The third-seeded Hancock Owl boys basketball team played in the Section 6A-South championship after beating Parkers Prairie in the semifinals and Battle Lake in the quarterfinals last week.
The Owls faced top-seeded West Central Area for the sub-section championship Monday, March 9, at Concordia Moorhead.
“They have a good inside and outside game,” Owl head coach Cory Bedel said. “They’re seven guys deep, long and they can shoot. They’re a great team, but in our minds, we feel we can beat them.”
Hancock 61, Parkers Prairie 58 OT
Going to overtime in Saturday’s Section 6A-South semifinal against second-seeded Parkers Prairie, some clutch free throws by Preston Rohloff sent third-seeded Hancock to the sub-section final. The Owls managed to lock up a three-point win Saturday, March 7 at the University of Minnesota-Morris.
“We believed going into this that we could win,” Hancock head coach Cory Bedel told the Echo Press. “They’re a very good team, and if we played this again, it could’ve gone the other way. The biggest thing for us is that we don’t win with just five guys. When (Daniel) Milander and (Matt) Thompson fouled out, I told them, ‘We got you.’ That’s when their teammates stepped up.”
Tied 52-all at the end of regulation, Hancock was in trouble when both Daniel Milander and Matt Thompson fouled out early on in the four-minute overtime. But Rohloff, who had a team-best 18 points, hit five straight free throws to cement his team’s victory. Milander had 17 points, four assists and three steals while Thompson came up with 11 points and nine rebounds.
PP (21-7) 29 23 6 — 58
Hancock (20-8) 25 27 9 — 61
PARKERS PRAIRIE – Scoring: Alex Koep 25, Josh Helling 20, Riley Thoennes 7, Micah Arens 4, Spencer Yohnke 2 … 3-point shots: Helling 3, Koep 1, Thoennes 1 … Rebound leader: N/A … Assist leader: N/A … Steal leader: N/A … Block leader: N/A
HANCOCK – Scoring: Preston Rohloff 18, Daniel Milaner 17, Matt Thompson 11, Kody Berget 6, Brandon Kellenberger 4, Colton Crowell 4, Isaac Nienhaus 1 … 3-point shots: Berget 2, Milander 1, Rohloff 1, Crowell 1 … Rebound leader: Kellenberger 12, Thompson 9 … Assist leader: Milander 4 … Steal leader: Milander 3 … Block leader: N/A
Hancock 61, Battle Lake 44
Third-seeded Hancock overcame a 33-24 halftime deficit to sixth-seeded Battle Lake to avoid the upset in the Section 6A-South quarterfinals Thursday, March 5, in Hancock.
Matt Thompson had 21 points and 19 rebounds. Brandon Kellenberger added 16 points and eight boards while Preston Rohloff added 11 points to lead the Owls.
Battle Lake (12-13) 33 11 — 44
Hancock (19-8) 24 37 — 61
BATTLE LAKE – Scoring: Riley Leabo 12, Brennan Amundson 8, Brady Van Erp 8, Kayne Cameron 8, Bricker Bladow 2… 3-point shots: Leabo 2, Johnson 2 … Rebound leader: N/A … Assist leader: N/A … Steal leader: N/A … Block leader: N/A
HANCOCK – Scoring: Matt Thompson 21, Brandon Kellenberger 16, Preston Rohloff 11, Daniel Milander 8, Colten Crowell 5 … 3-point shots: Rohloff 3, Kellenberger 1, Crowell 1 … Rebound leader: Thompson 19, Kellenberger 8 … Assist leaders: Milander 3, Adam Shaw 3 … Steal leader: Milander 7, Kellenberger 5 … Block leader: N/A