The Dragon boys basketball team hosted Aitkin on Friday night.
Pine City coming fresh off an opening night win over Ogilvie, would return home to host the newest member of the Great River Conference, the Aitkin Gobblers.
It has been awhile since these two teams have played, so the first few minutes of the game were more a less a feeling out process. The Dragons got the first shot to fall, but then the Gobblers quickly took over the lead. Aitkin was able to hold onto the lead throughout much of the low scoring 1st half. Late in the half, the Dragons starting to get things rolling once again, they had retaken the lead a couple times but couldn't quite secure it. Aitkin was putting up a good effort not to give up their advantage they held. But just before half Pine City took the lead 26-25 at the break.
After taking the lead just before half, they would never surrender it the rest of the contest. The Dragons certainly had some good things going for them at half. As the 2nd half began they were able to build on those things on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they were able to find plenty open shots and get them to fall. A big reason for this was the passing, not just that itself, but they moved the ball swiftly and kept the ball out of harms way. Defensively, they kept the pressure on Aitkin, and though their physical play style did translate into fouls, it was something the team was ok with. Talking with Pine City Head Coach Kyle Allen post game, he had mentioned good and bad fouls. While a lot of their fouls were good fouls, hustling, battling for the ball, and tight defense, he did mention some of their bad fouls were due to being out of place or even a little frustration. Still they were leading and late in the half built their lead to double digits. And near the end of the game they were able to get some of the JV players some minutes.
Pine City came out on top 74-58.
The Dragons move to 2-0 on the season as well as in the conference. They host their rivals Mora on Tuesday in what is now, not only a rivalry game but a conference game as well.
Scoring
Pine City:
AJ Ostensen 33
Sawyer McDaniel and Charlie Ausmus 11
Austin Wiener 8
Grant Larson 4
Eli Fromm, Kevin McKellar and Daniel Milliman 2
Bryer Willert 1
Comments