STMA Boys Basketball

            The Knights lost a tough game to conference rival buffalo 63-57 on January 20, but stormed back to beat tough foes Moorhead 63-56 on the road, Rogers 76-55 at home in the first of two annual grudge matches, and East Ridge 74-71 at home.  With a 12-5 overall record, the split against conference opponents Buffalo and Rogers give the Knights a share of the conference lead at 4-1 with the Bison.  Rogers fell to 3-2 with their loss to the Knights.

            The heated rivalry with Buffalo found the Knights playing poorly in the first half, getting outscored 28-23 in a slow-paced half.  Both teams picked up the pace in the second half, but Buffalo again outscored the Knights, by one the second time around to win 63-57.  Michael Mooney scored 20, but the rest of the high scorers fared less well, with Michael Wiese at 11, Max Babb at 8, and Herbert Tarpeh at 4.  Wiese did yank down 12 rebounds and blocked 3 shots, sparking the Knights defensively on a night that he shot 2 for 11 from the floor.  Mooney and Tarpeh fouled out late in the game, and Herbert contributed only 5 rebounds in a difficult evening for him.  Cole krutzig came off the bench to chip in 8 points and solid defense as the Knights tried to come back.  Peter Cassady scored 17 for the Bison, while Jason Senger, Austin Youngs, and Caleb Ruter added 9 apiece. 

            The three hour bus ride and tired legs from the previous night contributed to a slow start at Moorhead against the Spuds, and the Knights trailed 23-16 after playing one of their poorest halves of the season.  In the second stanza, however, the boys poured in 47 points as they picked up the defensive pace and began to run the floor more effectively, winning 63-56.  Wiese and Mooney led scorers with 19 and 15 points, and Tarpeh added 10.  Krutzig chipped in 7 while making 4 assists.  Mooney assisted 5 shots himself, and the Knights totaled 20 as they made numerous layups against Moorhead in the second half.  Tarpeh and Wiese were forces on the boards, with 12 and 9 respectively.  The team outrebounded the spuds 37-27 and outshot them 53.2% to 39.6% for the game.

            Thursday the 26^th the first of two battle royals pitted the Knights against arch-foes Rogers.  The Knights struck early and often, running up a 37-21 lead and knocking the Royals out of the game from the start.  Wiese scored 15 points in the first half, ending with a game leading 25 in the 76-55 rout.  Mooney came alive in the second half and poured in 12 to earn 18 for the game.  Brian ferry rose to the challenge, dumping in 11 points and pulling down 8 rebounds, assisting on 4 baskets.  Wiese and Tarpeh had 8 and 6 boards respectively.  Mooney and Wiese were a collective 16 for 23 from the free throw line as the Royals were committed 25 fouls.  The boys outrebounded the Royals 41-30.  Michael Schreiber was superb for the Royals, scoring 21 and pulling in 10 rebounds.  Josh turnquist, normally a good scorer, had a dismal evening, shooting 2 for 11 from the floor for only 6 points.  The win gave the Knights a 4-1 conference record, good enough to tie the Bison as both teams head into the final game of the first round of conference play in the upcoming week. 

            The Knights came back on Saturday 28^th to stomp East Ridge in the first half, taking a 39-26 lead into the locker-room after leading 27-14 midway through the first stanza.  It was the Tarpeh show, as Herbert scored at will through a porous defense, scoring 12 and pulling down 9 rebounds as the Raptors struggled to stay in the game.  Justin Pahl was a one man show for East Ridge, and as the second half began, his long threes and better defense, combined with foul trouble sitting Tarpeh on the bench, allowed the Raptors to fly back into the game.  With several minutes remaining, Pahl and Wiese traded threes on several possessions wiese’s shots keeping the score differential at six down the stretch in favor of the Knights.  The raptors got as  close as three points, but with 16 seconds on the clock, tarpeh was fouled, missed both free throws, but crashed the board for the put back on the second one untouched as no one blocked him from the basket.  That restored a 6 point lead, and a desperation three at the buzzer made the final score 71-68.  Pahl was amazing, probably the best shooter the Knights have seen all season, and he scored 38 points with 8 threes in the scorebook.  The Knights, however, had super balance, with 19 each from Tarpeh, Wiese, and Mooney, as well as 11 from Babb.  Ferry kicked in 6 in another good effort.  Tarpeh ended with 14 rebounds, and Wiese chipped in with 7 as the knights out-rebounded the Raptors 37-31 for the game.  This was one of the most exciting games the Knights have played this season as both teams hustled, shot well, and played good enough defense when it was needed.

            The Knights travel to Monticello for an honest to goodness Tuesday night game, a REALLY STRANGE phenomenon for them this season!  Then it is on to Cambridge Friday February 3 to start the second round of conference play.