REBEL BOYS OPEN PLAYOFFS AGAINST HBC PATRIOTS

The Murray County Central Rebels opened the Subsection playoffs this past Saturday in Worthington. The Rebels played the Hills Beaver Creek Patriots for the third time this season. The Rebels first beat HBC 91 to 63 on January 6th in Slayton and then 78-38 on January 31st in Hills. To say the Rebels have fared well against the Patriots is, to say the least, but now it’s playoff time and the veteran Rebels were taking on one of the youngest teams in the bracket this season. The Rebel’s experience would help lead them to the Subsection Semifinals.

The first half story revolved around the play of HBC Freshman Jamin Metzger. The 6’4” Freshman played well, leading the first half in scoring with 10 points. He kept the Patriots in the game by getting the Rebel’s defense off balance with pump fakes and then going to the basket for easy shots. The problem for the Patriots was that Metzger was the only one scoring points. Metzger scored over half the team’s first-half points. The Rebels on the other hand showed their depth with 7 different players scoring points. The Rebel’s defense held the Patriots in check as MCC led at the half 24 to 19.

The second half would see the Rebels take control of the game. MCC’s defense forced 14 Patriot turnovers that led to MCC’s offense. Jaden Deacon got the Rebels started with a pair of three-point shots in what would be a nine-point half for the Rebel forward. When Deacon hit his outside shots, it opened up driving lanes and the low post. Christian Tentinger took advantage of the space and the 6’4” senior delivered an eleven-point half. Derek Kluis and Aidan Dierks added 7 more points as the Rebels pulled away. Brock Harnack scored six points in the half for HBC but the Patriots struggled to find openings inside the paint and without low post scoring, the team’s offense shut down. The Rebels pulled away for the win 57 to 39.

The Rebels forced 20 turnovers while only giving the ball up 13 times. The advantage in shots stood out, especially with the Patriots only making 27% of their shots and not making a single three-point shot during the game. Christian Tentinger led the Rebels with 15 points and 9 rebounds plus 3 blocked shots. Jaden Deacon scored 9 points and grabbed 3 rebounds. Bryce Hoekman and Derek Kluis each scored 8. Hoekman was strong on defense, blocking 9 shots and grabbing 7 rebounds. Jamin Metzger led the Patriots with 13 points while Harnack added 8. The Rebels will face the top-seeded RTR Knights in the next round of the Subsection Playoffs.