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Selfless Mahtomedi follows coach's direction to find success against Minnehaha Academy

By Ryan Williamson, SportsEngine, 01/14/23, 11:00AM CST

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The Zephyrs shared the ball, and behind Owen Carlson's game-high 24 points, and withstood a Redhawks' rally to win.

Owen Carlson (13) helps Mahtomedi reclaim a 10-point lead in the closing minutes of the game. Carlson led all scoring with 24 points in a 77-63 win over Minnehaha Academy. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine

Owen Carlson (13) helps Mahtomedi reclaim a 10-point lead in the closing minutes of the game. Carlson led all scoring with 24 points in a 77-63 win over Minnehaha Academy. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine

This year’s Mahtomedi squad is a veteran one filled with seniors who have played together since the early days of youth basketball.

Though his players may be familiar with working as a group, Zephyrs coach Keith Newman noticed his team struggling to share the ball in recent games and pointed it out to his squad.

Message received. 

Mahtomedi's Cole Armitage (3) pulls down a rebound through the arms of Jerome Williams (2) in the first half.  Armitage scored 14 points for the Zephyrs on Saturday night. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine

Mahtomedi's Cole Armitage (3) pulls down a rebound beyond the reach of Jerome Williams (2) in the first half. Armitage scored 14 points for the Zephyrs on Saturday night. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine

First Report

After nearly losing a 17-point lead in the second half of Saturday’s game, Mahtomedi regrouped and defeated Minnehaha Academy 77-63.

The Zephyrs (7-2, 3-0) built a lead midway through the first half thanks in part to a 10-0 run to give Mahtomedi, No. 5 in Class 3A rankings released by Minnesota Basketball News on Jan. 13, some breathing room against the No. 5-2A Redhawks. James Ecker led the charge in the opening half as he poured in 11 points, including three three-pointers.

Mahtomedi’s lead grew early in the second half before Minnehaha Academy (7-4, 2-0) went on a 10-0 run to eventually trim the deficit to three points. Junior guard Jerome Williams got things going from long range while senior post Rolyns Aligbe handled things inside the paint. Each finished the game with a team-high 20 points.

Once the Zephyrs absorbed the Redhawks' hard punch, Mahtomedi stormed back and extended its lead to double digits. Zephyr guard Owen Carlson led his team with 24 points on the night. He helped cement the victory with a pair of dunks late in the contest.

Minnehaha Academy's Rolyns Aligbe (23) shoots the ball through the arms of Mahtomedi's Javan Harvey (24). Aligbe and team mate Jerome Williams led the Redhawks' scoring with 20 points each. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine

Minnehaha Academy's Rolyns Aligbe (23) shoots the ball through the arms of Mahtomedi's Javan Harvey (24). Aligbe and team mate Jerome Williams led the Redhawks' scoring with 20 points each. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine

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