ROCHESTER — The Austin High boys basketball team lost 53-50 to Rochester Mayo on Friday night in a Big Nine Conference game at McNish Gym.
Scoring the last eight points of the first half, the Packers took the lead into the locker room at halftime. The visitors would hold the lead until the frantic final seconds.
"We made a nice run to end the first half," Austin coach Kris Fadness said. "We stayed on top until the last two minutes, then we had four bad possessions in a row."
Mayo (1-2 overall) got its first win courtesy of the long ball. The Spartans made seven three-pointers on the night, including the decisive shots in the final minutes. Nate Penz canned a trio of treys in the conference win.
The Packers were led by Tom Aase with 18 points. Although he was mired in foul trouble and only played about half the game, Joe Aase added 13 points in the road loss.
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"We were up 50-46 with under two minutes to play and then, they scored the last seven points of the game," Fadness said. "Penz hit a trey from the corner with 30 seconds left to give them the lead.
"We knew that we needed a three, so we tried to get a pick-and-pop. Joe (Aase) got a look but it was rushed and didn't go in. Our perimeter shooting has to improve, and we've got to get better in a hurry."
Austin (2-2 overall, 1-1 Big Nine) has little time to lick its wounds with Mankato East, ranked in the top 10 for Class AAA, coming to town on Tuesday night.
ROCHESTER MAYO 53, AUSTIN 50
AUSTIN (50)
Tom Aase 18, Joe Aase 13, Goliath Oboyo 2, Nathan Schwab 2, Zach Vierkandt 3, Bret Lukes 4, Zach Wessels 3, Collin Weisert 5.
MAYO (53)
Maurice Cain 9, Tywan Collins 7, Nate Penz 15, Ian Reid Hathaway 14, Dan Jech 6, Alex Fidler 2.
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Other stats: Hathaway 5 rebounds; Collins 5 steals, 4 rebounds; Cain 4 steals.
Halftime:Austin 21, Mayo 18.
Free throws:Austin 11-13, Mayo 8-18.
Three-point goals:AUS 3-19 (Weisert 1, T.Aase 1, Vierkandt 1). MAYO 7-13 (Penz 3, Cain 2, Collins 1, Hathaway 1).
