PARK RAPIDS – Pequot Lakes closed the first half with a 17-6 run to break open a close game and defeat the Park Rapids boys basketball team 74-53 in a Mid-State Conference game at the Area High School gym on Thursday, Feb. 9.
After the Patriots claimed a 6-0 lead, highlighted by a Gavin Kennen dunk, Noah Larson’s three layups gave Park Rapids its only lead of the game at 9-8 with 10:45 to play in the first half. A 3-pointer by Noah Morris and a layup by Mason Yliniemi kept the Panthers within 17-16 at the 7:39 mark before three baskets apiece by Grant Loge and Eli Laposky gave Pequot Lakes a 34-22 advantage at the half. Two layups by Ryan Carroll and a jumper by Blake Morris provided the scoring for the Panthers in the final 2:26 of the half.
Three-pointers by Noah Morris and Blake Morris and a layup by Yliniemi made it 39-30 with 16:01 to play, but the Patriots responded with an 8-0 run to claim a 47-30 lead with 14:39 to play. Loge’s second dunk of the game highlighted that spurt. A 3-pointer by Noah Morris and layups by Yliniemi, Noah Morris and Luke Hartung cut the gap to 54-41 with 9:40 remaining. A 3-pointer by Brayden Spiczka capped off a 9-0 run as the Patriots led 63-41 with 5:36 to go.
A 3-pointer by Larson and layups by Cory Johnson and Matt Johanning concluded the scoring for the Panthers.
Larson (14) and Noah Morris (13) hit double figures for the Panthers, who fell to 0-5 in the conference and 4-14 overall.
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Loge (17), Kennen (14), Laposky (12) and River Sommerness (10) led a balanced scoring attack as the Patriots improved to 4-1 in conference play and 12-5 overall. Detroit Lakes tops the conference standings with a 5-0 record.
PEQUOT LAKES: Laposky 6 0-0 12, G. Kennen 5 4-6 14, Loge 8 0-2 17, Spiczka 3 0-0 9, Erickson 0 0-1 0, Magnuson 0 2-2 2, Anderson 1 0-0 3, H. Kennen 1 0-0 2, Sommerness 3 2-4 10, Bolz-Andolshek 2 1-2 5. Totals: 29 (FG), 9 for 17 (FT).
PARK RAPIDS: N. Morris 4 2-2 13, B. Morris 2 0-2 5, Johnson 1 0-0 2, Yliniemi 3 2-2 8, Larson 4 5-9 14, Arola 0 0-0 0, Strasburg 0 2-3 2, Johanning 1 0-0 2, Carroll 2 0-2 4, Brewer 0 0-0 0, Hartung 1 1-2 3, Harrison 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 (FG), 12 for 22 (FT).
Halftime: Pequot Lakes 34, Park Rapids 22. Three-pointers: Loge 1, Spiczka 3, Anderson 1, Sommerness 2, N. Morris 3, B. Morris 1, Larson 1. Team fouls: Pequot Lakes 17, Park Rapids 15.
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