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Warrior boys dropped two games to Chatfield and Cotter last week |
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
The Caledonia boys basketball team ran into a couple of very tough
teams last week, and although they played both Chatfield and Winona
Cotter tough, they dropped both games. The 88-77 Three Rivers
Conference loss to Chatfield took place Jan. 15 at Chatfield, while the
62-55 non-conference loss to the Ramblers of Cotter occurred at the
local gym Saturday night.
Chatfield 88 Caledonia 77
The Warriors and Gophers locked horns in the battle for second place in
the TRC at Chatfield last week, with the host team coming out on top by
11 points.
The game was closer than the score indicates, as the two teams played to a 36-36 deadlock, as the first half came to a close.
Chatfield went on a run to at the beginning of the second half to open
up a single-diget lead. With time running out, and trailing by six
points, the Warriors were forced to foul to get the ball back, as
Chatfield went into a spread offense. The Gophers nailed their free
shots in the final minutes of the game to win by 11.
“We gave up too many lay-ups,” coach Josh Diersen said. “Chatfield has
a very similar team to us. We matched up well with them, but had a
number of defensive breakdowns in the second half, which they converted
into easy shots.”
Chatfield shot at a 57 percent clip, while the Warriors hit 46 percent
of their shots from the field. Caledonia made 10 of 16 free throws for
62 percent.
Senior guard Craig Loeffler had a career night, scoring 29 points. He
also had seven rebounds, and seven assists. Ryan Goetzinger also hit
double figures with 15 points to go along with five rebounds, and three
blocked shots. Kody Moore was the third Warrior to hit double figures
with 10 points. He also had three assists. Bobby Augedahl had seven
points and four assists, Kyle Runningen chipped in six points and two
rebounds, Cody Haugstad had five points, Zach Gran had three points and
Alex Klug had two points to round out the scoring for the Warriors.
Cotter 62 Caledonia 55
“We took on a good team Saturday night, and I was pleased with the way
the kids played. Although we didn’t pick up the win, we played Cotter
tough. It was a game we could have won,” said Diersen of the
seven-point loss Saturday night.
The visiting Ramblers jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead and Diersen
quickly switched the Warriors into a match-up zone. The Warriors fought
back and trailed by four points, 32-28 at the half.
The lead switched hands three times in the second half, with the
Warriors leading 43-40 and 45-43. The Ramblers scored a couple of
back-to-back buckets to take the lead and then went into a stall. CHS
was forced to foul and the Ramblers hit their free throws down the line
for the win.
“Cotter is one of the top teams in our second. They led La Crescent by
17 points in a game earlier this year. Our kids fought hard. This was a
good game for us to see what we can do.”
Loeffler once again led the Warriors offensive charge with 15 points.
He also had four rebounds and three assists. Gran hit double figures
with 11 points and added two assists. Moore added 10 points, while
Runningen had eight points and five rebounds, Augedahl had five points
and two assists, Goetzinger had four points and five rebounds, Klug had
two points and five rebounds, and Dustin King pulled down three
rebounds.
The Warriors didn’t have their shooter’s touch in the Cotter game, as
they hit 37 percent from the field. They didn’t get to the charity line
very often either, as they made two of five free throws.
“Even though we’ve lost four games in a row, I’m proud of the kids. We
played some very tough teams, and have learned a lot about who we are
and what we are capable of doing. These past four games are building
blocks for the end of the season.”
This week
The Warriors traveled to Wabasha-Kellogg Tuesday night and then to
Mabel to take on the M-C Cougars in a non-conference game Thursday
night. They finish out another busy week with a home game against the
Southland Rebels Friday night.
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