ALEXANDRIA -- Willmar dominated the offensive and defense boards in pounding rival Alexandria, 71-38, in the Central Lakes Conference boys basketball opener for both teams Tuesday.
Willmar (1-0, 2-0) pulled down 30 rebounds, compared to a reported 12 for Alexandria.
It took a little time for Willmar to get going.
Just like last Friday's opener, Willmar allowed its opponent to hold the lead much of the first 14 minutes, then exploded to take a 28-23 lead by half.
"It was a close first half, then we had a great effort in the second half, holding Alexandria to 15 points," said Willmar coach Steve Grove.
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To start the second half, Willmar burst out on a 17-2 run, helped along by a lot of second-chance points, to take over the game.
Willmar's balance was devastating. Junior center Casey Sussenguth, off the bench, led all scorers with 14 points. Kyle Townswick and Matt Seehusen each followed with 10 points and Cory Hanson drilled a trio of treys for all nine of his points. Ryan Hagemeyer grabbed seven rebounds.
Eric Hartmann led Alexandria with eight points, but only two in the second half when the home team mustered only 15 points.
Willmar 71, Alexandria 38
Willmar (1-0, 2-0).....................28 43 -- 71
Alexandria (0-1, 1-1)................23 15 -- 38
WILLMAR - 28 FG (8 3 pt); 7-10 FT; 30 rebounds; 9 fouls ... Scoring: Casey Sussenguth 14, Ryan Hagemeyer 4, Cory Hanson 9, Matt Seehusen 9, Kyle Townswick 10, Tom Boike 5, Adam Lindblad 3, Isaiah Streed 1, Mike Dunham 7, Jordan Smith 2, Ryan DeGree 4 ... 3-point shots: Hanson 3, Seehusen 1, Townswick 2, Lindblad 1, Dunham 1 ... Rebound leader: Hagemeyer 7 ... Assist leader: Townswick 3, Jarod Hennen 3 ... Steal leader: none
ALEXANDRIA - 16-52 FG (3 3 pt); 4-8 FT; 12 rebounds; 9 fouls ... Scoring: Eric Hartmann 8, Robert Aakre 3, Derek Ludwig 5, Abe Hartsell 4, Charlie Warnes 7, Steve Conley 4, Tanner Tetrick 3, Tyler Erickson 4, Garret Hoeper 2, Walker Giroux 1 ... 3-point shots: Ludwig 1, Aakre 1, Warnes 1 ... Rebound leader: not available ... Assist leader: not available ... Steal leader: not available
