HAWLEY, Minn. -- Don't be alarmed.
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton is not abandoning its hellacious defensive method nor is coach Bob Torgrimson suspending his ardent bench-side manner.
But serenity served the Rebels well for at least one night.
Largely devoid of chaos-causing presses, and with its coach lounging calmly in his chair, D-G-F strung together a 17-0 run en route to a 52-35 victory over Hawley Tuesday in Minnesota Heart O' Lakes Conference boys basketball.
"I don't know if it was the mood of the night or what," Torgrimson said. "We didn't set off any explosions, let's put it that way."
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No explosions, just one slow burn.
Tied at 11 after one quarter, the Rebels (8-2, 6-0 HOL) began the second with seven points in just 1:26.
The lead later extended to 13 on three baskets, two via steals, in a span of 55 seconds.
Four post points in under 30 ticks pushed the advantage to 28-11 less than six minutes in.
"We started slow, real slow," D-G-F senior Andrew DiAllesandro said.
"Eleven points is slow for us. Then we got to work."
The Nuggets (4-5, 3-3) finally scored on a 3-pointer by Cody Baxter with 1:22 to go in the quarter, ending the 17-0 run.
Hawley, outscored 19-3, was 1-for-10 from the field in the decisive quarter.
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"It's pretty tough to tell your team to run the offense to get a shot better than a layup," Nuggets coach Jon Hinrichs said. "We never recovered."
They weren't allowed to recover largely due to D-G-F's post preeminence.
Centers DiAllesandro (6-foot-4) and Adam Holte (6-10), largely unchallenged by smaller Hawley, combined for 26 points and 17 rebounds.
Quick forward Matt Johnk (6-2) also made an impact with six points and five boards.
"It's a nice combo to have," Torgrimson said. "The nice part is all three can shoot the ball. But so far they haven't had to take much beyond six to eight feet."
After the devastating second quarter, not many of the shots carried much weight, either.
That D-G-F pieced together a paralyzing burst isn't news.
That the Rebels did it so matter-of-factly, without relying on a rabid press, is.
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"With this group of kids, they (the Rebels) contest about every shot," Hinrichs said. "Just because they're not extending the pressure doesn't mean it's not there."
Just because they're not always flying around doesn't mean they're not trying.
Or that they can't be successful.
"You have to play different strategies throughout the season if you want to be prepared for the end," Torgrimson said. "We didn't go in intending to do that, but if it was there, we have to take it."
D-G-F 11 30 40 52
Hawley 11 14 26 35
D-G-F: Anderson 3 0-1 7, Costello 0 0-0 0, Driscoll 4 0-0 9, M. Johnk 3 0-0 6, DiAllesandro 6 4-4 16, Hagen 1 0-0 2, Holte 5 0-1 10, Schroeder 0 0-0 0, Larson 0 0-0 0, Dreschel 0 0-0 0, C. Johnk 1 0-0 2, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Brantner 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 4-6 52.
HAWLEY: Peterson 3 0-0 8, Doeden 0 0-0 0, Cox 5 0-0 10, Haraldson 3 0-0 6, Thompson 1 0-0 2, Baxter 1 2-4 5, Martodam 2 0-0 4, Muscatell 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 2-4 35.
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3-point goals: Anderson, Driscoll, Peterson 2, Baxter. Total fouls: D-G-F 11, H 11. Rebounds: D-G-F 33 (DiAllesandro 9, H 26 (Cox 10). Turnovers: D-G-F 16, H 17.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Terry Vandrovec at (701) 241-5548
