Osakis boys' basketball: Lakers beat Osakis at Target Center

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The Osakis boys ended their week with a couple of losses to Swanville and Minnewaska but also had a day they won’t forget anytime soon after catching a Timberwolves game and playing Minnewaska at the Target Center.

The Lakers and Osakis tipped off in Minneapolis around 1 p.m. Saturday and the Silverstreaks stuck with them through much of the first half. Osakis trailed by just seven at the break but things started to slip away right before the end of the half.

That carried over into the second half as the Lakers started to run away with a 69-43 win. Kilar Zimmel finished with a team-high 18 points for Osakis, but three Minnewaska players were in double figures, led by Austin Ostrander’s 15.

“The bigger court started to affect us on our jump shots,” Osakis head coach Matt Hoelscher said. “We had good looks, but they ended up short. Our Achilles heel this year has been being able to keep the game close when we’re tired. We hit a stretch of lengthy minutes where we take poor shots, turn it over, give up easy baskets and get beat on penetration. We didn’t have the fire power that Minnewaska did. They adjusted well to our zone and made shots when they needed to.”

The teams stayed for the Timberwolves 115-86 win over New Orleans that night. That, coupled with the opportunity to play at a professional venue, made it a worthwhile trip for both programs.

“All the kids got a chance to play on the court and they were in high spirits even after the loss,” Hoelscher said. “They got to see a good T-Wolves game afterwards. A few of the guys got pictures, got to be on the big screen and move closer to the action. They will never forget that day, and that’s what it’s all about.”

GAME STATISTICS

MINNEWASKA 34 35 – 69

OSAKIS 27 16 – 43

OSAKIS HIGH SCORER (complete stats not available) – K. Zimmel – 18 points;

MINNEWASKA – Derek Burd – 5 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal; Austin Lieser – 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal; Jake Amundson – 14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal; Austin Giese – 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals; Tyler Nielsen – 2 points; Ostrander – 15 points, 7 rebounds; Andrew Kinney – 2 points, 1 rebound; Kenny Diaz – 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist; Jayden Beecher – 2 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists; Isaiah Adams – 2 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists; Alex Elwood – 1 rebound; Will Formo – 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist

OSAKIS 18 16 – 34

SWANVILLE 24 29 – 53

OSAKIS TOTALS – FG – 14-46; Three-point FG – 3-22; FT – 3-4; Assists – 8; Blocks – 1; Rebounds – 20; Steals – 16; Turnovers – 17

OSAKIS – Lane Berberich – 6 points, 1 assist, 2 steals; K. Zimmel – 10 points, 1 assist, 9 rebounds, 5 steals; Hunter Scherr – 4 assists, 1 steal; Fearing – 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals; Joey Kotek – 1 rebound; John Piekarski – 2 points, 2 rebounds; D. Zimmel – 9 points, 2 assists, 1 block, 5 rebounds, 5 steals

Tags: osakis sports, minnewaska sports, sports, silverstreaks, lakers, basketball