A 15-0 run midway through the first half and a 30-10 run to open the second half led the Park Rapids boys basketball team to a 68-45 victory over Bagley in the season opener Monday night at the Area High School gym.
Kevin Vaadeland (who led the Panthers with 27 points, 16 rebounds and five steals) hit two field goals to give the Panthers a quick 6-0 lead. Two more inside baskets by Vaadeland and layups by Mitch Long and Dylan Walsh kept Park Rapids in front 14-13 before Bagley claimed a 17-14 lead with 8:05 to play in the first half.
A layup by Paul Dirks, a basket off a rebound by Vaadeland, three free throws by Walsh, a layup by Long off a steal by Dillon Theis, a layup by Vaadeland on a feed from Walsh and a jumper by Theis on a pass from Long sparked a 15-0 run that gave the Panthers a 29-17 lead with 4:34 remaining in the first half.
Two more inside baskets by Vaadeland gave Park Rapids a 36-26 lead at the half.
A pair of layups by Theis, a layup by Walsh and three inside baskets by Vaadeland pushed the Panthers' lead to 51-31 with 11:06 to play. A layup by Dirks, jumpers by Theis and Jacob Swenson, a three-point play by Walsh off a steal, and a jumper by Cameron Theis gave Park Rapids its biggest lead of 66-36 with 2:04 remaining.
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Walsh added 11 points and four steals while Dillon Theis scored 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds, had five steals and dished out four assists for the Panthers.
"We executed our game plan perfectly," said Park Rapids head coach Joe Morgan. "We did a lot of things well. We got the ball inside, we ran with the ball well and we played solid defense. It was a great way to start the year."
In Monday's C squad game, Josh Crist scored 10 points for the Panthers as Bagley prevailed 48-18.
On Tuesday at Bagley, Rilee Johnson scored 20 points to lead the Park Rapids seventh grade team to a 48-12 win. In the eighth grade game, Bagley prevailed 58-52 in overtime. Andy Waller led the Panthers with 16 points.
The Panthers hosted Staples-Motley Friday night in the Mid-State Conference opener and will travel to Crosby-Ironton Tuesday.
