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Tartan not settling for second best

By Aaron Paitich, Special to the Star Tribune, 02/26/11, 11:21PM CST

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Titans working hard for a return trip to the state tournament

For Tartan’s Preiner brothers — Drew and Luke — there’s nothing worse than losing to Hill-Murray.

They are not only geographical rivals, but the Preiners and Hill-Murray senior standout Rob Daul have played offseason ball together for the Minnesota Heat since seventh grade.

“At those games, the crowds attack [the Preiner brothers] and Rob,” Drew Preiner said. “We’re really close friends, so everyone at Hill-Murray knows myself and Luke and everybody at Tartan knows Rob.”

Traditionally, the Titans have come up on the better end of the scoreboard, but this year, the Pioneers swept the two-game Classic Suburban Conference set. Those are two of only three losses Tartan has suffered all season heading into the middle of this past week, sticking them in second place behind Hill-Murray.

“There’s nothing more frustrating than losing twice to them my senior year and that was one of my goals to beat them,” Drew Preiner said. “That really lit a fire under my belly.”

After losing to Hill-Murray for a second time, Tartan hit the gym hard the next day. Coaches and players believe the Titans are only three possessions away from being undefeated, but those three losses cannot be erased.

There are no do-overs in section play either — meaning the best Tartan can hope for in its quest to reach the state tournament is learning from its mistakes.

Tartan basketball has a strong history. Mark Klingsporn, the coach for 19 years, took the Titans to state every year from 1998 to 2005. Tartan has had solid teams the past five years, but with some bad breaks, the Titans have failed to get back to state. They feel this could be the year.

“I like the look of our team a lot,” Klingsporn said. “I think we have potential to make a good run here in section play.”

The look Klingsporn’s talking about is a balance of size and athleticism. The Preiner brothers both measure a shade over 6-3 and have been starting since sophomore year. Drew and Luke lead the team in scoring, combining to score 25 points a game.

But it’s the emergence of senior center Joel Awich helping solidify Tartan’s presence. Awich didn’t play organized basketball until ninth grade. Even then, he didn’t play much on the freshman squad.

“He’s a super late bloomer,” Klingsporn said. “Last year, he played JV for us, and now he’s been the biggest difference maker on our team.”

The 6-6 Awich is athletic — complete with a 33-inch vertical jump — and he is starting to figure this game out. Through a recent string of games, Awich averaged 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots.

“It’s been pretty amazing to watch,” Drew Preiner said. “Even last summer to right now, he’s improved more than anybody I’ve ever seen. He takes everything in that you try and tell him and teach him and he takes it to heart.”

Senior Ryan Burns also brings size and stability under the net. Sophomores Darrion Strong and Xavier Hall, two potential Division I guards still honing their skills, also add to the mix.

Strong started about half of the season last year as a freshman. He is one of only four kids that’s ever started as a freshman at Tartan, putting him in some pretty good company. And while the offense is still a work in progress, many observers perceive Tartan as a defensive-minded squad. For Drew Preiner and the Titans, that’s just fine.

“Defense wins championships,” he said.


Tartan center Joel Awich (34) puts back a rebound for a two points against Hill-Murray on Feb. 8. Richard Tsong Taatari, Star Tribune

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