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Kernel boys get past StevensDec 20, 2010 (The Daily Republic - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Mitchell High School boys' basketball team will not face many teams bigger than Rapid City Stevens this season. The Raiders' size did not faze the Kernels on Saturday, though. Mitchell got a game-high 22 points and nine rebounds from Jade Miller on its way to a 63-56 win over Stevens in a non-conference game at the Corn Palace. "That's probably one of the bigger teams we'll play all year," Mitchell coach Gary Munsen said. "We were happy with our rebounding; it was better than it's been all year and part of that is because they played a zone. It was easier to attack the boards and slip through the seams." Though Stevens sports long and lanky seniors Tate Stensgaard (6-foot-7) and Tanner Chleborad (6-6) on its front line, the Kernels won the rebounding battle 29-23 en route to their fourth straight win to start the season. Mitchell (4-0 overall, 2-0 Eastern South Dakota Conference) led by just two early in the third quarter before both teams made a defensive change that helped decide the game. The Kernels came out of a timeout and showed a 2-2-1 full-court press, while Stevens decided to switch a 2-3 zone. "They kept running that down screen with (Tucker) Volesky and Miller coming to the top, so we were just going to try and slow them down a little bit," Raiders' coach T.J. Hay said. "I thought it worked out for us, but we just turned the ball over a few times against the press. You can't do that against good teams." Mitchell showed patience and moved the ball effectively against the zone to push its lead to double-figures early in the final quarter. Miller, a 6-4 junior forward, was the beneficiary of the extra passes Mitchell made and finished 10-of-14 shooting. He also pulled down five of the Kernels' 11 offensive rebounds. "I think we have a club that anybody can (score)," Munsen said. "Matt (Henriksen) has been playing well, Jade stepped up and Tucker's been steady. Once we get the Maxwells going, and now with Tate (Martin) back, we think we have eight kids that can score." Volesky worked hard for his 18 points. He made just four of his 15 shot attempts, but made 9 of 10 free throws. "I'm always chewing him out about running over people," Munsen said of Volesky. "But he finds a way." Senior Nick Young chipped in eight points and eight rebounds for the Kernels. Stevens kept things interesting by hitting three late 3-pointers by Stensgaard, who finished with a team-high 15 points. The Raiders never did get closer than five in the fourth quarter. Chleborad had 13 points and Seth Johnson scored 12 for Stevens. "We finally made some shots in the fourth quarter to keep it close, but against good teams we just can't give them extra possessions," Hay said. Mitchell hosts Yankton at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Palace. NOTES: Martin, a junior point guard, was the first player off the bench for the Kernels after missing the season's first three games because of school disciplinary actions. He is expected to take some of the ball-handling pressure off senior Ryan Yackley and Henriksen. Mitchell 63, Rapid City Stevens 56 Individual stats (fgm-fga ftm-fta tp) Stevens (0-4): Seth Johnson 5-10 1-1 12, James Carlson 2-5 2-2 6, Tate Stensgaard 5-9 2-4 15, Tanner Chleborad 5-8 0-0 13, Tom Schleusener 0-1 1-2 1, Adam Drake 1-1 0-0 2, Eric Drake 2-3 0-0 4, Eli Schnell 0-1 0-0 0, Connor Farrar 0-1 1-1 1, Ian Barse 1-4 0-0 2. Totals -- 21-43 7-10 56. Mitchell (4-0): Ryan Yackley 0-1 3-4 3, Jade Miller 10-14 2-3 22, Nick Young 3-9 2-4 8, Tucker Volesky 4-15 9-10 18, Matt Henriksen 2-4 2-2 6, Brady Maxwell 2-6 0-0 4, Brian Maxwell 1-1 0-0 2. Totals -- 22-50 18-23 63. RCS 12 26 38 56 M 15 31 46 63 3-pointers: Stevens 7-17 (Johnson 1-1, Carlson 0-2, Stensgaard 3-5, Chleborad 3-5 Schnell 0-1, Farrar 0-1, Barse 0-2); Mitchell 1-7 (Yackley 0-1, Volesky 1-4, Henriksen 0-1, Brady Maxwell 0-1). Rebounds: Stevens 23 (Stensgaard 4, Chleborad 4); Mitchell 29 (Miller 9, Young 8). Steals: Stevens 6 (Johnson 2); Mitchell 7 (Tate Martin 3). Turnovers: Stevens 15; Mitchell 8. Total fouls: Stevens 20; Mitchell 14. Fouled out -- Johnson (RCS). Technical fouls -- none. JV: Stevens 48-36. Josh Schmidt 13 points. Sophomores: Mitchell 61-53. Kass Ischen 25 points, Josh Schmidt 11 points, Beau Brown 10 points. Freshmen: Mitchell 49-47. Derek Miller 14 points, Beau Brown 12 points. To see more of The Daily Republic, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.mitchellrepublic.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |