No. 1 Lake City survives against No. 8 Lourdes in Section 1AA boys basketball quarterfinal play

ROCHESTER — It wasn't easy but top-seeded Lake City was able to advance in the Section 1AA boys basketball tournament on Monday.

No. 8 Lourdes gave the Tigers all they could handle in the contest. Lake City (25-1), ranked No. 2 in the state in Class AA, had to rally from a 26-23 deficit at the half to post a 60-49 victory in section quarterfinal play.

“You’ve got to get in tournament mode,” Lake City coach Greg Berge said. “This game is always the hardest to win.”

Lake City had a bye in the first round while the Eagles defeated No. 9 Pine Island to reach play at the Mayo Civic Center.

“They had a great first-round game against Pine Island and they played well tonight,” Berge said. “Our guys just made a few plays in the second half to pull away.”

And while Lourdes came out clicking to start the contest, Lake City had to shake off some rust. The Tigers had not played for a week.

“Once we settled down a little bit, I thought we played a whole lot better,” Berge said. “We scored 60 points, we played pretty good ‘D,’ we rebounded. We can play a whole lot better and the guys know we can play a whole lot better.”

Prep

Photos: Lake City, Lourdes Section 1AA quarterfinal boys basketball on March 6, 2023

Lake City defeated Lourdes 60-49 in a Section 1AA quarterfinal boys basketball game on Monday, March 6, 2023, at Mayo Civic Center in Rochester.

March 06, 2023 07:44 PM

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By  Traci Westcott

Lourdes was primed a ready to play from the start. The Eagles were able to get the ball inside in the first half when Dillung Kullang (eight points) and Kevin Adeng-Kur (six) combined to score 14 points. But Lake City was able to use its size advantage to negate Lourdes' inside scoring over the final 18 minutes.

“They always play us tough and they were really physical,” Lake City 6-foot-9 senior Ryan Heise said. “So it’s always a tough game against Lourdes.”

Lake City had great balance as Jaden Shones scored 16 points, Hunter Lorenson, Heise and Keegan Ryan all had 13 points. Ryan added 11 rebounds and four steals for his ninth double-double of the season.

“It really is pick your poison,” Lourdes coach Eric Larson said of Lake City’s depth. “They’re all very, very good players. They could be the best player on a different team. But we did what we could.”

Lake City held a narrow 48-46 lead with five minutes to play before the Tigers closed the game on a 12-3 run.

“I think we just settled down a little bit,” Berge said. “I think we got the ball a little bit more inside. We moved the ball around, got some better shots and got some stops when we needed to.”

The Eagles made just 8 of 25 shots in the second half after going 9-for-22 from the field in the half.

Lorenson and Heise, Lake City's top two scorers, were both held to two points in the first half. They each scored 11 over the final 18 minutes of play.

“We just had to be more aggressive and more confident,” Heise said of the second half. “And we had to get it down the court; they were pressing us pretty hard.”

Heise also had two straight blocks on the same possession on the inside when Lake City was still leading by just one with 7:45 to play.

Lourdes, which closes 11-17, had lost to Lake City 65-62 and 61-40 during the regular season in Hiawatha Valley League play.

Parker Dunham scored seven of his 12 points in the first half to help the Eagles take the lead. David Scully had nine of his 12 points in the second half.

“I don’t think I’ve been more proud of a team with how they competed and conducted themselves and how hard they played,” Larson said.

Lake City will face No. 4 Cannon Falls in the section semifinals at 4 p.m. Saturday at Mayo Civic Auditorium.

“This court’s big and there’s a lot of open space,” Heise said. “I feel the first game’s always the hardest for us. So I feel like we can keep rolling from here.”

Lake City 60, Lourdes 49
No. 8 LOURDES (49)
Aidan Jahns 5 R; Dillung Kullang 10 P, 6 R; Kevin Adeng-Kur 7 P, 5 R; Adam Sellner 12 P, 1 3-PT; David Scully 8 P, 11 R; Parker Dunham 12 P, 3 R.
No. 1 LAKE CITY (60)
Hunter Lorenson 13 P, 5 R, 2 3-PT; Lee Siewert 2 P; Keegan Ryan 13 P, 11 R, 4 S; Jack Meincke 3 P, 1 3-PT; Jaden Shones 16 P; Rylee Fick 2 P; Ryan Heise 13 P, 7 R, 3 BK.
Halftime: LOUR 26, LC 23.
Free throws: LOUR 14-22, LC 19-24.
Three-point goals: LOUR 1, LC 3. Field goals: LOUR 17-48, LC 19-50. Rebounds: LOUR 34, LC 36.