GLYNDON, Minn. - If Thursday's first half was any indication, coaches around the Heart O' Lakes Conference will come to miss reigning league MVP Adam Holte.
Because without the 6-foot-11, back-to-the-basket post, the Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton boys basketball team is free - and forced to - swarm and run and shoot and generallycreate the kind of chaos to which most Bob Torgrimson teams aspire.
Against Breckenridge, the Rebels bolted to a 9-0 lead and forced 18 turnovers in the first half en route to a 74-64 victory in HOL play.
"That's what we've been trying to do, and the kids are getting a little better at it every game," said coach Torgrimson, whose team is averaging 77 points per game. "You don't want to be playing from behind when you're inexperienced."
D-G-F's two returning starters are handling the tempo shift just fine, too. Junior guard Jake Driscoll scored 28 points, including the 1,000th of his career. Senior forward Matt Green added 27 and 10 rebounds.
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But there are no statistics to summarize the disarray of the first 18 minutes that put a gash in the right eyebrow of Cowboys standout guard Mike Herrick - he finished with15 points despite bleeding through multiple butterfly bandages - and left even the crowd a bit frazzled.
Breckenridge (2-2, 0-2 HOL) likes to run, coach Dean Haugo said, but not like this.
"For us, it was over the top from the standpoint that we were giving them too many easy looks on the other end," he said. "We want to run the floor, we're going to play a lot of guys and try to play fast, but we can't play fast in the way that we're running back defensively, chasing them down the floor."
They were chasing the entire evening.
After the initial 9-0 hole, the Cowboys got within six points before the lead ballooned to 46-27 early in the second half. Breckenridge pulled to within 61-54 with 3:45 left, but missed a layup that led to Driscoll hitting a free throw to join Holte as the only players in Rebels' history with 1,000 points.
He was relieved to join the club.
After getting within three points of the mark, he missed four shots in a row.
But no worries: there are always more to be had in the Rebels (5-1, 3-1) rejuvenated rip-and-run game.
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"I like it," said Driscoll, who went 10 for 26 from the field and is averaging 29 points per game. "Everyone's looking for the open shooter and we're playing pretty good right now."
BRECKENRIDGE: Herrick 7 1-2 15, Kent 1 3-6 6, Bogenreif 5 0-1 11, A. Jenson 2 4-69, Conzemius 3 2-2 8, Jacklitch 1 1-2 4, Steckler 2 3-4 5, Snyder 0 1-2 1, Deal 0 2-2 2. Totals 20 17-27 64.
DGF: Molina 0 1-2 1, Driscoll 10 6-7 28, J. Jenson 6 1-1 15, Olstad 0 0-0 0, Green 12 3-3 27, Fischer 1 1-2 3. Totals 29 12-15 74.
Half: DGF 42, B 27. 3-point goals: Kent, Bogenreif, A. Jenson, Jacklitch, Driscoll 2, J. Jenson 2. Total fouls: B 19, DGF 26. Rebounds: B 43 (three with 7), DGF 39 (Green 10). Turnovers: B 26, DGF 20.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Terry Vandrovec at (701) 241-5548
