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PREP BASKETBALL: Knights cruise to sweep in doubleheader

Photo by Emily Daniels RTR’s Shawna Thomsen drives around a HLO/Fulda defender during their game on Saturday.

MARSHALL – The Russell-Tyler-Ruthton boys and girls basketball team closed out the day at Southwest Minnesota State University on Saturday with a doubleheader of their own. Both teams were able to come out victorious, with the RTR girls defeating Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda 81-28 and the RTR boys defeating Fulda 76-47.

Girls Basketball

RTR 81, HLO/F 28

By Emily Daniels

edaniels@marshall

independent.com

MARSHALL – A strong first half that quickly carried into the second half was just what the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton girls basketball team needed to earn its fourth consecutive victory on Saturday with an 81-28 rout over Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda.

With a steady lead that held throughout the game, RTR coach Steve Krause saw that as an opportunity to be able to put in a variety of players from the bench and use their depth to their advantage.

“It was nice to get to play everybody, our depth was a really big part of us,” said Krause. “It helps us at practice. Everybody is capable of playing and it was nice to get everyone out on the floor. We played well but we’ve played better, but we played hard.”

The Knights entered the game looking to extend their recent win streak and were able to get out in the right direction with aggressive play on the offensive end of the floor, taking an early 12-4 lead. Jonni Biren was a big asset to the Knights offense, using strong ball handling skills and a good shot selection that helped RTR go on a 12-point run and give itself a 16-6 lead with 12:16 remaining in the first half.

With HLO/Fulda struggling to find any sort of rhythm on its offensive end, rebounding on both ends of the floor became a strong suit for the Knights, as multiple second-chance opportunities turned into points and a 32-9 lead for RTR with 9:29 left. The Knights continued to hold their ground on the defensive end, keeping the Coyotes off the board for a long stretch of the first half as RTR increased its advantage to 42-12 with 3:30 to go in the frame.

Brooke Thomsen helped the Knights immensely on offense throughout the final minutes of the first half, directing the plays and getting the ball movement going and RTR would take a commanding 55-16 lead at halftime.

Going into the second half, the Knights had a solid foundation built and wanted to continue the momentum they had seen throughout the opening frame. RTR started with a six-point run and took a 61-20 lead, as Haley Muenchow got things going offensively for the Knights.

RTR’s cohesiveness as a team continued to shine in the second half, as it went on an 11-3 run to take a 72-23 lead with 7:45 left. The Knights cruised the rest of the way and would keep their win streak going with an 81-28 victory.

Madison Muenchow led the way for the Knights with 13 points while Haley Muenchow added 12 and Rylie Hess and Shawna Thomsen each added 10. Haley Muenchow led in rebounds with eight while Kalleigh Carr led in assists with five.

RTR will now look to make it five in a row when it takes on Lac qui Parle Valley on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. As the Knights head into the second half of their season, Krause wants the team to continue to enjoy the little things that happen to them and not take any moment for granted each time they step on the court.

“We are a team and it is very important that we stay that way and they support each other and work together,” said Krause. “Enjoy these things and moments when things go well for us.”

RTR 81, HLO/Fulda 28

HLO/F 16 12 – 28

RTR 55 26 – 81

SCORING: RTR (M. Muenchow 13; H. Muenchow 12; Hess, S. Thomsen 10; B. Thomsen, Biren 8; Owen 7; Wendland 5; Christianson 4; Borresen, Carr 2).

REBOUNDS: RTR 32 (H. Muenchow 8; Carr, Biren 5).

ASSISTS: RTR 14 (Carr 5).

STEALS: RTR 21 (B. Thomsen 7; Carr 4).

BLOCKS: RTR none.

Boys Basketball

RTR 76, Fulda 47

By Sam Thiel

sthiel@marshallindependent.com

The RTR boys basketball team closed out the night with a matchup against Fulda, but after a back-and-forth first half, the Knights were in need of a spark. Fortunately for RTR, that was found through its defensive presence, as the Knights shut down the Raiders in the second half to earn a 76-47 victory.

RTR coach Ted Kern felt their shot selection and communication on defense was much stronger in the second half and was pleased with how his team adjusted at halftime.

“I thought both our shot selection and our defensive communication was much better in the second half,” Kern said. “There were some breakdowns for about a three or four minute stretch in the first half that kind of kept the game as close as it was and we overcame that at halftime and refocused and did a nice job coming out in the second half.”

The Knights were able to jump out to a quick start on offense, taking an 8-2 lead before Fulda cut the deficit to 12-10 a few minutes later. RTR had an answer, though, going on a 9-2 run before a 3-pointer from Jared Hauswedell gave the Knights a 24-12 lead midway through the first half.

RTR would maintain at least a 14-point lead throughout the frame, before a pair of 3-pointers by the Raiders made it a 10-point game at 33-23. Fulda got to within eight, but a 3-pointer by Hauswedell at the buzzer gave RTR a 36-25 lead at halftime.

After going into the break with a double-digit lead, the Knights broke out the press to start the second half. That defensive pressure led to early turnovers by the Raiders and transition baskets by RTR, as the Knights quickly pushed their advantage to 45-29 before a 3-pointer by Payton Hess made it 52-32 with 9:30 left to play.

The Knights continued to add to their lead over the next several minutes, going on a 14-6 run to take a 66-38 advantage with under five to play, ultimately coming away with a 76-47 victory.

Carter and Cooper Hansen led the way for the Knights with 16 points each while Hauswedell added 13 and Jack Kerr had 10.

RTR will face TMB today at 7:15 p.m.

RTR 76, Fulda 47

Fulda 25 22 – 47

RTR 36 40 – 76

SCORING: RTR (Carter Hansen, Cooper Hansen 16; Hauswedell 13; Kerr 10; Kelley, Hess 6; Weets, Sitzman, Baune 3).

REBOUNDS: RTR 25 (Kerr, Cooper Hansen 5; Carter Hansen, Baune 3).

ASSISTS: RTR 18 (Cooper Hansen 8; Kelley 4).

STEALS: RTR 13 (Cooper Hansen 4; Carter Hansen 3).

BLOCKS: RTR 2 (Carter Hansen, Weets 1).

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