MCC 83 - HLOF 46
The Rebels boys basketball team traveled to Okabena to take on the HLOF Coyotes in their first Red Rock Conference meeting of the season. The Coyotes came into the game with a 2-11 record, with wins over Lakeview and Red Rock Central.
This game would be a tale of two halves on both ends of the court. MCC started off on offense after Aidan Swenson won the tip, but couldn’t get a shot off in time and would start the game with a shot clock violation turnover. Gavin Gillette stole the ball on the next HLOF inbounds which led to a Hudson Schryvers attack. He was fouled and kicked the scoring off by going 2 for 2. The Rebels got a stop on the Coyotes’ next possession. Dylan Kluis got the outlet and was off in transition. This would lead to a hockey assist for Kluis as he got the ball to Schryvers who found Swenson for two.
HLOF got on the board going 1-2 from the foul line on their next possession, before Kluis scored on a nice baseline floater for two. Rebels were off to a nice start, up 6-1. Hudson Schryvers picked up two steals in the next 20 seconds, one in which the ball went right back to HLOF, but his hustle in transition earned him another one. Unfortunately for the Rebels, their transition offense turned into a great look that didn’t quite go in.
The two teams traded 3’s on their next possession. The Coyotes started to heat up after this three and the Rebels defense looked to be flat footed, not anticipating passes as well, on defense and closing out late to the perimeter players. HLOF was also able to get the ball into the high post against the zone and score in transition. Pretty much every way a team can score against the zone. Break it down by getting the ball in the middle, scoring before it can be set up, and finding the open shooters.
The Rebels held on to a slim 4 point lead with 12 minutes to go, before a sloppy turnover on the offensive end led to an easy transition bucket for the Coyotes. Max Miller thwarted the Coyotes momentum for the time being, with one of his 7, three point makes. This shot led to a run for the Rebels that pushed the lead up to 11 with just under 10 minutes to play, before the Coyotes’ ball movement against the zone found a catch and shoot three.
The Rebels started to settle for deep shots and their player and ball movement slowed down against the Coyote zone. Couple that with a similar aspect of slower player movement on defense and the two teams went back and forth for the rest of the half, with the Coyotes outscoring the Rebels in the last 9 minutes, 18 to 13 and only trailed by 5 into the break.
The second half featured a similar style of play by both teams until a special shooting performance by Max Miller changed the game quickly and dramatically.
Both teams traded misses before the Coyotes cut the lead to 3 on a 15 foot jumper in the middle of the zone defense. The Rebels turned the ball over on their next possession, which led to a transition attack and shooting foul. The Coyotes went 1-2, cutting the lead to 2. MCC answered back with a big corner three from Gavin Gillette. MCC got a stop on defense, which was followed by another Gillette bucket. This time a 15 foot jumper, giving the Rebels a little breathing room. The two teams went a little cold for the next couple minutes before Miller went off. Max hit not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, but 5, three point shots in a matter of minutes.! A tight game was now starting to become a runaway. Miller’s teammates would attack and kick, setting him up for the rhythm three. Max sprinted his lane in transition and got wide, for two catch and shoot three’s. It was the absolute spark the Rebels needed. It led to much more energy on defense which turned directly into offense after the three point barrage ended. Steals by Carter Hanson and Tristan Behrends led to four transition points for Aidan Swenson who sprinted to the rim runner position. They always say, you will be rewarded for sprinting the floor. That was the case in this stretch of the game. Next thing you know, the Rebels are up 21 points and counting.
Hanson and Behrends also got rewarded for sprinting the floor in transition for a lay-up each off some fantastic vision and quick passing up the court. Hanson went on a little run of his own, following the lay-up with a 15 foot jumper in the middle of the Coyote zone and then a left slot three pointer. The entire zone was unlocked now, because of Miller’s zone busting ability and the Rebels never looked back, running away with the ball game and winning 83-46.
The Rebels improved to 10-5 on the season and will be back in action Saturday evening against a tough Edgerton Flying Dutchmen team.
Leading Scorers: Max Miller, 23. Gavin Gillette, 13. Hudson Schryvers, 10. Aidan Swenson and Carter Hanson, 9 each. Leading Rebounders: Aidan Swenson, 8. Gavin Gillette, 7. Leading Assists: Gavin Gillette, 7. Hudson Schryvers, 3. Leading Steals: Gavin Gillette, Hudson Schryvers, and Tayden Beerman, 3 each. The Rebels shot 28-67 from the field at 42%. 13-32 from three at 41%. 14-18 from the foul line at 78%. The Coyotes shot 19-57 from the field at 33%. 6-22 from three at 27%. 2-10 from the foul line at 20%.
