Behind strong second-half defense and timely shot-making, the Patriots knocked off Plainview-Elgin-Millville 51-42 in the Class 2A State Consolation Semifinals Wednesday, March 22, at Concordia University.
Pequot trailed 34-32 with 9:30 left. Eli Laposky nailed a 3-pointer to give the Patriots the lead back which sparked an 8-0 run capped by a Grant Loge 3-pointer.
Junior Brayden Spiczka hit a 3-pointer with 4:30 left to give the Patriots their largest lead at 45-38. Spiczka went scoreless in the first half, but contributed eight second-half points.
“The biggest thing is when we share the ball, we play together, get the right ones and good things are going to happen,” Pequot Lakes head coach Rich Spiczka said. “We had two possessions in a row where we made the extra pass to get a great shot. The other part is our guys can feel it before the pass is thrown. It’s just fun to watch our team play as a unit and play together. That’s why we are here.”
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Pequot mixed and matched zone defenses to confuse PEM and force it into 14 turnovers. The Patriots held PEM to 42.1% shooting and 0-for-6 from 3-point.
Pequot Lakes' Conner Quale goes up for a shot Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Concordia University.
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“What we’ve seen from them was they were a half-court team,” Rich Spiczka said. “They are used to playing man-to-man and that’s not what we do — we play zone and pressure. We were a little more aggressive than what we would typically be, but we wanted to see how they reacted to it. Our activity and energy out of the gate was good.”
A Laposky layup followed by a Brayden Spiczka steal put the game away for the Patriots to advance to the fifth-place game for a second straight season.
PEM’s Aeron Stevens led all scorers with 27 points. Stevens scored 15 of the Bulldogs’ 19 points second-half points.
“It was a varying thing,” Rich Spiczka said. “The game plan is obviously to limit him as much as you can. Once he touches it there was not much we could do to eliminate him. That’s a big, strong body — he’s going to go to the rim and distribute. We wanted to take multiple things away and then when it got to the last four minutes we didn’t want him to catch it, which is easier said than done.”
1/30: Shannon's Auto Body is proud to support our area athletes.
2/30: Pequot Lakes' Grant Loge shoots the ball Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Concordia University in St. Paul
3/30: Pequot Lakes against Plainview-Elgin-Millville in the Class 2A State Consolation Semifinals on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Concordia University in St. Paul.
4/30: Pequot Lakes against Plainview-Elgin-Millville in the Class 2A State Consolation Semifinals on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Concordia University in St. Paul.
5/30: Pequot Lakes' Gavin Kennen goes up for a shot Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Concordia University in St. Paul.
6/30: Pequot Lakes' Conner Quale goes up for a shot Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Concordia University.
7/30: Pequot Lakes against Plainview-Elgin-Millville in the Class 2A State Consolation Semifinals on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Concordia University in St. Paul.
8/30: Pequot Lakes against Plainview-Elgin-Millville in the Class 2A State Consolation Semifinals on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Concordia University in St. Paul.
9/30: Pequot Lakes against Plainview-Elgin-Millville in the Class 2A State Consolation Semifinals on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Concordia University in St. Paul.
10/30: Pequot Lakes against Plainview-Elgin-Millville in the Class 2A State Consolation Semifinals on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Concordia University in St. Paul.
11/30: Pequot Lakes against Plainview-Elgin-Millville in the Class 2A State Consolation Semifinals on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Concordia University in St. Paul.
12/30: Pequot Lakes against Plainview-Elgin-Millville in the Class 2A State Consolation Semifinals on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Concordia University in St. Paul.
13/30: Pequot Lakes' Grant Loge goes up for a shot in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
14/30: Pequot Lakes' Grant Loge goes up for a shot in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena
15/30: Pequot Lakes' Brayden Spiczka goes up for a shot in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena
16/30: Gavin Kennen goes up for a shot in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
17/30: Pequot Lakes Boys Basketball against Albany in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
18/30: Pequot Lakes' Gavin Kennen dribbles against Albany in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
19/30: Pequot Lakes Boys Basketball against Albany in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
20/30: Pequot Lakes Boys Basketball against Albany in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
21/30: Pequot Lakes Boys Basketball against Albany in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
22/30: Pequot Lakes Boys Basketball against Albany in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
23/30: Pequot Lakes Boys Basketball against Albany in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
24/30: Pequot Lakes Boys Basketball against Albany in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
25/30: Pequot Lakes Boys Basketball against Albany in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
26/30: Pequot Lakes Boys Basketball against Albany in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
27/30: Pequot Lakes Boys Basketball against Albany in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
28/30: Pequot Lakes Boys Basketball against Albany in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
29/30: Pequot Lakes Boys Basketball against Albany in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
30/30: Pequot Lakes Boys Basketball against Albany in the Class 2A State Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Williams Arena.
The Patriots jumped to an 11-5 lead thanks to their trapping defense. Gavin Kennen led Pequot with 18 points and 14 of them came in the first half.
“He’s improved a ton the last couple of years,” Spiczka said. “He’s been fantastic in how his body has transformed and his athleticism. He made some tough shots.”
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Pequot took a 24-23 lead into halftime. Loge finished with 13 points and scored eight in the first half.
PEM grabbed its first lead with 5:45 left in the first half at 19-18.
Laposky scored eight of his 10 points in the second half.
The Patriots will play Maple River for fifth place 2 p.m. Thursday, March 23.
“We are going to have to be sharp tomorrow,” Spiczka said. “I don’t think we can make up for it with energy. We don’t play a lot of bodies and it’s a lot of work. We expended a lot of energy in our quarterfinal game as well. Everything we have left in the tank they are going to see it.”
Pequot Lakes' Grant Loge shoots the ball Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Concordia University in St. Paul
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