Cardinal boys' basketball: Doyle dominates Eagles

• Doyle

Senior forward Logan Doyle had his best night of the season on Tuesday after finishing with a triple-double of 20 points, 16 rebounds and 11 blocks. (Eric Morken, Echo Press)

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The Alexandria boys’ basketball team found itself in a familiar spot on Tuesday night.

The Cardinals were right in the middle of a close game in the closing minutes as they trailed by four with almost four minutes left. They have seen that kind of game slip away too often this season. But against St. Cloud Apollo, Alexandria seized an opportunity on its home court to come away with a 60-56 win.

“The kids remained poised and played with one another down the stretch,” head coach Forrest Witt said. “They realized it was going to take a team effort on both ends of the floor. No one individual was going to do it on their own. I think the kids built some trust with one another.”

The Cardinals have been hoping for the kind of night that they got out of Logan Doyle for most of this season. The South Dakota State signee made an impact in every facet of the game. Doyle finished with a triple-double of 20 points, 16 rebounds and 11 blocks. The 20 points were a team high, but it was his ability to completely control the paint on both ends of the court that had his head coach impressed.

“It all started with his focus to control things that are controllable for him throughout the game,” Witt said. “Rebounding, blocking and altering shots and commanding the block. Everything Logan did tonight was a direct reflection of his focus. He scored 20 points, but his greatest impact on the game was done in the paint with his rebounding and blocking shots. That’s the Logan Doyle that we need night in and night out.”

His teammates no doubt feed off that when he is able to play at that level. Junior guard John Vogeler added 15 points and five assists to help secure the win as he continues to get comfortable after missing most of the season with an ankle injury.

The Cardinals believe they can win a few more of the close games they have been in with a full roster at their disposal. A win over an Apollo team that is 9-8 overall and 6-3 in the Central Lakes Conference was a step toward proving that to themselves.

“It was nice to see the kids rewarded for their efforts and resiliency,” Witt said. “We have been in many close games, but we’ve been unable to make the critical defensive stop or execute offensively. So to see the kids do that during crunch time was a real positive step for our kids. Being mentally tough leads to execution, and we had that for most of the game, including the last five minutes.”

GAME STATISTICS

ALEXANDRIA 30 30 – 60

APOLLO 25 31 – 56

ALEXANDRIA – Brandon Bistodeau – 4 points, 3 assists, 1 block, 3 rebounds, 2 steals; Vogeler – 15 points, 5 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal; Joe Gorghuber – 2 points, 1 rebound; Travis Krueger – 8 points, 3 rebounds; David Krivanek – 5 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal; Doyle – 20 points, 16 rebounds, 11 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal; Chase Kohler – 6 points, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 4 rebounds, 1 steal

APOLLO – Isaac Rakke – 4; Noel Teigen – 4; Grant Trokey – 5; Ethan Carlson – 2; Luke Stangler – 4; Brett Maslonkowski – 26; Ethan Novacinski – 4; Trevor Tesch – 2; Jack Atkinson – 2; Jeremy Koffi – 3

Tags: alexandria sports, sports, cardinals, boys, basketball