Hancock and Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta competed for all 36 minutes, but it was the Owls who made clutch plays down the stretch to earn a 71-64 victory on Monday, Feb. 17, from the Cougar Sports Center in Morris. It was the first win for the Owls over Morris/C-A since the return of the Stevens County rivalry three years ago.
The game featured 13 lead changes and six ties with the teams combining for 24 three-pointers. The Owls shot 52 percent and hit 13-24 from beyond-the-arc, with seven coming from Kody Berget, who finished with a game-high 21 points. The Tigers went 11-for-26 from distance and finished 45 percent from the floor. Jaden Maanum connected on five three-pointers and led the Tigers with a game-high 15 points.
The game featured two of the area’s premier big men with the Tigers Jackson Loge and the Owls Matt Thompson each posting a double-double. Thompson had 15 points to go with 20 rebounds while Loge scored 14 points with 12 boards.
Hancock senior Daniel Milander recorded three steals in the game to become Hancock’s single season steal leader, surpassing the 84 that Noah Kannegiesser collected in the 2017-2018 season.
The Tigers led 35-32 at halftime, but the Owls shot a blistering 62 percent in the second half and were able to close out the game late. Hancock has won eight straight and is 16-7 on the year while the Tigers fall to 13-10.
Hancock 71, Morris/C-A 64
Hancock (16-6) 33 38 — 71
Morris/C-A (13-10) 35 29 — 64
HANCOCK – Scoring: Kody Berget 21, Matt Thompson 15, Adam Shaw 14, Preston Rohloff 13, Daniel Milander 8 … 3-point shots: Berget 7, Shaw 4, Rohloff 1, Thompson 1 … Rebound leader: Thomspon 26 … Assist leader: Milander 8 … Steal leader: Milander 3 … Block leader: N/A
MORRIS AREA/CHOKIO-ALBERTA – Scoring: Durgin Decker 8, Jaden Maanum 15, Brandon Jergenson 3, Thomas Tiernan 15, Jackson Loge 14, Toby Gonnerman 3, Cade Fehr 6 … 3-point shots: Decker 2, Maanum 5, Jergenson 1, Tiernan 2, Loge 1 … Rebound leader: Loge 12 … Assist leader: Loge 8 … Steal leader: Loge 1 … Block leader: Loge 2
