The Northern Freeze survived a tough buzzer to buzzer battle with Red Lake County on Tuesday night defeating the Rebels 63 to 60 in a 8A West sub-section game played in Newfolden.
Coach Steve Philion’s Rebels had a plan to try to control the tempo of this 8A match-up, something they did very well through-out the course of the game. Both teams had 5 to 6 point leads in the first half, only to see the lead evaporate as the Rebels held a 2-point, 30-28, margin at half-time.
The second half would see the Freeze retake the lead, primarily on the play of Dillon Dahl. Dahl, who was held scoreless in the first half, poured in 13 second half points, including going 6-for-6 at the free throw line. The Freeze would build an 8-point second half lead before the Rebels made a run with about 6-minutes to play. Tyler Hurst would hit four second half three-pointers and Brand Eckstein knocked down 9-points in the second half as the Rebels tied the game at 57-57 with just minutes to play. The Freeze however would hold off a late charge and hold the lead to the final horn. The Rebels did have a last second shot opportunity, but were unable to knock-it down.
Tyler Hurst for Red Lake County led all scorers in the contest. Hurst would score 31 points in the loss, including: 7-3 pointers and going 2-for-2 at the free throw line in the game.
The win improves the Northern Freeze record to 15-and-5 on the season. The Freeze are back in action this Friday, February 24th, at East Grand Forks Sacred Heart (2-20).
Red Lake County sees their season record fall to 6-and-16. The Rebels return to the court Thursday, February 23rd, when they host the Mahnomen Indians (8-11).
Scoring Summary
Northern Freeze
Beau Bothum – 18 points, 8 rebounds
Dillon Dahl – 13 points, 5 rebounds
Nick Olson – 12 points, 6 rebounds
Kade Klassen – 7 points, 6 rebounds
Kyle Hestekind – 7 points, 1 rebound
Jarad Nelson – 5 points, 1 rebound
Jordan Nelson – 2 points
Peter Rokke – 2 points
RLC Rebels
Tyler Hurst – 31 points, 7 rebounds
Brandon Eckstein – 9 points, 3 rebounds
Matt Schindler – 8 points, 11 rebounds
Ben Hagl – 8 points, 1 rebound
Kalen Wiseth – 5 points
Ryan Voeltz – 2 points
