An eight point lead after three quarters wasn’t enough Friday night as the Okoboji boys basketball was outscored 22-7 in the final quarter, ending the night with a 56-49 loss to Rock Valley in Milford. Three Pioneers scored in double-digits, led by Dalton Syverson’s 14 points. Keith Oskvig and Mark Nielsen both hit a pair of three-pointers en route to a dozen points each. Andrew Van Ginkel paced the Rockets with 18 points, while two others had eleven points on the night. Rock Valley goes to 2-4 in the league, with Okoboji falling to 0-6 in Siouxland Conference play. They host Boyden-Hull on Monday.
Elsewhere in the Siouxland, West Lyon snatched a two-point win at Sibley-Ocheyedan, 62-60. Boyden-Hull dominated Central Lyon, 71-37. MOC-Floyd Valley and Sheldon went to the wire with a 41-40 ballgame in favor of the Dutch. And Sioux Center brought down George-Little Rock, 80-72.
The second quarter proved to be the difference between Spirit Lake and Western Christian on Friday in Hull. The top-ranked Wolfpack outscored the Indians by nine, and maintained the lead for a 47-38 win in Lakes Conference play. Sawyer Harms’ 13 points was tops for Spirit Lake, with Wes Bergquist pitching in at ten points. Brady Bootsma led Western Christian with thirteen points, helping the Wolfpack to a 3-1 mark in league play. The Indians fall to an even 2-2 in conference and will put their 4-2 overall record on the line Monday at Harris-Lake Park. Coverage of the in-county matchup can be heard on Q102.
Despite 28 points from Jake Jackson, Emmetsburg couldn’t withstand a late surge by Storm Lake on Friday, falling 61-58 on the road. The E-Hawks held a two-point lead for a brief while in the fourth before the Tornadoes pulled back ahead for the win. Trey O’Brien was tops among four scorers in double-figures for Storm Lake with 16 points. Pel Deng had 15 points. Storm Lake is 2-2 in the league, with Emmetsburg falling to 1-3. The E-Hawks will try to end a four-game losing skid on Thursday at Okoboji, a game to be aired on Q102.
In a battle of conference leaders, Spencer dropped a 62-45 game at LeMars, dropping the Tigers to 3-1. Estherville-Lincoln Central snapped a 19-game Lakes Conference losing streak, taking down Cherokee in a tight contest, 68-64, improving to 1-4.
The hot start for Harris-Lake Park continued Friday with a Wolves home victory over North Sentral Kossuth/Armstrong-Ringsted, dismantling the Eagles by a 73-39 margin. HLP is perfect through six games overall and three contests in the Cornbelt Conference. The Wolves host county rival Spirit Lake on Monday, and that game can be heard on Q102.
Also in the Cornbelt, Clay Central-Everly came up a point short against Ventura, 54-53, and West Bend-Mallard defeated CWL, 51-21.
The War Eagle Conference schedule sent Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn to LeMars Gehlen Catholic, but the Hawks would return home with a 62-53 loss. The setback snaps a two-game league win streak and puts HMS at 2-2. South O’Brien also fell for the second consecutive game, a 53-47 decision at Unity Christian.
Elsewhere, Pocahontas downed Sioux Central, 62-54. North of the border, Jackson County Central suffered a close loss, 77-75, to Redwood Valley. Maple River downed Martin County West, 69-42. Southwest Star Concept beat Lakeview, 75-43. And Marshall snuck past Worthington, 52-49.
