The Southwest Minnesota Christian Eagles entered Thursday’s matchup against Hills-Beaver Creek with a 10-1 record.
They’re one of the best teams in the area, and for the second time this season, the Patriots played a tough game against the Eagles but were unable to come out on top.
In the first meeting, the Eagles topped the Patriots 80-72. In the rematch, the Eagles defeated the Patriots 74-62 in Edgerton on Thursday, Feb. 25.
The Eagles outscored the Patriots in the first half 44-32. That double-digit halftime lead proved to be too much to overcome for the Patriots.
The two Red Rock Conference rivals played an even second half with the two teams both scoring 30 points.
Cole Baker scored a team-leading 20 points for the Patriots. Baker also grabbed five rebounds.
Zander Wysong recorded a double-double for the Patriots. The senior post player scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Wysong also dished out five assists.
Drew Leenderts chipped in with eight points.
With the loss, the Patriots dropped to 4-7 overall. They’ll be back in action on Tuesday, March 2, when they hit the road to take on Mountain Lake Area-Comfrey.
The Patriots will then play back-to-back home games when they host Adrian-Ellsworth on Thursday, March 4, and then Red Rock Central on Saturday, March 6.
H-BC 32 30 62
SWMC 44 30 74
Points: Baker 20; Wysong 15; Leenderts 8; Bundesen 6; Raymon 6; Harris 5
Rebounds: Wysong 12; Baker 5
Assists: Wysong 5
Steals: Bundesen 5; Harris 4
Patriot boys drop hard-fought contest against Eagles
By
Brennen Rupp