Nick Wurdock tallied a double-double to lead a balanced attack as the Menahga boys basketball team opened the season with a 68-40 Park Region Conference win over Sebeka at Menahga on Friday, Jan. 15.
Sebeka jumped out to a 7-3 lead before the Braves used a 3-pointer by Jared Tolkkinen, two layups by Charlie Hodge, and inside baskets by Wurdock and Andreas Aho to spark a 15-2 run to claim an 18-9 lead with 11:15 to play in the first half. Three-pointers by Andreas Aho and Wurdock, layups by Andreas Aho and Alec Aho, and jumpers by Christian Johnson and Wurdock gave the Braves a 37-23 advantage at the half.
Two layups by Wurdock, a three-point play by Andreas Aho, a layup by Connor Korvela and a 3-pointer by Hodge gave Menahga a 52-34 lead with 9:44 to play. After the Trojans cut the gap to 52-38 with 8:14 to go, the Braves went on a 16-0 run to seal the win. Hodge started that run with a 3-pointer while a layup by Andreas Aho, 3-pointers by Jared Tolkkinen and Ryan Tolkkinen, and a basket off a rebound by Alec Aho pushed the margin to 68-38.
Andreas Aho finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals while Hodge scored 15 points. Wurdock added 12 points and 15 rebounds, Alec Aho pulled down 10 rebounds, and Jared Tolkkinen had six rebounds and three assists for the Braves, who turned the ball over only eight times while making 8 of 30 3-pointers.
Dawson Bullock’s 16 points and 10 rebounds led the Trojans, who made only 2 of 26 3-point attempts in the game and only 8 of 38 shots in the second half.
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“I'm happy about the win,” said Tim Wurdock, who made a successful debut as Menahga’s head coach. “Sebeka threw a zone at us and we were able to adjust on the fly. We did several good things and identified a list of things that need to be addressed.”
SEBEKA: Lake 1 0-0 2, Bullock 7 1-2 16, Kyllonen 1 1-2 4, Heino 1 0-2 2, Avelsgard 2 2-4 6, Hosey 4 0-0 8, Thornton 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 for 66 (FG), 4 for 10 (FT).
MENAHGA: J. Tolkkinen 2 0-0 6, Hodge 5 2-2 15, An. Aho 5 7-8 18, Litzau 0 0-0 0, Wurdock 5 1-2 12, R. Tolkkinen 1 0-0 3, Johnson 1 2-2 4, Pietila 0 0-0 0, Korvela 1 0-0 2, Al. Aho 3 2-6 8, Juntunen 0 0-0 0. Totals: 23 for 69 (FG), 14 for 20 (FT).
Halftime: Menahga 37, Sebeka 23. Three-pointers: Bullock 1, Kyllonen 1, J. Tolkkinen 2, Hodge 3, An. Aho 1, Wurdock 1, R. Tolkkinen 1. Team fouls: Sebeka 16, Menahga 9. Fouled out: Hosey. Rebounds: Menahga 51 (Wurdock 15, Al. Aho 10, An. Aho 7, J. Tolkkinen 6, Litzau 3, R. Tolkkinen 3, Hodge 3, Johnson 2, Juntunen 1, Korvela 1). Assists: Menahga 13 (An. Aho 4, J. Tolkkinen 3, Al. Aho 2, Hodge 2, Litzau 1, R. Tolkkinen 1). Steals: Menahga 7 (An. Aho 3, Wurdock 2, Hodge 1, Al. Aho 1). Blocked shots: Menahga 1 (J. Tolkkinen). Turnovers: Sebeka 10, Menahga 8.
