The C, B, and A were all in action Friday night in Ellsworth. Last time the teams met MCC won all three games. The C-team had a ten-point win and the B and A teams had a large point spread. The C and B teams would follow suit, as the C-team would earn a 7-point win and the B-team would earn a 24-point win, but the Varsity was in for a battle.
The C-Squad would be tied at 14 with A/E at halftime as both offenses struggled to score, but in the second half the Rebels would get things flowing and put up 24 points and hold A/E to 17. Hudson Schryvers would score all 10 of his points in the second half, while Dawson Schreier would connect on 6 of his 8 points in the second half as well.
The B-Squad would get off to a fast start in the first half of the ball game, building a 33-16 lead going into the break. Bryce Hoekman scored 14 first half points, while Ross Englekes would connect on 7, Wyatt Loosbrock would drill two, three-point shots, Ben Ahlers would hit one, three, Carson Lewis scored 4, and Thomas Huso connected one a basket as well to round out the first half scoring.
In the second half the MCC defense would stiffen up even more only allowing 11 points and four Rebels that did not score in the first half would score in the second. Dylan Kramer went 2-2 from the foul line as did Hudson Schryvers. Owen Gillette hit a basket and Michael Risacher hit two, one being a three-point shot. The Rebels would earn a 51-27 victory.
The first time the two Varsity’s matched up, MCC dominated in the post, outrebounding the Dragons 35 to 20, forced over 20 turnovers, only turned the ball over 11 times, and hit 9, three-point shots. In this matchup, the Dragons outrebounded MCC 34-29, with 13 of them coming on the offensive end. The turnovers were about the same for both teams, but the Dragons would hit 8, threepoint shots to the Rebels 3. This Adrian/Ellsworth team had improved and they gave MCC everything they could handle.
The first half got off to a slow start for MCC and a hot start for the Dragons as A/E. The Rebels would win the tip, but turn it over on an errant pass to the block. On the next MCC possession they would miss a lay-up and the Dragons would come down and drill a three. Nate Kleven would connect on a nice bank shot on the Rebels next possession, but Peyton Lewis, A/E’s best player who hit the first three, would be left open and drilled another one. But the Rebels would answer back with a Christian Tentinger offensive rebound and put back. The Dragons were feeling it from beyond the arc and would drill another three to take the 9-4 lead and created a lot of energy.
Tanner Graphenteen would have a nice dish to Kleven on the Rebels next possession for the easy two on the block, but the Dragons would answer with a contested hook shot in the lane and then force a Rebel turnover shortly after in transition. The Rebels would get a stop, and Aidan Dierks would connect on a nice cut to the basket, come to balance, shot fake, and score. Peyton Lewis would attack a mismatch on his next possession and score a lay-up, and Nate Kleven would answer right back with a lay-in of his own. The Rebels would get a stop and on the next possession Graphenteen would drill a corner three to tie the game up at 13 all.
Lewis would earn a trip to the line on the next possession and go 1-2 to take the lead with 11 minutes to go, and the Rebels would turn it over on their next possession and get a stop on the defensive end before Bryce Hoekman would score on an inbound play to give the Rebels their first lead at 15-14. Aidan Dierks would drill a long three on the ensuing possession to put the Rebels up 4 with 8:50 remaining. A transition lay-up by Chant Mitchell from Graphenteen would get the Rebels up 6.
MCC would go cold as the Dragons went on a 10-0 run before Nate Kleven scored on a baseline out of bounds play as the Rebels were down 2, 24-22. Adrian was relentless on the glass earning second chances over and over again in the half. The would score the next 5 points before Tanner Graphenteen would connect on two free throws. With 1:03 left in the half it was Dragons 29, Rebels 24. The two teams would trade misses and with about 5 seconds remaining MCC would clear a defensive rebound. Graphenteen would find Christian Tentinger running up the left lane in transition, Tentinger would attack the basket and kiss it off the glass for two as time ran out. Going into the break, down 3, 29-26.
The second half would start with a defensive stand by the Rebels forcing a turnover that led to a nice Tentinger transition scoop lay-up. The Rebels would force another turnover but give it right back which led to an A/E lay-up. The Dragons would push the lead to 35-28 before Kleven would answer back with a powerful post move.
The Rebels were hanging around as Chant Mitchell would score on a hanging runner off the glass to bring MCC within 3. A long defensive possession for the Rebels would have them earn a turnover, give it right back, give up two offensive rebounds and then foul a Dragon on the shot. They would connect on both. A tough sequence of events, but the Rebels stayed with it as they scooped up two offensive rebounds of their own on the next possession which ended with another Kleven bucket.
Another stop on the defensive end was followed by a slashing Tentinger lay-up to bring the game within one. A/E would answer again with a three point shot to push it back to four. Graphenteen would answer that three with one of his own from the corner and with 11:12 left in the game the Rebels were down 1, 40-39 and had the ball. The Rebels were unable to convert, the two teams traded turnovers on the next two possessions before Aidan Dierks connected on a smooth 10-foot jump shot to give the Rebels their first lead of the second half. A Chant Mitchell steal at midcourt would see him attack the basket and score and Mitchell would do it again on the next Dragon possession, and earn a trip to the foul line where he drilled both. With 9:15 remaining the Rebels were up 5, 45-40. A/E would answer back with a 9-0 run of their own with two free throws, a three, a lay-up, and a jumper. With under 7 minutes to go the Rebels were down 4, 49-45.
A game of runs to say the least, as Christian Tentinger would answer back after a great hustle play by Aidan Dierks to save a ball going out of bounds, Tentinger would swoop in and grab it and attack the basket and score. Tanner Graphenteen would follow Tentinger’s and-1 with his own and-1 opportunity. All of a sudden MCC is up 1, 50-49 with under 6 minutes remaining. But Adrian/Ellsworth with answer back with another 3 to take the lead. The teams would trade empty possessions before Kleven would secure another offensive rebound and convert an alley-oop type put back. But A/E would answer again with a 3, but Kleven would answer again off of a nice dish from a spinning Chant Mitchell in the lane. Down 1, Aidan Dierks would find himself at the free throw line after being fouled in transition. He would connect on 1-2 for the tie.
The Rebels would get a stop on the next possession and Chant Mitchell would connect on a balanced shot in the paint off the glass. The Rebels took the lead and would get a stop on their next possession when Aidan Dierks found Nate Kleven on the pick and roll for the shot of the night. Kleven would scoop the ball like a George Gervin finger roll and hit nothing but the bottom of the net. The Rebels were up 4 with under two minutes remaining. Adrian/Ellsworth would answer back with a two of their own and then put a little pressure on the Rebels. MCC would have a 30 second possession that ended with a miss, but on the ensuing rebound Tanner Graphenteen made a spectacular hustle play, grabbing the ball and throwing it off of a Dragon foot. The ball rolled out of bounds and the Rebels regained possession up two with under a minute to go.
Dierks would find a rolling Kleven, but instead of shooting, Nate found a cutting Tentinger from the corner, Christian caught the ball balanced and quickly passed it across the lane for a wide open bank shot from the block for Chant Mitchell. With 21.4 second left the Rebels were up 4, 61-57. Chant Mitchell would find himself on the free throw line at the end of the game, icing it by going 4-4 with under 30 seconds remaining. A/E would hit another three with 2 seconds left but the damage already been done and the Rebels escaped with a hard fought win, 66-60.
Leading Scorers: Nate Kleven 18, Chant Mitchell 16, Tanner Graphenteen 12, Christian Tentinger 10, Aidan Dierks 8, Bryce Hoekman 2. Leading Rebounders: Nate Kleven 6, Aidan Dierks 6, Christian Tentinger 6, Chant Mitchell 5. Leading Steals: Tanner Graphenteen 6, Chant Mitchell 3, Christian Tentinger and Aidan Dierks 2. Leading Assists: Chant Mitchell 5, Tanner Graphenteen 4, Christian Tentinger 3, Nate Kleven 2.
