Boys basketball roundup: Sauk Centre hands Melrose 1st conference loss

SAUK CENTRE - Cole Neubert sank two free throws with four seconds left in the second half, as Sauk Centre spotted Melrose its first West Central Conference loss on the season 50-48.
Neubert would power the Mainstreeters with 15 points and six rebounds, while Matthew Moritz scored 14 points, and Tanner Schmiessing added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Melrose was down by four points heading into halftime and could not muster enough offense in the second half to get the road win.
Cesar Cervantes scored 16 points and Drake Meyer added 10 points in the loss.
Both teams will be on the road Thursday for their next opponents as Sauk Centre plays Osakis at 7:30 p.m., and Melrose challenges Morris/Chokio-Alberta at 7:30 p.m.
Sauk Centre 50, Melrose 48
Melrose (11-1, 20-3) 24 24 - 48
Sauk Centre (13-2, 17-4) 28 22 - 50
Melrose
18-45 FG; 8-11 FT; 14 fouls … Scoring: Brian Thielan 2, Cesar Cervantes 16, Issac Herkenhoff 4, Dillon Hader 2, Tyler Bragelmann 5, Drake Meyer 10, Anthony Welle 3, Zak Luetmer 2, Blake Gerads 4 … 3-point shots: Meyer 3, Welle 1 … Rebound leader: Meyer 4 … Assist leader: n/a … Steal leader: Herkenhoff 2
Sauk Centre
16-47 FG; 14-17 FT; 14 fouls … Scoring: Matthew Moritz 14, Shariff Silas 8, Carter Kranz 2, Cole Neubert 15, Tanner Schmiesing 11 … 3-point shots: Moritz 3, Silas 1 … Rebound leader: Schmiesing 7, Neubert 6 … Assist leader: Friedrichs 3 … Steal leader: Silas 4
Montevideo 72, MCA 69
The Thunder Hawks played well in every phase except free throw shooting and a Tigers 3-point attempt missed the mark in a West Central Conference game on Tuesday in Montevideo.
Troy Diggins led the T-Hawks with 17 points and Jimmy Haff had 15 points and five rebounds.
Eric Staebler put up a double-double with 36 points and 10 rebounds. Noah Grove had 11 points and six assists.
MCA hosts Melrose Thursday and the T-Hawks travel to play Minnewaska on Friday.
MCA (5-8, 12-9) 33 36 - 69
Montevideo (8-5, 12-9) 32 40 - 72
Morris/Chokio-Alberta
27-51 FG; 13-19 FT; 24 fouls … Scoring: Noah Grove 11, Sean Amundson 5, Riley Biesterfeld 2, Jordan Arbach 2, Jacob Zosel 4, C.J. Nagel 2, Andrew Goulet 7, Eric Staebler 36 … 3-point shots: Grove 1, Staebler 1 … Rebound leader: Staebler 10 … Assist leader: Grove 6, Zosel 5 … Steal leader: Goulet 3
Montevideo
27-46 FG; 16-28 FT; 17 fouls … Scoring: Adam Kilibarda 2, Preston Herfurth 9, Jimmy Haff 15, Isaac Douglas 11, Bryce Maurice 2, Riley Emery 11, Troy Diggins 17, Travis Dreyer 2, Spencer Hildahl 3 … 3-point shots: Douglas 1, Diggins 1 … Rebound leaders: Haff 5, Hildahl 5, Diggins 4 … Assist leader: Herfurth 3 … Steal leader: Haff 2, Maurice 2
Camden
MACCRAY 69, KMS 50
Carter Asche continued his dominant play by scoring 28 points and grabbing 16 rebounds as MACCRAY won a Camden Conference game over Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg on Tuesday.
Jackson Grussing chipped in 15 points of his own to contribute to the Wolverines victory.
The Fighting Saints were ice-cold from the floor shooting just 27 percent.
KMS was led by Preston Mahlum who managed 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Tanner Rohner scored 14 points in the loss.
Both teams play Thursday as MACCRAY takes on Renville County West in an away game at 7:30 p.m., and the Fighting Saints host Central Minnesota Christian School in Murdock at 7:30 p.m.
MACCRAY (6-7, 13-10) 32 37 - 69
KMS (0-14, 1-22) 22 28 - 50
MACCRAY
29-62 FG; 6-8 FT; 13 fouls … Scoring: Carter Asche 28, Jackson Grussing 15, Tyler Moffenbier 8, Tyler Plowman 8, Brady Madsen 6, Connor Cronen 2, Russell Flores 2 … 3-point shots: Asche 5 … Rebound leader: Asche 16 … Assist leader: Madsen 6 … Steal leader: Asche 2
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg
17-62 FG; 11-13 FT; 7 fouls … Scoring: Preston Mahlum 18, Tanner Rohner 14, Brandon Rasmusson 7, Vincent Tillman 6, Josh Peterson 3, Taylor Feldman 2 … 3-point shots: Rohner 4, Rasmusson 1 … Rebound leader: Mahlum 8 … Assist leader: Peterson 5 … Steal leader: Rasmusson 2
Non-Conference
WCA 72, Hancock 48
West Central Area’s Jay Zimmerman put up 32 points as the 16-5 Knights overwhelmed Hancock on Tuesday.
Noah Kannegiesser collected 23 points for the Owls, who fell to 8-13, and Chandler Gramm scored six points and grabbed six rebounds.
Hancock next plays Friday at Underwood.
WCA (16-5) 29 43 - 72
Hancock (8-13) 24 24 - 48
West Central Area
28-66 FG; 10-18 FT; 15 fouls … Scoring: Jay Zimmerman 32, Devin Nelson 9, Ben Anderson 8, Hunter Pfingsten 8, Jordan Beuckens 4, Caden Fernholz 4, Ross Anderson 2, Aaron Wiese 2, Nathan Wrolson 3 … 3-point shots: Pfingsten 2, Zimmerman 1, Wrolson 1, Nelson 1, B. Anderson 1 … Rebound leader: n/a … Assist leader: n/a … Steal leader: n/a
Hancock
19-52 FG; 7-14 FT; 13 fouls … Scoring: Noah Kannegiesser 23, Chandler Gramm 6, Bryce Schmidgall 6, Tyler Reese 5, Andrew Shaw 5, Collin Brown 3 … 3-point shots: Kannegiesser 1, A. Shaw, Brown 1 … Rebound leader: Gramm 6 … Assist leader: Kannegiesser 2, Brown 2, Brandon Shaw 2 … Steal leader: 5 with 1
Minnewaska 52, Litchfield 46
Minnewaska took a big halftime lead and held on in the second half to defeat Litchfield in a non-conference game on Tuesday in Litchfield.
Austin VerSteeg led the Lakers with 22 points and seven rebounds, and Riley Thompson had 16 points and seven boards.
Cody Rau hit five 3-point shots and finished with 15 points.
The Dragons play at Dassel-Cokato on Friday.
Minnewaska also plays Friday, hosting Montevideo.
Minnewaska (13-10) 30 22 - 52
Litchfield (9-13) 16 30 - 46
Minnewaska
20-37 FG; 7-14 FT; 9 fouls … Scoring: Michael Gruber 6, Riley Thompson 16, Matt McIver 4, Greg Helander 4, Austin VerSteeg 22 … 3-point shots: Gruber 2, VerSteeg 2, Thompson 1 … Rebound leader: Thompson 7, VerSteeg 7 … Assist leader: Gruber 4, VerSteeg 4 … Steal leader: VerSteeg 4
Litchfield
17-61 6-32 FG; 6-7 FT; 15 fouls … Scoring: Cody Rau 15, Noah Kreger 5, Dylan Kotzer 8, Cody Beaver 5, Brandon Nelson 4, Ross Wendlandt 3, Nic Meyer 4 … 3-point shots: Rau 5, Beavers 1 … Rebound leader: Beavers 9, Kotzer 8 … Assist leader: Wendlandt 3 … Steal leader: Rau 4
Central Minn.
EVW 77, BBE 64
Tanner Heinsius scored 27 points and Austin Trustheim notched a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) in the losing effort against the 18-2 Eagles on Tuesday.
Jacob Tensen added 12 points and Brendon Loch 11 for the Jaguars, who fell to 3-9 in the conference and 5-18 overall.
BBE next plays Thursday at home against Paynesville.
BBE (3-9, 5-18) 35 29 - 64
EVW (10-2, 19-2) 36 41 - 77
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa
23-54 FG; 8-14 FT; 12 fouls … Scoring: Tanner Heinsius 27, Jacob Tensen 12, Ryan Olmscheid 2, Austin Trustheim 12, Brendon Loch 11 … 3-point shots: Heinsius 4, Tensen 3 … Rebound leader: Trustheim 10 … Assist leader: Heinsius 6 … Steal leader: none
Eden Valley-Watkins
31 FG; 11 FT; n/a fouls … Scoring: n/a … 3-point shots: n/a … Rebound leader: n/a … Assist leader: n/a … Steal leader: n/a
Wright County
Hutchinson 62, NLS 59
The Wildcats had two chances in the final minute to tie, including a shot at the buzzer by Shane Zylstra, but both came up short in NLS’ loss to Hutchinson on Tuesday.
Zylstra finished with 17 points, with Devin Fostervold netting 14 and Ethan Bohlsen 11.
Bohlsen also pulled down 13 rebounds for the double-double.
Fostervold added six rebounds and Zylstra six assists.
NLS (2-5, 8-14) next plays Friday at Mound Westonka in a boy-girl doubleheader.
Hutchinson (2-5, 10-12) 30 32 - 62
NLS (2-5, 8-14) 30 29 - 59
Hutchinson
22-52 FG; 9-12 FT; 14 fouls … Scoring: Marcus Hahn 19, Mason Kucera 15, Riley Steenhoek 13, Sam Pasco 13, Adam Elliott 2 … 3-point shots: Pasco 3, Steenhoek 2, Kucera 2, Hahn 1 … Rebound leader: Hahn 13, Pasco 6 … Assist leader: Steenhoek 7, Pasco 4 … Steal leader: Hahn 2
New London-Spicer
22-49 FG; 11-19 FT; 15 fouls … Scoring: Shane Zylstra 17, Devin Fostervold 14, Ethan Bohlsen 11, Jacob Klavetter 7, Derrick Laudenbach 6, James Magnuson 4 … 3-point shots: Zylstra 2, Klavetter 2 … Rebound leader: Bohlsen 13, Fostervold 6, Laudenbach 5 … Assist leader: Zylstra 6, Klavetter 3 … Steal leader: Bohlsen 2, Fostervold 2