Boys’ Basketball Beats Trinidad, Earns Slot in Semifinals
February 25, 2016
Going into the basketball game against the Trinidad Miners on Wednesday, February 24, the Mustangs’ standings were high, as were the expectations of Manitou fans and spectators. Upon entering the gym, the team was feeling confident.
“I’m not gonna lie, I was very confident going into tonight’s game,” said Jared Keul (11), a starting forward for the team, “I wouldn’t say I was cocky, but I think that so far this season, we’ve been doing exactly what we need to do, so I felt prepared for tonight’s game.”
At the beginning of the game, the two teams were neck-in-neck, with Trinidad leading the Mustangs by narrow margins at several points during the first quarter. At the end of the quarter, Manitou was ahead of Trinidad by only one point, the score being 15 to 14, Mustangs. However, several minutes into the second quarter, the Mustangs began to widen the margin between their score and their opponent’s, and by the time the halftime buzzer sounded, Manitou was leading the Miners by 16 points, with a score of 38 to 22, Mustangs.
During the second half of the game, Manitou continued to increase their lead, and thus their chance of making it into the next round. By the end of the fourth quarter, the score was 69 to 40, Mustangs, resulting in a triumph over Trinidad, a guaranteed spot in the semifinals, and, potentially, a shot at the state title: something that the team is aiming for.
One of the evening’s key players was Lucas Rodholm (11), who plays the position of guard and scored a total of 22 points throughout the course of the game, nearly one third of the team’s final score.
“Lucas is a very strategic player,” said Keul, “He knows exactly what plays need to be made and where to go at the right time. He’s a good person to have on the team.”
Going into this Friday’s game against the James Irwin Jaguars, the Mustangs will be upholding a class 3A record of 18-2, and a league record of 11-1. This is likely to give them an edge over the opponent, seeing as James Irwin has lost more than double the amount of games that the Mustangs have.
