The Benilde-St. Margaret's boys' basketball team staged two come-from-behind runs and turned the momentum its way near the end, but the effort wasn't quite enough to overcome a poor first half and the Red Knights lost 62-57 to Onalaska (Wis.) on Saturday in the Timberwolves Shootout at Target Center.
"They did a great job defending us and they made us take off-balance shots," Red Knights coach John Moore said. "This one was all about tempo, and unfortunately, they dictated it for most of the night."
Isaiah Zierden hit a layup at the halftime buzzer that put the Red Knights on top 24-22 for the first time since they went up 2-1.
When the Hilltoppers again stretched the lead in the second half, the Red Knights again fought back, closing the gap to a point with a little more than two minutes to go. During the second half, the Hilltoppers missed eight free throws (12 overall), and it looked like that might cost them after Clint Rihn missed one that would have secured the victory with 30 seconds remaining.
"I thought for sure that would come back to haunt us," Onalaska coach Craig Kowal said of the misses. "But we hung in there and made enough plays to win."
Rihn led the team with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Roseville 68, Viborg/Hurley 66: Roseville's star player, Lucas Brown, was shut down in shocking manner, and the Raiders found themselves in an 11-point hole at halftime.
But in the second half, the Raiders chipped away until a buzzer-beating basket pulled out a 68-66 victory over the Viborg/Hurley Cougars of South Dakota.
"Things couldn't get much worse than they were in the first half," Raiders coach Ted Critchley said. "But at halftime, there was a lot of yelling. Shock therapy. And we got our point across."
Sophomore Mackensie Johnson hit four three-pointers and finished with 16 points.
Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Washington 59, Chaska 55: Chaska looked like it had some magic up its sleeve, coming back from a 15-point halftime deficit to within a point late in the second half, but couldn't quite complete the turnaround against Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Washington.
"When you dig yourself in a hole like that it's tough," Chaska coach Dana Kallman said. "I was satisfied with the effort in the second half, but one half isn't enough."
Linn-Mar (Iowa) 81, Apple Valley 35: Linn-Mar routed a short-handed Apple Valley squad in the final game of the Timberwolves Shootout.