A big second half keyed the Spirit Lake Indians boys’ basketball team to a season opening victory against Trinity Christian on Friday night. Spirit Lake led by a point at the half, then outscored Trinity by 15 to take a 65-49 win. The Indians dominated the game on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 37-15. Sawyer Harms dropped in a team-high 19 points and Paul Brown added thirteen. Trinity Christian was paced by Greg Gritters’ game-high 21 points. At 1-0, Spirit Lake will continue their non-conference schedule with a contest at home Saturday against Jackson County Central, MN. The girls-boys doubleheader between the Huskies and Indians can be heard on KUOO Campus Radio.
Click here for comments from coach Nate Loenser.
In the Siouxland Conference, Okoboji sprinted out of the gates against George-Little Rock, assuming a 12-3 advantage after the first eight minutes in Milford. The Mustangs responded with a 19-7 second quarter run the put them ahead on the scoreboard, where they stayed en route to a 51-45 win. G-LR converted 13-of-19 free throws down the stretch to keep Okoboji at bay. Eric Schilling led all scorers with 18 points, thirteen of which came after halftime. Dalton Syverson was tops for the Pioneers with sixteen points. The Pioneers drop to 0-3 on the season and winless through two conference outings, with a home game against West Lyon on Tuesday coming up next.
Click here for the postgame interview with coach Ryan Paulsen.
Other Siouxland games saw MOC-Floyd Valley dispatch Central Lyon, 87-52. Sheldon and Sibley-Ocheyedan went to overtime before the Orabs notched a 59-56 victory. Boyden-Hull handled Rock Valley in a 25-point win, 80-55.
Spencer took on Unity Christian in a non-conference matchup, a game that was won by the Knights, 66-43. The Tigers mustered just two points in the third quarter and were led by Matthew Klemme’s 15 points. Dylan Hoekstra paced the Knights with thirteen points, one of four players in double-digits. The loss is Spencer’s first, and they’ll take a 2-1 mark to Cherokee on Tuesday for the Lakes Conference opener.
Other scores throughout the area include Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire pounding CWL 62-29 in the Cornbelt Conference, while West Bend-Mallard won at Clay Central-Everly, 42-37. Estherville-Lincoln Central fell against Forest City by a 73-44 margin. Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn couldn’t keep pace with Remsen-Union, losing 67-26. Sioux Central earned a 77-52 decision over Laurens-Marathon.
