Tristan Aho reached a scoring milestone, but the Menahga boys basketball team dropped a close Park Region Conference game to Wadena-Deer Creek for the second time this season.
Aho scored 17 points to surpass 1,000 in his career. However, W-DC (which edged the Braves 67-64 at Target Center on Jan. 25) used Payton Rondestvedt’s 3-pointer with 1:22 to play to pull out a 54-52 win in the rematch at Wadena on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Three-pointers by Jared Tolkkinen and Aho gave Menahga a 7-0 lead before four 3-pointers by Bereket Loer gave the Wolverines an 18-10 advantage. Two 3-pointers and three layups by Wade Berttunen along with 3-pointers by Victor Aho and Tristan Aho gave the Braves a 30-26 lead at the break.
Lucas Hinojos opened the second half by hitting two 3-pointers as W-DC claimed a 37-32 advantage, but two 3-pointers by Andreas Aho, a 3-pointer by Berttunen and two layups by Tristan Aho put Menahga in front 45-42. A 3-pointer by Andreas Aho made it 48-47 before Tristan Aho hit a jumper for his 1,000th point to give Menahga a 50-49 lead with 4:11 to play. A layup by Berttunen provided the Braves with a 52-50 lead with 2:32 left. Rondestvedt hit a 3-pointer with 1:22 to go to give W-DC a 53-52 lead before a free throw by Cooper Folkestad with :06 remaining concluded the scoring.
Berttunen also scored 17 points and Andreas Aho added 10 points as the Braves fell to 7-5 in the conference. Tristan Aho also had seven rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists while Victor Aho and Devan Leritz had six rebounds each as Menahga fell to 10-12 overall. The Braves made 10 of 27 3-point tries.
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Rondestvedt finished with 18 points and 18 rebounds while Loer scored 18 points as W-DC hit 9 of 30 3-pointers to improve to 8-4 in the conference and 14-9 overall.
MENAHGA: Tolkkinen 1 0-0 3, T. Aho 6 3-4 17, A. Aho 3 1-2 10, Wurdock 0 0-0 0, V. Aho 1 2-2 5, W. Berttunen 7 0-1 17, Leritz 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 for 49 (FG), 6 for 9 (FT).
WADENA-DEER CREEK: Loer 6 2-4 18, Hinojos 2 0-0 6, Kreklau 1 0-0 2, Larson 2 0-0 5, Rondestvedt 7 2-2 18, Folkestad 1 3-8 5. Totals: 19 for 58 (FG), 7 for 14 (FT).
Halftime: Menahga 30, W-DC 26. Three-pointers: Tolkkinen 1, T. Aho 2, A. Aho 3, V. Aho 1, W. Berttunen 3, Loer 4, Hinojos 2, Larson 1, Rondestvedt 2. Team fouls: Menahga 8, W-DC 8. Rebounds: Menahga 32 (T. Aho 7, V. Aho 6, Leritz 6, Tolkkinen 4, A. Aho 3, W. Berttunen 3, Wurdock 3). Assists: Menahga 12 (T. Aho 3, Tolkkinen 2, W. Berttunen 2, Leritz 2, V. Aho 1, Wurdock 1, A. Aho 1). Steals: Menahga 6 (T. Aho 2, A. Aho 1, W. Berttunen 1, Leritz 1, Wurdock 1). Blocked shots: Menahga 4 (T. Aho 4). Turnovers: Menahga 14, W-DC 11.
