Rush City boys take third at St. Johnís

The Rush City boys basketball squad continued a tradition of playing excellent ball at the annual St. Johnís Holiday Tournament last week.
The team won two of its three games for third place in a tough three-day tournament.
The Tigersí only loss of the weekend came Friday during an overtime run against Maple Lake.
The Tigers opened the tourney with a game Thursday against St. Johnís, winning in overtime 56-50.
The first half was played evenly between the squads, with St. Johnís holding the slight edge at halftime, 24-23.
ìNeither team held more than a three-point lead at anytime in the half,î said head coach Gary Dreissig.
Senior Joe Prettner led the team in the third quarter with 7 points, as the Tigers took over the lead, 40-35.
St. Johnís outscored Rush City 12-7 in the fourth, and had a chance to win with 22 seconds remaining.
ìOur defense rose to the occasion and forced overtime,î Dreissig said.
In overtime, junior Kellin Sybrant came through with a 3-pointer and senior Brett Dreissig hit for 2 to seal the win.
St. Johnís was forced to foul, sending Rush City to the line where they made 4 of 4 free throws.
The Tigers fell to Maple Lake in the quarterfinal game Friday, 42-39 in a defensive battle.
Rush City held Maple Lake scoreless until less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Tigers were held to 6 points in the stanza as well.
Trailing 17-15 going into the third quarter, Rush City was outscored in the third as Maple Lake pulled away to lead 31-22.
The Tigers went on a comeback tear in the fourth, outscoring Maple Lake 12-3 and forcing the game into overtime.
Maple Lake capitalized on Rush City fouls in OT to make 6 free throws for the 8-point win.
Dreissig led the team with 17 points, followed by Kyle Mold with 9.
With a 1-1 record for the tournament, the Tigers faced Holdingford Saturday in the third-place game, coming away with a 65-54 win.
ìWe started quickly after playing two overtime games in two days,î Dreissig said.
ìWe were also consistent for four quarters thanks to excellent minutes from our reserves.î
Rush City jumped out to a 20-8 lead after one quarter, and added 11 in the second for a 31-21 halftime lead.
Holdingford put together a run midway through the third, cutting the lead to 4 points, but the Tigers came back to rack up 22 points in the fourth to seal the win.
Dreissig again paced scoring for the Tigers with 24 points, going 12 of 18 from the field.
Prettner added 15 points, including 6 of 7 two-pointers.
Tournament highlights include Dreissig totalling 59 points and being named to the all-tournament team.
Sybrant also was named to the all-tourney squad. Mold had 30 rebounds in the three games, and Prettner recorded 7 assists against Holdingford.
This week, the team traveled to Hinckley-Finlayson Tuesday, and travels to Pine City Thursday to end its schedule before the holiday break.

Top of Page

©ECM Post Review

6448 Main Street
North Branch, MN 55056
Telephone: 651-674-7025
Fax: 651-674-7026
E-mail: editor.postreview@ecm-inc.com