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Eagles start season 4-1 on road; host Rhinelander at fieldhouse Friday

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The Northland Pines boys basketball team picked up its first victory in Great Northern Conference (GNC) play with a 58-31 win at Tomahawk last Friday.
The Eagles also topped Hurley 64-58 in a tough nonconference game last Tuesday and are 4-1 overall to start the season.
The Tomahawk game was the first conference battle of the year for the Eagles and it was a challenge, according to Pines coach Terry Klemett.
Pines struggled shooting the ball in the first half, going for a combined 7-for-32 from the floor. Defensively, the Eagles were able to stay in the game against a hot-shooting home team. The Eagles went into the break up 19-17.
“We struggled to make any basket. We missed layups, we missed open threes and we missed free throws. We could not get a shot to fall,” said Klemett. “Defensively, we were awesome. We got stop after stop and steal after steal. I was happy our guys did not let the low shooting affect their hard work that we had to do on the defensive side.”
The Eagles started the second half with two quick baskets to go up 23-20. Then junior Mylo Albrecht took over, scoring 11 straight points in every fashion imaginable to put Pines ahead 34-20.
“Mylo really got going for us. We cleared him out a couple times and he made plays. His skill set to make shots reminds me of former Pines standout Ryan Peterson,” said Klemett.
The home team then scored seven unanswered points to cut the Eagles lead to 34-27 with 8:16 to play. That’s when Pines senior Jonathan Miller took over, scoring 13 straight points to open the game up for Pines at 47-30.
“Jon has been great all year. He has been defending well, shooting well, and his decision making has been top notch. I was proud of his performance,” said Klemett.
With Albrecht pouring in 20 points and Miller’s 13, the Eagles easily secured their first GNC win of the season. Albrecht also had eight rebounds.
“It’s always great to get a win, but it’s great to see how other people step up and make plays. Sophomore Nolan Huelskamp was awesome. He stepped into the starting lineup and played like a senior all game. He made some timely plays for us,” said Klemett.
The Eagles, now 4-1, will play Merrill at home on Tuesday and face GNC favorite, Rhinelander, on Friday, also at the field house.

Battle at Hurley

The Eagles continued their early season road tests against a tough Hurley squad and came away with a 64-48 win.
The game was physical right from the tip, with the Eagles taking an early 7-6 lead and holding a slim one-point advantage at 11-10 eight minutes into the game.
Pines went on a 9-0 run to get some separation with strong defensive stops and fantastic ball movement on offense to lead the Northstars 20-10 with seven minutes to play.
The Eagles built a 25-13 lead, only to see the Northstars make a run of their own, cutting the Eagles lead down to three at 25-22 with two minutes to go in the half. Pines then went on a 7-2 run to close out the half up 32-24.
“That first half was extremely physical,” said Klemett. “Our guys stayed steady in our systems on both ends and we were able to get some separation a couple times to give us a good cushion going into the break.”
The Eagles pushed their lead to 13 points, 43-30, at the 11-minute mark. Pines continued to build its lead on triples by Cody Vojta and A.J. Muench to go up 53-38 with 7:38 to go. The Eagles extended their lead to 18 at 62-44, with just under two minutes remaining in the game, and were able to close out the game with a tough 64-48 win.
“That was a battle. I don’t know that I ever saw such a physical game,” said Klemett. “We didn’t back down at all and our guys just kept playing our way on both sides of the ball. Our ball movement was awesome and we got open looks and buried the shots. I was very pleased with how we battled. Our deep bench helped wear them out and our push-the-ball style kept them running most of the game.”
The Eagles were 12 of 23 from the 3-point line and 11 of 22 from two for a solid 50% for the game. Vojta had 21 points and six rebounds, while Albecht had 10 points and six assists. Albrecht chipped 10 points and had six assists.
“Cody was outstanding in this game. He shot at a very high level and rebounded very well,” said Klemett. “Our seniors, consisting of Jonathan Miller, A.J. Muench, and Cody Voita, have been doing a great job all year leading the charge and they didn’t disappoint tonight. This is a very unselfish team and all of our guys are playing for one another. It’s great to see other guys step up and make plays. This was a good tough win for our program and we are happy with how we are playing.”
The Eagles, 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the GNC, were scheduled to host Merrill in a nonconference game Tuesday and will face GNC favorite Rhinelander this Friday, Dec. 13, also at the field house. Both games start at 7:15 p.m.
“This was a great start to our season playing these first five games on the road,” said Klemett. “Our guys have been terrific and this will be a great test for us this coming week.”

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