Area Boys Basketball: Patriots handle C-I Rangers

PEQUOT LAKES-Crosby-Ironton used turnovers to claim a first-half lead.

Pequot Lakes used them to win the game.

The Patriots turned seven second-half Ranger turnovers into eight points and pulled out a 61-54 Mid-State Conference victory Tuesday, Dec. 18.

Pequot first exploited C-I's turnover bug early in the second half and jumped out to an 11-0 run and flipped a 28-27 deficit into a 38-28 lead. It was the largest lead of the game.

Pequot's defense didn't allow C-I to score in the second half until 12:11. The Rangers shot just 9 of 28 in the second frame, including 1-for-11 from 3-point.

Owen Seidl opened the second half with a 3, but it was his second 3 that halted C-I's first push to reclaim the lead.

---   ---   ---   ---   ---

Pequot Lakes 61, Crosby-Ironton 54

• Key: Pequot held C-I to just 1-of-11 shooting from 3-point in the second half
• Conf: CI 1-1, PL 1-1
• Overall: CI 3-1, PL 6-1
• Next: Crosby-Ironton at Pierz 7:15 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21; Pequot Lakes

---   ---   ---   ---   ---

Trailing 47-39, Joseph Stokman, who led all scorers with 22 points, rattled off four straight to ignite an 8-2 run. That's when Seidl drained a 3, his fourth of the game, at 3:51 to stop the run and help Pequot rebuild a 55-47 edge.

"Owen squared up and got his toes set and we want him to let it rip," Pequot head coach Rich Spiczka said. "He can flat out shoot. He had a nice first half so that made it a little bit easier. He had a nice one to start the second half. We had a lot of spots late in the game where we had the right guy with the ball in their hand."

C-I wasn't done, however, as they went on a 6-2 run to pull to 56-54. That's when things froze for the Rangers who missed three shots to tie or take the lead. Jordan Schommer and Seidl both dropped two free throws and Sean Ryan added one for the final score.

"I thought we played hard, but I didn't think we played very smart," Rangers head coach Dave Galovich said. "There was just a lot of fundamental breakdowns on the defensive end. We can't be giving up the baseline because that creates opportunities for them for a wide open 3 or a second look at the basket."

Seidl finished with 14 points followed by Schommer's 13. Vincent Miska came off the bench and added 11 points and Ryan scored 10. Tyler Manley added nine for the balanced Pequot attack.

"We said at halftime, that if we play with all the energy that we have, and they beat us, then they beat us," Spiczka said. "We weren't going to leave any behind. I thought we did a really nice job of that to start the second half and then we had a really nice finish to the second half."

Just like the second half, Pequot jumped out to an 8-0 lead to start the game, but C-I was quicker to recover with a 5-0 run of its own. The Rangers turned 11 Pequot turnovers into six points, including four in that early run.

"They are the first team that played a possession zone against us all year," Spiczka said. "We have not seen one lick of zone until tonight. Crosby knows the nuances of their zone so well that we knew we were going to make some mistakes. You can't mimic it, you can't scout it because our kids are playing 2-3 or 1-2-2. They aren't playing it the way Crosby plays it. That's going to happen.

"The hardest part about those was we were turning it over at the half-court line. If you're going to turn it over, it has to be down by the baseline so they don't beat you going back the other way."

But Pequot would never trail until the final seconds when Cayden Turk hit a 3 at the buzzer to hand C-I its only lead at 28-27 at the half. Kyle Skiem scored 12 of his 20 in the opening frame for the Rangers.

"I thought we were very slow to the punch," Galovich said. "They're an athletic team. Any loose ball, or a tipped ball, they got to. We need to be more alert as to where the basketball is and our positioning defensively."

C-I's Johnathan Jacobson was held scoreless until 2:37 left in the game when he hit 1 of 2 free throws. The three-year starter finished with just the one point.

"When we're playing against each other, I don't think you have to add energy," Spiczka said. "I think there is plenty there. You just need to harness it and use it the right way. The biggest thing for us is I don't think we played as hard as we have been in that first half.

"I think we were thinking. There was more game planning in this one because we know each other so well. I think that was slowing our feet a little bit and that's what Crosby does to you. They execute better than anybody else. I think that slowed our feet down, but it helps when the ball goes in. We all look smarter when the ball goes in."

Crosby-Ironton 28 26-54

Pequot Lakes 27 34-61

CROSBY-IRONTON

Sam Jordan 5, Joseph Stokman 22, Cayden Turk 6, Johnathan Jacobson 1, Kyle Skeim 20. FG 30-55 (36 percent), FT 9-12 (75 percent). 3-point 5-25 (20 percent).

PEQUOT LAKES

Sean Ryan 10, Owen Seidl 14, Dylin Ackerman 2, Tyler Manley 9, Jordan Schommer 13, Vincent Miska 11. FG 20-39 (51 percent), FT 15-25 (60 percent). 3-point 6-12 (50 percent).