Mertens Scores 26 to Liquidate Lennox in B-Ball

The Bulldogs overcame a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to blast the Lennox Orioles 63-54 on December 9 at the Milbank Armory. Garrett Mertens scored a game-high 26 points for the Bulldogs. He also chalked up five assists. Yohanna Ajwanga posted 15 points, including a 3-pointer. Jackson Wildung had nine points. Joe Schulte added eight. Emmett Hanson made two field goals, and Graham Lightfield knocked down a free throw and contributed three assists.

Wildung led the Bulldogs in rebounds at 10, and Schulte followed with nine. Ajwanga and Mertens added three apiece. Lightfield, Sam Rick, and Emmett Hanson each snagged  one.

Milbank claimed  51 percent of their shots from the floor. They were four of nine from beyond the arc in the first half, but cooled down in the second to go zero for three. They also struggled a bit from the line at 13 of 24 for 54 percent overall.

Lennox relied heavily on their 3-point shot in the second half and it cost them the game. They were three of nine from beyond the arc in the first half, but Milbank shut them down in the second, and they connected on only one of 16.

Tate Gerdes led the Orioles scoring with 24 points. Boston Katzer dropped in 12, and Talan Diercks had eight.  Katzer collected six rebounds, Drake Mikkelsen had five, and Diercks added four.

Milbank’s win could be a sign of more good things to come. Their victory on Saturday snapped a two-year losing streak to Lennox early in the season. The Orioles fell to 0-2. The Bulldogs remain undefeated at 2-0.

Lennox–17—23—8—6—54
Milbank–14—18—18—13–63

JV–Lennox  59 vs. Milbank 38
The Bulldogs JV team suffered  their first loss of the season against the Lennox Orioles on Saturday December 9, in Milbank.  Lennox blazed onto the court to take an early 17-5 lead in the first and led again 36-14 at the half. Milbank could not recover and took the “L” at 59-38.

Este Abrego-Gonzalez scored seven points to top the Bulldogs. Jack Howard was next at five. Sam Rick, Emmett Hanson, Mason Meister, and Ryan Keeton all put up four points each. Rick drilled one from beyond the arc. Charlie Peery and Josh Pederson each also downed a three-point shot. Bryan Meyer and Howie Zemlicka each added a basket for the Dawgs.

Pederson and Keeton led the team in with four rebounds apiece. Bowsher, Zemlicka, and Hanson nabbed two apiece. Rick, Peery, Meister, and Meyer pulled down one each.

The Bulldogs hit 33 percent of their shots, including 30 percent of the ones from three. They landed seven of 13 free throws for nearly 54 percent.

Drake Mikkelson notched a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Orioles. Aiden Hanssen scored 11, Cole Spieler, 10; Teegan Musser, nine; and Cloy McVey, six. The Orioles shot 42 percent from the floor. They hit only two of 21 from three-point range, but downed seven of nine from the charity stripe for 78 percent.

Lennox–17–19–15–8–59
Milbank–5—9—12—12—38

C Team – Lennox 51 vs. Milbank 39
Milbank’s C team was defeated by  Lennox on Saturday, December 9, at home. The Bulldogs were plagued by turnovers and trailed the Orioles most of the game. They faced a 20 point-deficit by the end of the third. In the fourth quarter, they turned on the gas to outscore Lennox 12-4, but the final buzzer sounded before Milbank could make a complete comeback. They fell  51-39.

Layten Osowski led the Bulldogs with 14 points and five rebounds. Harley Zemlicka followed with six points. Jeter Scoular, Garrett Weber, and Jaxson Wiese all put up five. Mack Koplin and Liam Heller added two points apiece.

Osowski snared five rebounds. Weber and Ethan Owen got four. Zemlicka grabbed three. Wiese and Street nabbed two. Heller had one.

The Bulldogs shot 41 percent overall. They earned 67 percent at the free throw line.

The Orioles hit 43 percent of their field goal attempts. They finished at 50 percent from the line. Aiden Hanssen was the leading scorer for Lennox with 25 points.

Lennox–20—10—17—4—51
Milbank–8—13—6—12—39

What’s next? The Bulldogs go back on the road this Thursday, December 14 to face Clark-Willow Lake in a non-conference doubleheader.