nine minutes. The Rebels would get the blowout win 72 to 38.

Bryce Hoekman scored 21 for the Rebels in his first game with more than 20 points, since he scored over 20 in the first two games of the season. Aidan Dierks finished with 12 points in the game and Christian Tentinger added 11. Corey Arkell was the only Falcon in double figures with 10. The Rebels have a tough four games coming up, as they will play RTR, Lakeview, WWG, and SWC. Three of those four teams are currently ranked in the top 10 in Class A basketball in the state. JANUARY 16 RTR AT MCC

The MCC Rebels were riding a three-game winning streak into their game Monday night against the undefeated and state-ranked RTR Knights. The Rebels were coming off three straight halves of good play going back to last week’s finish against MLAC and a blowout win over RRC. Those things didn’t help the Rebels on Monday.

When you play one of the best teams in the state, you have to raise your game in every way. You have to play well but you have to play smarter and you have to increase your energy level. MCC did that for the first five or six minutes on Monday, jumping out to an early 13 to 8 lead. MCC would stay in the game for a good portion of the first half, until the last minute when RTR would build a 14-point lead at halftime. The Rebels did not come out ready to play with the energy it would take to play with a team as good as RTR in the second half. MCC gave up ten straight points to open the second half and they were never really in the game after that. The Rebels winning streak would be snapped, as the Knights remained undefeated on the season beating the Rebels 67 to 40.

The RTR Knights play a great team game where everyone plays a role. Aiden Wichmann scored 17 points to lead the Knights and Drew Werkman scored 16. Blake Christiansen scored 9 off the bench as the Knights cruised to the win. The Knights won every statistical category: points, rebounds, assists, and shooting percentages from everywhere on the floor. Bryce Hoekman was the only Rebel in double figures with 12. The Rebels didn’t have another scorer with more than 5 points.

JANUARY 17 MCC AT LAKEVIEW

The MCC Rebel Boys Basketball team took on their second state-ranked opponent in as many days. The Rebels lost to RTR on Monday and they would travel to Cottonwood to play the Lakeview Lakers. The Lakers, along with RTR, are the top two teams in the Camden Conference and they are led by Nathen Fenske, a soon-to-be member of the SMSU Basketball team. The Senior guard is a powerful 6’3” scoring guard who can light it up. It would be another tough test for the Rebels.

MCC would play a much better all-around game against Lakeview. Though it wasn’t a great offensive game, both teams played some effective defense and rebounding was nearly a tie. The Lakers finished the game with 25 rebounds and the Rebels with 23. Neither team shot that well from the field as MCC made 29% of their shots but the Lakers were not much better with 31%. The biggest difference in the game would be at the free throw line where the Rebels made three of four free throws while Lakeview made 8 of 10. The Rebels trailed at the half by five points but with 5 minutes to play the Rebels were within 1. The Rebels just couldn’t make enough shots in a low-scoring game to get the win. The Rebels would fall 49 to 37.

The Rebels took the loss, but it was a game in which better shooting would have been key. Turnovers were not a big issue in the game for either team but when you only make 3 of every ten shots you take you will struggle. Only 4 Rebels scored in the contest with Tanner Graphenteen scoring 15 leading the way. Bryce Hoekman scored 9, Jaden Deacon 7, and Christian Tentinger scored 6. The Rebels will finish up the tough week on Thursday night at home against Westbrook Walnut Grove.

Aidan Dierks

Ross Engelkes