Boys' basketball: Regular season ends with split for Osakis

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Osakis finished its regular season last week with a split and gave the Silverstreaks a 7-18 record heading into last night’s opening playoff game at Melrose.

Both contests were tight as the Streaks edged Eagle Valley 65-61, then fell by one 63-62 to West Central Area in Prairie Conference boys’ action.

“The game was hardfought,” said head coach Chris Stroup of Thursday’s Eagle Valley contest. “It was a great atmosphere. Both teams played hard and gave everything they had.”

Joe Roggenbuck was a powerhouse on offense for the Silverstreaks as he poured in 28 points. He also had 14 rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and one steal to help lead his team back from a 28-27 halftime deficit.

Mitch Herzog added 15 points, four assists, four rebounds and three steals, while Doug Zimmel had 13 points, seven assists, a rebound and a steal.

“It was a good second victory of the year over a talented Eagle Valley team,” Stroup added. “We got good contributions from Joe Roggenbuck, Mitch Herzog and Douglas Zimmel on offense. Joe started the second half scoring 10 straight points. Down the stretch, Kyle Swenstad took two big charges that solidified the win.”

It was an even closer game against West Central Area on Friday night, as the teams had just a one-point difference throughout most of the game.

West Central Area held a 28-20 lead in the first half, but the Silverstreaks went on a 7-0 run to bring their deficit down to just one at the half.

Osakis then came out firing in the second half and took a 43-32 lead, but a tough press by the Knights caused several turnovers and allowed West Central Area to climb back into the game.

“Back-to-back games are hard enough, but back-to-back conference games are twice as bad, especially with our short bench,” said Stroup. “It was a tough loss, one that got away from us.

“Give credit to Kraig Hunter and his players. Kraig had a definite game plan, and his players went out and played hard.

“I pat my guys on the back, though,” he added. “They had everything thrown at them and they made adjustments and kept playing hard. Unfortunately, down the stretch, things got out of control.”

Osakis played at Melrose last night, Thursday, in the opening round of the Section 6AA-North playoffs.

If they won the game, they will play the winner of the Staples-Motley and Pierz contest tomorrow, March 10 at St. John’s University.

The North championship is set for Tuesday, March 13 at St. John’s University at 7:45 p.m.

GAME STATISTICS

OSAKIS 27 38 — 65

EAGLE VALLEY 28 33 — 61

OSAKIS – Kyle Swenstad 5, Jordan Mack 4, Joe Roggenbuck 28, Mitch Herzog 15, Doug Zimmel 13. Field goals 22-45, 3-pt 7-13 (Roggenbuck 2, Herzog 1, Zimmel 4), Free throws 14-19, Assists 19 (Zimmel 7, Mack 4, Herzog 4, Roggenbuck 3, Swenstad 1), Blocked shots 3 (Roggenbuck 3), Rebounds 25 (Roggenbuck 14, Swenstad 5, Herzog 4, Mickle 1, Zimmel 1), Steals 10 (Swenstad 3, Herzog 3, Mack 2, Roggenbuck 1, Zimmel 1).

OSAKIS 27 35 — 62

WEST CENTRAL AREA 28 35 — 63

OSAKIS – Dean Mickle 2, Kyle Swenstad 12, Jordan Mack 14, Joe Roggenbuck 16, Mitch Herzog 5, Doug Zimmel 13. Field goals 21-47, 3-pt 9-20 (Mack 4, Roggenbuck 1, Herzog 1, Zimmel 3), Free throws 11-14, Assist 14 (Mack 2, Roggenbuck 2, Herzog 3, Zimmel 7), Blocked shots 4 (Swenstad 4), Rebounds 28 (Mickle 1, Swenstad 6, Mack 1, Roggenbuck 12, Herzog 2, Zimmel 4), Steals 5 (Swenstad 3, Roggenbuck 2).

Tags: osakis sports, sports, silverstreaks, boys, basketball