WILLMAR -- Eric Hartmann's drive down the lane and basket with three seconds left was the difference as Alexandria held off a Willmar charge 73-71 on Tuesday in the boys basketball opener for both.
It was a dramatic finish to a game in which Willmar trailed by as much as 17 points in the first half.
Kyle Townswick, the lone returning starter for Willmar, tied the game in explosive fashion with 52 seconds left. The 5-foot-7 junior sank a 20-footer from the left side of the three-point line. He drew a foul and made the free throw -- a four-point play.
Townswick finished with 28 points.
Alexandria worked the clock down until Hartmann made his move from the top of the key. The 6-2 junior guard twisted up the lane and made a difficult lay-up for his 25th and 26th points of the night.
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Townswick got off a running shot from the side of the key as the horn sounded but it fell short.
"I'm happy with the effort," said coach Steve Grove. "We didn't know a lot about Alexandria. We'll do some things different next time.
"We didn't play our best game, but we did get in a position to win at the end."
Willmar showed its inexperience in the opening half. No one seemed to want to shoot and the visitors led 29-14 and then 40-25 before Willmar finally worked out the jitters.
A key for Willmar was the play of junior Matt Seehusen coming off the bench. The 6-2 guard cut inside for 11 first-half points and would finish with 18 in his varsity debut. His fearless head-first dive in the last two minutes almost saved a possession for Willmar.
Three pointers by Townswick, Seehusen and center Matt Roisum stoked Willmar's second-half rally. The Cardinals briefly pulled in front 55-54 with six minutes to play.
But Hartmann, Derek Ludwig and Mike Hendricks hit long jump shots to push Alexandria back into the lead.
Willmar appeared buried at 68-63 with three minutes left. But Ryan Hagemeyer (10 points) and Cory Hanson (10 points) each made clutch baskets to bring Willmar back to 71-67 with 1:34 left.
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Townswick, who was 4 of 6 from the three-point line and 8 of 9 at the free-throw line, made his four-point play to the crowd's delight to tie it up with less than a minute left.
Alexandria 73, Willmar 71
Alexandria (1-0, 1-0)...............41 32 -- 73
Willmar (0-1, 0-1)....................34 37 -- 71
ALEXANDRIA - 25-42 FG (4-11 3 pt); 11-17 FT; 14 rebounds; 22 fouls ... Scoring: Ezra Hartsell 4, Dave Vinje 2, Mike Hendricks 11, Chris Conley 9, Justin Larson 12, Derek Ludwig 6, Eric Hartmann 26, Dave Lovrien 3 ... 3-point shots: Hendricks 1, Hartmann 3 ... Rebound leader: not available
WILLMAR - 19-35 FG (6-13 3 pt); 15-21 FT; 29 rebounds; 21 fouls ... Scoring: Kyle Townswick 28, Matt Seehusen 18, Cory Hanson 10, Matt Roisum 3, Ryan Hagemeyer 10, Luke Buer 2 ... 3-point shots: Townswick 4, Seehusen 1, Roisum 1 ... Rebound leader: Seehusen 10, Hanson 4, Roisum 5, Ross Van Hauen 3, Ryan Hagemeyer 4 ... Assist leader: Hanson 3, Tyler Horning 3, Roisum 4, Townswick 3 ... Steal leader: Roisum 2
