Sports from the week of December 29, 1999Headlight Herald - Serving Tracy, Minnesota, since 1880
Free-throw chill; OT spill
• T-M kills chances with poor free throw shooting, turnovers
Fans got their money's worth Tuesday night, as Wabasso nipped Tracy-Milroy 73-71 in an overtime nail-biter. The game opened the Holiday Hoops boys' basketball tournament at Tyler.
Matt Schumacher, 6-5 senior post for Wabasso, scored the winning points on a drive from the left wing with three seconds to play. The Panthers took a timeout with 1.6 seconds on the clock but were unable to convert. After a three-quarter court pass from Nate Clark to Jeremy Goltz was rule out-of-bounds on Wabasso, Tracy-Milroy got a chance at another in-bounds play with still 1.6 seconds on the clock. Goltz grabbed Clark's pass to the right of the free-throw line about 15-feet away from the basket. He whirled and got off an off-balance shot that hit the rim on the left side and bounced away as the buzzer sounded.
Wabasso advances to the championship game against Red Rock slated to start at about 8 p.m. Wednesday (Dec. 29) in the Tyler gym. The Panthers face Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in a 6 p.m. consolation game, also at the Tyler gym Wednesday.
• • •
Poor free throw shooting and several costly turnovers put the Panthers in a position to lose.
The boys in red, white and blue were able to find net on only 15 of 32 shots from the free throw line (47%). Eight of the Panthers' charity stripe misses came in the fourth-quarter, when Wabasso pulled from behind to tie the game. In the overtime, Tracy-Milroy hit on only one of four free-throws. Meanwhile, the Rabbits converted on 31 of 44 chances at the free-throw line, a 70% clip.
Until the closing moments of the game, the Panthers seemed to have the game well in hand. After a see-saw first half, the Panthers led almost the entire second half. With the pressuring Tracy-Milroy defense successfully keeping Wabasso out-of-synch on the offense, the Panthers opened an eight-point lead late in the third period.
With a minute and a half to play, the Panthers had the ball, and five-point lead. One of the Rabbits' top players 6-4 post Jacob Jenniges, had fouled out. Moreover, Tracy-Milroy rotating nine players the entire game, compared with Wabasso's six, appeared to have the edge in bench strength.
The Panthers apparent advantages evaporated rapidly as the clock ticked down.
With 45 seconds to play, the Panthers' leading scorer Derek Rignell was whistled for his fifth foul while diving for a loose ball. Wabasso's Zac Plotz came away empty handed from the free throw line, and Goltz came down with the rebound and was fouled. But the normally sharp-shooting Goltz also missed at the free throw line. Wabasso took the rebound and Matt Meir sank a three pointer to make it a 66-65 game.
In the four-minute overtime, T-M scored the first points on a jumper by Goltz. But the Panthers could manage only a single additional point on a free-throw from Pat Coquyt.
T-M was their own worst enemy in the overtime, committing several costly turnovers. For the game, the Panthers lost the ball 18 times.
Rignell led the Panthers with 27 points, on five field goals, four three-pointers and five free-throws. Goltz was the only other Panther in double figures with 10. Also scoring for T-M were: Coquyt, 9; Loeslie, 8; Nate Clark, 6; Ben Lightfoot, 5; Chris Gervais, 4; Jeremy Cauwels, 2.
The Panthers played without 6-5 junior Tony Lanoue, who is sidelined with an ankle injury.
Panther wrestlers finish high at Willmar tourney
Panther wrestlers placed sixth out of eight teams in the Willmar Tournament held last Friday. The Panthers came away with four seconds, two thirds, one fifth and two sixth place finishes. Both Aldon Struchen and Aaron Goettig had to default in the finals due to injuries.
The team scores were: BDRSH, 187.5; Willmar, 162; Sauk Center, 161.5; Eden Valley-Watkins, 142.5; Benson, 127; Tracy-Milroy, 119.5; Robbinsdale Cooper, 105; Yellow Medicine East, 61.5.
"Some of the kids wrestled really well," said Panther Coach Joe Kemp. "We have improved a great deal so far this season. Our recent win over RRC/W-WG, a state ranked team in the class above us, was very big."
Flu, injuries deplete wrestlers
The flu and injury riddled Panther wrestling team lost to Dawson-Boyd Tuesday night at Dawson by a score of 54-21.
"We had six regulars out with either flu or an injury tonight," said Panther Coach Joe Kemp.
The loss dropped the Panther record in dual meet this year to 4-4.
Red Rock stops Panthers
Tracy-Milroy was the runner-up team in the girls' holiday basketball tournament held in Jeffers Friday and Saturday.
After nipping Worthington Friday, the Panthers fell to Red Rock Central Saturday.
Panthers 55, Worthington 53
Tracy-Milroy got off to a 20-14 lead in the first period and then out-scored the Trojans 17-8 in the second to take a 37-22 lead at intermission.
Worthington used a 19-9 scoring advantage in the third quarter to get back in the game and pull within 5 points at 46-41 at the start of the fourth quarter. The Trojans closed to within two points and got off a three-point shot as the game ended that could have won for them.
Marcia Ankrum led the Panthers in scoring with 15 points, Jenny Otto had 13 and Stephanie Welvaert 10.