The win marks three straight for the Rebels, and were led by Aidan Swenson’s 24 points. Four different Rebels finished in double-figure scoring, with Dugan Kluis adding in 11 and both Carter Hanson and Cayden Veldhuisen finishing with 10 points.

“I think, especially in transition, it [our driving] was pretty consistent. I think we were a little out of control at times, with maybe throwing up some shots that were off of two feet, or [not] very balanced, but they saw the lanes,” MCC head coach Tim Cariveau said. “[We played with] consistency in executing the game plan, what is asked of them through the huddles and calls with offense, and [didn’t] worry about the other stuff.”

MCC was fast to build a lead and built a 37-17 advantage by halftime, and continued to hold control of the game through its zone defense and efficient shooting.

“In the 2-3 [zone], I still feel like we’re getting 2-on-1’s too often, when two guys are guarding one, and we don’t want that. But, in the 1-3-1 today, which we haven’t got a chance to put that on the floor very often, I was happy to see that,” Cariveau said regarding MCC’s zone defense. “I thought we scrambled well out of it,t and made them [LQPV] uncomfortable on the catches.”

urray County Central's Aidan Swenson dribbles the ball up the court after grabbing a defensive rebound in the first half.

The Rebels defeated Minneota 71-65 on Saturday in the first day of the holiday tournament with a strong showing at the foul line. MCC shot 84%, 21 of 25, in free throws which Cariveau noted was their best performance at the line so far this season, and was proud of the performance.

As it was apparent in Saturday’s matchup as well as Tuesday, MCC’s height in Wyatt Thomspon and Swenson will look to serve the team well this season on the rebounding and interior shooting ends. The two stand at 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-5, respectively.

LQPV entered the night looking for its first win of the season.

The first few possessions for both teams remained scoreless until Cayden Veldhuisen got MCC on the board with an open layup, just as LQPV responded with a 3-pointer.

The Rebels played a full-court press and in a zone defense, but their attack and efficient shooting made the difference to pull away with an early double-digit lead. Nearly all of MCC’s points came from a drive to the basket or a second-chance possession with an aggressive offensive rebounding effort, with just one 3-pointer the entire night.

Murray Country Central's Dugan Kluis goes up for a fastbreak layup in the first half.

“We got guys that can do it [rebound], especially with Wyatt and Swenny [Swenson], but I thought that Cayden Veldhuisen really put his mind to it,” Cariveau said. “He had two early ones, and it got him two buckets as well. I thought he played a really good game all around. Yeah, it’s [our offensive rebounding] something that can really be a positive.”

Swenson was again a dominant force down low, and led MCC with 14 first-half points.

“A lot of people know that he [Swenson] was sick at the beginning of the year, so he’s probably just getting back to full strength,” Cariveau said. “I was really proud of his defense, he was talking like crazy.”

MCC extended its early lead with a Hanson driving layup and a Swenson putback following a pair of Kluis free throws. A Veldhuisen steal and fastbreak put the Rebels up 15-6.

Hanson had back-to-back layups along with one from Kluis to further build a 25-13 edge with just over five minutes to go.

Murray County Central's Cayden Veldhuisen begins to reach the basket for a layup in the first half.

MCC did give up a few turnovers with the Eagles’ turning up the defensive tone, yet the Rebels didn’t show any fallback and made up for the errors with their offense and eventually became hot on the defensive end, returning the favor by forcing turnovers.

Tristan Behrends, Swenson and Kluis ended the half each with a basket to give MCC its 20-point lead heading into the locker room.

Ball movement and tenacious defense was the name of the game to open the second half for MCC, coming out hot with a string of steals and fastbreak layups. The Rebels started the half on a 10-0 run and never looked back as they cruised the frest of the way to victory.

MCC (5-2) will look to keep its momentum going when it returns home in the new year next Tuesday to host Edgerton (4-2) at 7:15 p.m.