WILLMAR -- Larry Player scored 12 points, Shawn Thissen 11 and Wesley Kitt 10 as Ridgewater College beat the St. Scholastic junior varsity 83-61 on Monday for their first winning streak of the season.
Geoff Nelson, Dante Bogard and Marcus Smith each added eight points. Center Jake Meyers had seven points against his former school. Fourteen players scored for the Warriors.
Warriors' first-year head coach Shawn Kopischke set up the game after a cancellation left his team a game short of a full schedule. Kopischke was an assistant coach at the Duluth college before taking the Willmar job this spring.
Ridgewater's transition game gave the Warriors a big advantage. Steals by Kitt, Bogard, Thissen, Smith and Tony Kley were turned into quick baskets. Ridgewater shot a healthy 48 percent (31 of 64) from the field, including 33 percent (7 of 21) from three-point range.
Player, a slim, 6-foot-3 forward, also had 10 rebounds. The Warriors dominated the boards with a 48-32 advantage.
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Scott Olson led St. Scholastica with 14 points.
Ridgewater beat Itasca 92-78 Saturday.
"We're finally playing as a team," said Kopischke.
Ridgewater College 83, St. Scholastica JV 61
St. Scholastica JV 22 39 -- 61
Ridgewater (4-6) 43 40 -- 83
ST. SCHOLASTICA JV - 26-64 FG (5-17 pt); 4-9 FT; 32 rebounds; 21 fouls ... Scoring: Jordan Horejsi 1-4 0-0 2, Owen Johnson 1-1 0-0 3, Scott Olson 6-15 0-0 14, Tom Hazuka 3-6 2-2 8, Brandon Bounds 2-6 0-0 4, Joe Prettner 4-9 1-4 9, Jesse Taylor 5-8 1-3 12, Max Haben 1-2 0-0 3, Kyle Allen 3-8 0-0 6 ... 3-point shots: Olson 2, Johnson 1, Haben 1 ... Rebound leader: Aaron Wickboldt 8, Bounds 7 ... Assist leader: Haben ... Steal leader: Olson 4
RIDGEWATER - 31-64 FG (7-21 3 pt); 14-24 FT; 48 rebounds; 16 fouls ... Scoring: Travis Epema 1-3 3-4 4, Shawn Thissen 4-8 1-1 11, Geoff Nelson 3-4 0-0 8, Johnny Russell 0-0 1-2 1, Dante Bogard 3-7 1-2 8, Marcus Smith 4-11 0-0 8, Tony Kley 1-5 1-2 3, Wesley Kitt 4-5 2-4 10, Dan VanderHoof 1-2 0-0 2, Larry Player 4-7 4-5 12, Jake Meyers 3-5 0-0 7, Isaac Brehmer 1-2 0-0 2, Nate Kopischke 2-4 0-0 5 ... 3-point shots: Thissen 2-3, Nelson 2-3, Bogard 1-3, Meyers 1-2, Kopischke 1-2 ... Rebound leader: Player 10, Epema 4, Bogard 4, Meyers 4, Kopischke 4... Assist leader: Thissen 4, Bogard 4, Kitt 3 ... Steal leader: Thissen 2, Smith 3, Kley 2, Kitt 3 ... Blocked Shots: Player 2
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NEXT -- Ridgewater: Friday vs. Rainy River at Brainerd, 4 p.m.
