The Detroit Lakes boys basketball team didn’t take its first lead of the game against Alexandria until there was less than two minutes left on the clock. The Lakers (7-1) never trailed again after that. Senior guard Ryan Cihak hit two threes in the game, and the second of those was the biggest shot of the night as his triple from the right corner gave the Lakers a 45-43 lead. Trey Lyngaas added two free throws on Detroit Lakes’ next possession and the Lakers held off the Cardinals 54-49 in a Section 8AAA match-up on Saturday night. “It was a skip pass designed for me, but we were also looking for the slip off the screen,” Cihak said of the play that set up his late three. “Christian [Hedstrom] read it right, and I knocked it down. It was the best feeling that I had all night shooting-wise. We were down the whole game and when it went in everybody took a sigh of relief. It was a really good feeling.” The Cardinals (5-5) had answered every Detroit Lakes rally with one of their own up to that point. Alexandria led 23-22 at the break and went on a 5-0 run after the Lakers tied it at 28 early in the second half. The Cardinals led 37-32 before Detroit Lakes used a 5-0 burst to tie it at 37. Alexandria was clinging to a 43-42 lead with 1:47 left when a turnover gave the Lakers the ball back. They drew up the play for Cihak during a timeout, and he delivered. Alexandria’s senior guard Ben Corson hit a three with 12 seconds left to make it 52-49, but a couple free throws on the Lakers’ final possession put the game away. “We just didn’t execute down the line,” Alexandria senior guard Kris Setterstrom said. “We’ve got to find a way to win. That’s something you hear a lot, but we had a lot of turnovers. If we figure that out, I think we’ll be able to get some more shots up, some better shots up.” Turnovers were what Alexandria was frustrated with after coming up short. The Cardinals gave the ball away 15 times and a couple of key ones down the stretch took the wind out of their sails.
The Lakers simply made more plays in the final minutes with Corbin Duncan leading the way. He scored 11 of his game-high 16 points in the second half, while Hedstrom and Lyngaas each added 11. It was a bit reminiscent of the Cardinals’ previous two losses this week where Alexandria had chances to win but saw thing slip away in the end. All three losses in their current three-game losing streak have come by six points or less, where a play here or there is the difference between a win or a loss. “We controlled probably 32, 33 minutes of the game,” Alexandria head coach Forrest Witt said. “We just had to find a way to win at the end. In our zone where they hit that shot, they had a back screen set. It’s just a feel thing where we got to feel the screen’s there and where they’re trying to attack it. “Offensively, we turned the ball over two or three times down in crunch time the last two or three minutes. They were really unforced turnovers, and we just have to take care of the basketball. We had 15 turnovers, which is not going to get the job done, especially when you’re only scoring 40-some points a game.” Witt said guys might still be trying to figure out their roles offensively with a lot of players making the jump to bigger minutes on varsity this season. Sophomore guard Jaran Roste continues to lead the way as he finished with a team-high 14 points. Setterstrom added 13 points, Corson had 10 and Joe Gorghuber finished with seven. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1391888","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"480","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"320"}}]] The Cardinals played well enough defensively to get the win on Saturday night. They are holding teams to almost 52 points per game. That’s second best in the Central Lakes Conference. They held the Lakers to almost 20 points below their season average with Detroit Lakes putting up scores of 96, 93 and 84 in three of their seven wins this season. “For sure we knew it was going to be a good test,” Corson said. “We just had to come out ready to play and play hard. They are obviously a pretty good team. I feel like we can definitely beat those guys coming up in the future. If a couple plays would have gone our way, we definitely could have pulled it off.” That’s the good and the bad of it for Alexandria. Witt and the Cardinals aren’t into moral victories, but they know they aren’t that far away. “I think DL is certainly a very good basketball team, a lot of returning players,” Witt said. “They’re probably the favorite on paper in the section, so to be able to play with and outplay them for a good chunk of the game is a good thing. At the same time, we had opportunities to seal it there and didn’t. That’s disappointing, but hopefully we can learn from it so it doesn’t happen again.” GAME SUMMARY DETROIT LAKES 22 32 – 54 ALEXANDRIA 23 26 – 49 ALEXANDRIA SCORING – Grant Toivonen – 2; Setterstrom – 13; Gorghuber – 7; Corson – 10; Roste – 14; Alec Wensman – 3 DETROIT LAKES SCORING – Sam Champa – 1; Duncan – 16; Hedstrom – 11; Samuel Priem – 2; Lyngaas – 11; Ben Hokanson – 7; Cihak – 6 The Detroit Lakes boys basketball team didn’t take its first lead of the game against Alexandria until there was less than two minutes left on the clock. The Lakers (7-1) never trailed again after that. Senior guard Ryan Cihak hit two threes in the game, and the second of those was the biggest shot of the night as his triple from the right corner gave the Lakers a 45-43 lead. Trey Lyngaas added two free throws on Detroit Lakes’ next possession and the Lakers held off the Cardinals 54-49 in a Section 8AAA match-up on Saturday night. “It was a skip pass designed for me, but we were also looking for the slip off the screen,” Cihak said of the play that set up his late three. “Christian [Hedstrom] read it right, and I knocked it down. It was the best feeling that I had all night shooting-wise. We were down the whole game and when it went in everybody took a sigh of relief. It was a really good feeling.” The Cardinals (5-5) had answered every Detroit Lakes rally with one of their own up to that point. Alexandria led 23-22 at the break and went on a 5-0 run after the Lakers tied it at 28 early in the second half. The Cardinals led 37-32 before Detroit Lakes used a 5-0 burst to tie it at 37. Alexandria was clinging to a 43-42 lead with 1:47 left when a turnover gave the Lakers the ball back. They drew up the play for Cihak during a timeout, and he delivered. Alexandria’s senior guard Ben Corson hit a three with 12 seconds left to make it 52-49, but a couple free throws on the Lakers’ final possession put the game away. “We just didn’t execute down the line,” Alexandria senior guard Kris Setterstrom said. “We’ve got to find a way to win. That’s something you hear a lot, but we had a lot of turnovers. If we figure that out, I think we’ll be able to get some more shots up, some better shots up.” Turnovers were what Alexandria was frustrated with after coming up short. The Cardinals gave the ball away 15 times and a couple of key ones down the stretch took the wind out of their sails. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1391887","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"461","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"480"}}]] The Lakers simply made more plays in the final minutes with Corbin Duncan leading the way. He scored 11 of his game-high 16 points in the second half, while Hedstrom and Lyngaas each added 11. It was a bit reminiscent of the Cardinals’ previous two losses this week where Alexandria had chances to win but saw thing slip away in the end. All three losses in their current three-game losing streak have come by six points or less, where a play here or there is the difference between a win or a loss. “We controlled probably 32, 33 minutes of the game,” Alexandria head coach Forrest Witt said. “We just had to find a way to win at the end. In our zone where they hit that shot, they had a back screen set. It’s just a feel thing where we got to feel the screen’s there and where they’re trying to attack it. “Offensively, we turned the ball over two or three times down in crunch time the last two or three minutes. They were really unforced turnovers, and we just have to take care of the basketball. We had 15 turnovers, which is not going to get the job done, especially when you’re only scoring 40-some points a game.” Witt said guys might still be trying to figure out their roles offensively with a lot of players making the jump to bigger minutes on varsity this season. Sophomore guard Jaran Roste continues to lead the way as he finished with a team-high 14 points. Setterstrom added 13 points, Corson had 10 and Joe Gorghuber finished with seven.
The Cardinals played well enough defensively to get the win on Saturday night. They are holding teams to almost 52 points per game. That’s second best in the Central Lakes Conference. They held the Lakers to almost 20 points below their season average with Detroit Lakes putting up scores of 96, 93 and 84 in three of their seven wins this season. “For sure we knew it was going to be a good test,” Corson said. “We just had to come out ready to play and play hard. They are obviously a pretty good team. I feel like we can definitely beat those guys coming up in the future. If a couple plays would have gone our way, we definitely could have pulled it off.” That’s the good and the bad of it for Alexandria. Witt and the Cardinals aren’t into moral victories, but they know they aren’t that far away. “I think DL is certainly a very good basketball team, a lot of returning players,” Witt said. “They’re probably the favorite on paper in the section, so to be able to play with and outplay them for a good chunk of the game is a good thing. At the same time, we had opportunities to seal it there and didn’t. That’s disappointing, but hopefully we can learn from it so it doesn’t happen again.” GAME SUMMARY DETROIT LAKES 22 32 – 54 ALEXANDRIA 23 26 – 49 ALEXANDRIA SCORING – Grant Toivonen – 2; Setterstrom – 13; Gorghuber – 7; Corson – 10; Roste – 14; Alec Wensman – 3 DETROIT LAKES SCORING – Sam Champa – 1; Duncan – 16; Hedstrom – 11; Samuel Priem – 2; Lyngaas – 11; Ben Hokanson – 7; Cihak – 6 The Detroit Lakes boys basketball team didn’t take its first lead of the game against Alexandria until there was less than two minutes left on the clock.The Lakers (7-1) never trailed again after that. Senior guard Ryan Cihak hit two threes in the game, and the second of those was the biggest shot of the night as his triple from the right corner gave the Lakers a 45-43 lead. Trey Lyngaas added two free throws on Detroit Lakes’ next possession and the Lakers held off the Cardinals 54-49 in a Section 8AAA match-up on Saturday night.“It was a skip pass designed for me, but we were also looking for the slip off the screen,” Cihak said of the play that set up his late three. “Christian [Hedstrom] read it right, and I knocked it down. It was the best feeling that I had all night shooting-wise. We were down the whole game and when it went in everybody took a sigh of relief. It was a really good feeling.”The Cardinals (5-5) had answered every Detroit Lakes rally with one of their own up to that point. Alexandria led 23-22 at the break and went on a 5-0 run after the Lakers tied it at 28 early in the second half. The Cardinals led 37-32 before Detroit Lakes used a 5-0 burst to tie it at 37.Alexandria was clinging to a 43-42 lead with 1:47 left when a turnover gave the Lakers the ball back. They drew up the play for Cihak during a timeout, and he delivered. Alexandria’s senior guard Ben Corson hit a three with 12 seconds left to make it 52-49, but a couple free throws on the Lakers’ final possession put the game away.“We just didn’t execute down the line,” Alexandria senior guard Kris Setterstrom said. “We’ve got to find a way to win. That’s something you hear a lot, but we had a lot of turnovers. If we figure that out, I think we’ll be able to get some more shots up, some better shots up.”Turnovers were what Alexandria was frustrated with after coming up short. The Cardinals gave the ball away 15 times and a couple of key ones down the stretch took the wind out of their sails.
The Lakers simply made more plays in the final minutes with Corbin Duncan leading the way. He scored 11 of his game-high 16 points in the second half, while Hedstrom and Lyngaas each added 11.It was a bit reminiscent of the Cardinals’ previous two losses this week where Alexandria had chances to win but saw thing slip away in the end. All three losses in their current three-game losing streak have come by six points or less, where a play here or there is the difference between a win or a loss.“We controlled probably 32, 33 minutes of the game,” Alexandria head coach Forrest Witt said. “We just had to find a way to win at the end. In our zone where they hit that shot, they had a back screen set. It’s just a feel thing where we got to feel the screen’s there and where they’re trying to attack it.“Offensively, we turned the ball over two or three times down in crunch time the last two or three minutes. They were really unforced turnovers, and we just have to take care of the basketball. We had 15 turnovers, which is not going to get the job done, especially when you’re only scoring 40-some points a game.”Witt said guys might still be trying to figure out their roles offensively with a lot of players making the jump to bigger minutes on varsity this season. Sophomore guard Jaran Roste continues to lead the way as he finished with a team-high 14 points. Setterstrom added 13 points, Corson had 10 and Joe Gorghuber finished with seven.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1391888","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"480","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"320"}}]]The Cardinals played well enough defensively to get the win on Saturday night. They are holding teams to almost 52 points per game. That’s second best in the Central Lakes Conference. They held the Lakers to almost 20 points below their season average with Detroit Lakes putting up scores of 96, 93 and 84 in three of their seven wins this season.“For sure we knew it was going to be a good test,” Corson said. “We just had to come out ready to play and play hard. They are obviously a pretty good team. I feel like we can definitely beat those guys coming up in the future. If a couple plays would have gone our way, we definitely could have pulled it off.”That’s the good and the bad of it for Alexandria. Witt and the Cardinals aren’t into moral victories, but they know they aren’t that far away.“I think DL is certainly a very good basketball team, a lot of returning players,” Witt said. “They’re probably the favorite on paper in the section, so to be able to play with and outplay them for a good chunk of the game is a good thing. At the same time, we had opportunities to seal it there and didn’t. That’s disappointing, but hopefully we can learn from it so it doesn’t happen again.”GAME SUMMARYDETROIT LAKES 22 32 – 54ALEXANDRIA 23 26 – 49ALEXANDRIA SCORING – Grant Toivonen – 2; Setterstrom – 13; Gorghuber – 7; Corson – 10; Roste – 14; Alec Wensman – 3DETROIT LAKES SCORING – Sam Champa – 1; Duncan – 16; Hedstrom – 11; Samuel Priem – 2; Lyngaas – 11; Ben Hokanson – 7; Cihak – 6 The Detroit Lakes boys basketball team didn’t take its first lead of the game against Alexandria until there was less than two minutes left on the clock.The Lakers (7-1) never trailed again after that. Senior guard Ryan Cihak hit two threes in the game, and the second of those was the biggest shot of the night as his triple from the right corner gave the Lakers a 45-43 lead. Trey Lyngaas added two free throws on Detroit Lakes’ next possession and the Lakers held off the Cardinals 54-49 in a Section 8AAA match-up on Saturday night.“It was a skip pass designed for me, but we were also looking for the slip off the screen,” Cihak said of the play that set up his late three. “Christian [Hedstrom] read it right, and I knocked it down. It was the best feeling that I had all night shooting-wise. We were down the whole game and when it went in everybody took a sigh of relief. It was a really good feeling.”The Cardinals (5-5) had answered every Detroit Lakes rally with one of their own up to that point. Alexandria led 23-22 at the break and went on a 5-0 run after the Lakers tied it at 28 early in the second half. The Cardinals led 37-32 before Detroit Lakes used a 5-0 burst to tie it at 37.Alexandria was clinging to a 43-42 lead with 1:47 left when a turnover gave the Lakers the ball back. They drew up the play for Cihak during a timeout, and he delivered. Alexandria’s senior guard Ben Corson hit a three with 12 seconds left to make it 52-49, but a couple free throws on the Lakers’ final possession put the game away.“We just didn’t execute down the line,” Alexandria senior guard Kris Setterstrom said. “We’ve got to find a way to win. That’s something you hear a lot, but we had a lot of turnovers. If we figure that out, I think we’ll be able to get some more shots up, some better shots up.”Turnovers were what Alexandria was frustrated with after coming up short. The Cardinals gave the ball away 15 times and a couple of key ones down the stretch took the wind out of their sails.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1391887","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"461","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"480"}}]]The Lakers simply made more plays in the final minutes with Corbin Duncan leading the way. He scored 11 of his game-high 16 points in the second half, while Hedstrom and Lyngaas each added 11.It was a bit reminiscent of the Cardinals’ previous two losses this week where Alexandria had chances to win but saw thing slip away in the end. All three losses in their current three-game losing streak have come by six points or less, where a play here or there is the difference between a win or a loss.“We controlled probably 32, 33 minutes of the game,” Alexandria head coach Forrest Witt said. “We just had to find a way to win at the end. In our zone where they hit that shot, they had a back screen set. It’s just a feel thing where we got to feel the screen’s there and where they’re trying to attack it.“Offensively, we turned the ball over two or three times down in crunch time the last two or three minutes. They were really unforced turnovers, and we just have to take care of the basketball. We had 15 turnovers, which is not going to get the job done, especially when you’re only scoring 40-some points a game.”Witt said guys might still be trying to figure out their roles offensively with a lot of players making the jump to bigger minutes on varsity this season. Sophomore guard Jaran Roste continues to lead the way as he finished with a team-high 14 points. Setterstrom added 13 points, Corson had 10 and Joe Gorghuber finished with seven.
The Cardinals played well enough defensively to get the win on Saturday night. They are holding teams to almost 52 points per game. That’s second best in the Central Lakes Conference. They held the Lakers to almost 20 points below their season average with Detroit Lakes putting up scores of 96, 93 and 84 in three of their seven wins this season.“For sure we knew it was going to be a good test,” Corson said. “We just had to come out ready to play and play hard. They are obviously a pretty good team. I feel like we can definitely beat those guys coming up in the future. If a couple plays would have gone our way, we definitely could have pulled it off.”That’s the good and the bad of it for Alexandria. Witt and the Cardinals aren’t into moral victories, but they know they aren’t that far away.“I think DL is certainly a very good basketball team, a lot of returning players,” Witt said. “They’re probably the favorite on paper in the section, so to be able to play with and outplay them for a good chunk of the game is a good thing. At the same time, we had opportunities to seal it there and didn’t. That’s disappointing, but hopefully we can learn from it so it doesn’t happen again.”GAME SUMMARYDETROIT LAKES 22 32 – 54ALEXANDRIA 23 26 – 49ALEXANDRIA SCORING – Grant Toivonen – 2; Setterstrom – 13; Gorghuber – 7; Corson – 10; Roste – 14; Alec Wensman – 3DETROIT LAKES SCORING – Sam Champa – 1; Duncan – 16; Hedstrom – 11; Samuel Priem – 2; Lyngaas – 11; Ben Hokanson – 7; Cihak – 6
