Denny Weller
Special to The Free Press
MANKATO — Mankato West’s ability to attack the basket over the final 18 minutes Tuesday night fueled a 56-41 quarterfinal win over Marshall in the Section 2AAA boys basketball tournament.
After managing to make just 1 of 11 3-point attempts in the first half, the Scarlets’ aggressive interior play keyed a 37-21 second-half surge. Senior guard Preston Brunz led the way with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists.
“We knew they were going to play multiple zone defenses,” West coach Tom Boone said. “I felt we got some good shots early that just didn’t go, but we kept being patient and moved the ball very well.
“We made them come out and extend their zone and that opened up things in the high post area for some easy shots. One thing we want is balance and guys taking good shots. It’s nice to have multiple threats to score.”
Marshall (16-12) got out to an early 10-4 lead behind 3-pointers from Lee Christianson and Andrew Mathiowetz along with Caleb Johnson’s three-point play off a turnover.
Senior Ethan Tramp’s layup cutting down the lane began an 8-0 West run that produced a 12-10 lead after Brunz’s two foul shots with 11:26 to go. Nick Kaus’ left-wing 3-pointer and an off-balance banker from Jack Mages put the Scarlets in front 19-16.
James Petrich, a 6-foot-4 senior center, hit an 8-footer with 4:41 to go gave the Tigers a 20-19 lead and closed out the first half scoring. Petrich scored a team-high 17 points for the Tigers, who connected on 17 of 31 from the field for 54.8 percent.
“Our shots weren’t falling from the outside so we had to get into the middle and use the short corner,” Brunz said. “We had to reverse the ball and keep attacking. We were defensively sound the whole time, and we didn’t worry about the shots that weren’t falling.”
West (17-8) got a pair of 7-footers from Tramp and another from Brunz in the paint to set the tone for the second half. Brunz’s top-of-the-key triple pushed the Scarlets’ lead to 39-34 with 6:57 remaining.
Tramp and junior guard Des Spann then put through driving hoops before senior post Matt Briggs’ two inside hoops and a free-throw barrage down the stretch sealed things. Briggs ended up with eight points and six boards.
“We tried to get into the lane more in the second half,” said Tramp, who finished with 12 points. “When you play good defense you’re always going to be in the game, and we played solid defense. We kept our man in front of us and had good help-side defense.”
West, which finished 20 of 47 for 42.5 percent, controlled the boards 29-18 and committed fewer miscues 19-10. The Scarlets converted 13 of 16 foul shots compared to the Tigers’ 5 of 12.
West plays Saturday at Willmar.
