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Milaca falters twice, Boys Basketball Last week was an important one for Milacaís boys basketball team. The Wolves went into games against North Branch and Hinckley-Finlayson with hopes of keeping themselves in the Rum River Conference race and the chase for the top seed in the upcoming Sub-Section 18AA Tournament. North Branch jolted Milacaís RRC hopes by topping the Wolves 57-47 Thursday, Feb. 6, at Milaca. Then, Hinckley-Finlayson damaged Milacaís sub-section seeding bid by stopping the Wolves 69-62 Saturday afternoon at Hinckley. "It was a tough week--we lost two big games," said Milaca Coach Jeff Meyer. "But, the season goes on and we canít dwell on those losses. "We have a lot of big games remaining as we head into tournament play." The Wolves still sport an impressive 12-5 mark despite last weekís setbacks and are 8-3 in RRC play, two games behind co-leaders North Branch and St. Michael-Albertville which are both 10-1. Milaca hosts RRC and sub-section foe Mora Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Wolves stopped the Mustangs 71-59 Jan. 10 at Mora. On Saturday, Mora topped Braham 71-58 in a non-conference game at Mora. "Mora is a very capable team--we can't be looking past it," said Meyer. The Wolves remain at home for games against St. Michael-Albertville Tuesday, Feb. 18, and Chisago Lakes Thursday, Feb. 20. Milaca is at Pine City Tuesday, Feb. 25, then closes the regular season at home Friday, Feb. 28, against Princeton. "This is the time you want to sharpen your game up and try to pick up some momentum heading into tournament play," said Meyer. "I would like to see us play with more intensity in the first quarter. Some times we come out and donít get going until late in the opening quarter or the second quarter." The teams battled on even terms through the first half with junior forward Matt Fletcherís rebound basket at the buzzer giving the Vikings a 27-26 halftime lead. North Branch, behind five three-point baskets, outscored Milaca 21-11 in the third quarter to take a 48-37 lead into the fourth quarter. Senior center Eric Bergstromís basket pulled Milaca to within 50-44 midway through the final quarter but North Branch responded by going into a stall. The Vikings, passing the ball around the perimeter, ran off over two minutes before Milaca committed a foul, sending Fletcher to the free-throw line with 1:52 left in the game. The Vikings scored five of their final seven points on free throws as the Wolves were forced to foul to stop the clock. "The three-point baskets they made in the third quarter were a deciding factor," said Meyer. "They were able to take a cushion into the fourth quarter and, once they have a substantial lead, theyíre a tough team to come back against. "We defended their outside shooters pretty well and had a hand in their faces but they still made the shots." Senior guard Tim Veurink, who sank three three-pointers, led Milaca with 20 points while Bergstrom scored 11 points and had 10 rebounds. Senior forward Jon Matthews added seven points and five rebounds. The Wolves shot 31.9 percent (15-for-47) from the field while making 12 of 15 free throws. The Vikings shot 45.2 percent (19-42) from the field and made 11 of 14 free throws. North Branch, a team which relies on its outside shooting, had an 8-5 edge in three-point baskets. The Vikings, who moved to a 14-6 record, were led by Fletcherís 21 points and 14 from senior center Tyler Higley. Hinckley-Fin. 69, Milaca 62 The Jaguars stregthened their bid for the top seed in Sub-Section 18AA by bolting to a 26-12 first-quarter lead. They led 42-28 at halftime and 52-39 heading into the fourth quarter. "They took control right away and we never were really able to mount a threat," said Meyer. "They bottled up our inside game and we went to a three-point game on offense, which isnít what we do best. We didnít come out ready to play and Hinckley-Finlayson took advantage of that." Milaca shot 42.9 percent (24-56) from the field while H-F shot 44.2 percent (23-52). The Wolves went to the foul line just twice and made both, while the Jaguars were 19-26 at the free-throw line. "We canít complain about the big difference in free throws because we didnít do much to get ourselves to the line," said Meyer. Milaca made 12 of 34 three-point shots while H-F sank four of 12. The Jaguars had a commanding 39-19 edge in rebounds, with the Wolves notching just one offensive rebound. Veurink, who had four three-pointers, led Milaca with 22 points while sophomore guard Adam Ruis scored 11 points. Sophomore forward Spencer Bartz led H-F with 22 points while senior guard Andy Schmitz scored 18 points. The Jaguars, who are leading the Great River Conference, boosted their overall record to 16-2. North Branch 57, Milaca 47 NB (57) FG FT F PTS Points Per Quarter H-F (69) FG FT F PTS Points Per Quarter
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