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Rush City boys head to playoffs after two upsets last weekThe Rush City boys basketball team will head into Region 4A quarterfinal action against East Central on Thursday after suffering two losses. Aitkin has presented an obstacle for the Tigers all season and proved their skill in a Feb. 26 game that ended with the Tigers behind 66-50. After the first quarter, Aitkin led 13-7. The Tigers offense outscored the Gobblers in the second quarter, 17-16, but it wasnít enough to pull out the halftime lead. At the half, the Gobblers were up 29-24. The pivotal point in the game was a four-minute stretch during which Aitkin scored 11 to Rush Cityís two. The routing in the third prevented any chance of a comeback from the Tigers. The fourth quarter was evenly matched with the Tigers repeating their second half show by scoring 18 over Aitkinís 17. Normally hot on the line, the Tigers suffered at the free throw spot, shooting under 50 percent by making only eight of the 19 opportunities they were given. Brett Dreissig pulled down 14 for the team, scoring the most of any of the Tiger players. Kyle Mold brought up the score by nine, two 2-pointers, one field goal and two free throws. Ricky Carlson pulled out a three point shot for the team and made one free throw while Craig Bengtson contributed by landing one field goal. In a March 1 game against Hinckley-Finlayson, the game was clearly split in half with the Tigers dominating the first half and their opponent taking over in the second. The Tigers pulled out a 33-24 lead by halftime, outscoring Hinckley-Finlayson 14-10 in the first quarter and 19-14 in the second quarter. Hinckley-Finlayson came back after the half to take over the remainder of the game. They outscored the Tigers 21-7 in the third quarter and 22-12 in the fourth, taking the final score to 67-52. ìThe first half was our most complete half of the year,î said head coach Gary Dreissig. The team played good defense and knocked down some key shots on offense, he said. Brett Dreissig and Kellin Sybrant racked up the points for the Tigers with Dreissig sinking 17 and Sybrant pulling down 16. Dreissig also had nine rebounds, two assists and one steal in the game. Jose Fibgueroa brought in nine for the team and had three rebounds, four assists and two steals. Dan Turner sank four of nine two-point tries and brought in eight for the team. He had seven rebounds, three assists and one steal. Tim Karnick added two to the teams score. Kyle Mold and Joe Prettner had five rebounds each. Prettner had four assists and two steals. Mold had two assists and one steal. The Tigers head to Sandstone on Thursday, where they will face the East Central team at 7:30 p.m. in the quarter final round of sub-section 1-A playoff action. ©ECM Post Review |