The MCC Rebel boys saluted their parents and their seniors this past Friday night when the team hosted the Adrian Ellsworth Dragons. MCC was looking to add to their nine-game winning streak against a Dragon team that has struggled this season to get wins. After the parents and players were introduced and the candy and flowers handed out, it was all about basketball and the Rebels took care of business.
MCC struggled to score on Tuesday night against Red Rock Central and on Friday over the first couple of minutes it looked like the Rebels might be in for a repeat performance. The good news is... that didn’t happen. Christian Tentinger and Bryce Hoekman got the game started for the Rebels, scoring in the low post and feeding off one another. The duo used their size to their advantage, which Adrian couldn’t compete with. As Tentinger started to draw more and more defenders to the paint, he started finding Derek Kluis open for jump shots and the senior was knocking them down. Tuesday, the Rebels struggled to do anything on offense but in the first half on Friday, the Rebels had three players score in double figures. Tentinger and Kluis scored 11 each while Hoekman added 10. The Rebels led at the break 42 to 20.
The second half was played at a different pace and the Rebels rotated in more players down the stretch, as the running clock was started with about five minutes to play in the game. Tentinger stayed hot in the second half, scoring another ten points to lead the Rebels. Aiden Dierks hit a pair of threepoint shots on his way to an eight-point half. The Dragons took advantage of the free throw line, where they scored ten of their points in the second half. The Rebels would pick up a 72 to 43 victory.
The biggest difference in the game was shooting. MCC shot 54% from the field in the game, compared to the Dragons who made 24% of their shots. The Rebels made 41% of their three-point shots, while the Dragons made 16%. To top off a good night, the Rebels made 70% of their free throws on 7 of 10 shooting. Christian Tentinger scored 21 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists. Derek Kluis finished with 15 points, while Hoekman and Dierks scored 10 points each. The Dragons were led in scoring by Brock Henning who finished with 13. The win was the Rebel’s tenth in a row heading into the final three games of the season.
