Britton-Hecla posted a come-from-behind double overtime win over Milbank last week Tuesday, rolled past Redfield on Thursday, but then saw its four-game win streak come to an end when a fourth quarter comeback fell short against Great Plains Lutheran on Friday.
This week the Braves hosted Wilmot last night Tuesday, play Florence-Henry at Florence on Thursday, host Waubay-Summit for a doubleheader on Monday (JV girls 4 p.m., JV boys 5 p.m., girls varsity, boys varsity to follow), and travel to Warner on Tuesday.
Britton-Hecla 53 (2 OT)
Milbank 51
Britton-Hecla outscored Milbank 16-7 in the fourth quarter to erase a nine-point deficit and tie the game at 40-all to force overtime, and it took two extra periods before the Braves pulled out their fourth win in five starts this season.
The Braves trailed 17-9, 24-13, and 33-24 at the first three quarter breaks before mounting their furious rally. Jaxon Zuehlke had a big night with 21 points and 14 rebounds, including seven offensive boards. Will Richter added 16 with four treys, Chaz Vietor chipped in with eight and had three blocked shots, Graham Fosness grabbed eight rebounds, and Mitch Burger came up with five steals.
“We got off to a slow start in this one offensively and it really wasn’t until the second half that we found a little rhythm,” said B-H coach Troy Knecht. “I’m not sure what was going on there but we need to find ways to start faster. Hopefully that comes as we move ahead.
“Defensively we were really good in the second half and overtimes. They only had four field goals after halftime and kind of survived at the free throw line. Will and Jaxon really stepped it up on offense down the stretch and pushed us into the extra periods. Will wasn’t afraid to take the big shots when we needed them and Jaxon was a man on the offensive boards. That was a big factor.
“I was really happy for our guys to get a win like this,” added Knecht. “You’ve got to physically and mentally give everything you have in these games and they did. I remember going to Milbank two years ago and getting beat 80-17. You talk about a low point as coach and a team…that had to be it. This was a “program” win for us. Four years of trying to do the right things to build habits and culture and it’s starting to come together. We are trending in the right direction and our ceiling is as high as it’s been. Now we need to move on. We are only a fourth of the way through our season and we have to keep grinding.”
Britton-Hecla 62
Redfield 36
Britton-Hecla used a 20-point first quarter to take charge early and Redfield was never able to mount a serious threat.
The Braves led just 13-10 midway through the opening period but then scored 18 straight points over the next eight and a half minutes to lead 31-10 on the way to a 35-16 halftime margin.
Chaz Vietor led the charge with seven points in the 18-0 run and Jaxon Zuehlke hit six. Redfield stopped the bleeding for a time and trailed 42-24 midway through the third stanza, but then Zuehlke went back to work inside with three straight hoops to squelch any Redfield comeback ideas.
“This was a good win for us coming off an emotional Milbank game,” said Knecht. “Redfield isn’t a great team so I wanted to take care of business and we did. We had 48 points in the paint and we should have. We were physically too much for them.
“Our three-point percentage is still concerning (1-16). We really need to get a few more of those through the net if we’re gonna compete with the better teams. Defense has been our calling card and we continue to improve on that end so that’s been carrying us.”
Zuehlke ended up with 20 points on 9-15 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. Vietor added 17 counters and 11 boards. Graham Fosness chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds .
Great Plains Lutheran 50
Britton-Hecla 46
Great Plains Lutheran boosted a six-point halftime lead to 12 after three periods and then hung on to snap Britton-Hecla’s four-game win streak 50-46.
Chaz Vietor led the Braves with 17 points and five rebounds. Jaxon Zuehlke added eight counters and 11 boards, along with a pair of blocked shots.
“This was our fifth game in eight days and it showed with some heavy legs,” noted Knecht. “We really didn’t do much of anything until the fourth quarter when we erased a 14-point deficit in about five minutes. Then at the end it didn’t work out for us. They hit a shot and we turned it over.
“This was a good lesson in “you’re not as tired as you think you are.” We waited too long and let, in my mind, an inferior team hang around (or lead in this case) all game and then tried to make the comeback,” added Knecht. “Learning how to consistently win and play to the same standard every night is difficult at the highest levels of sports so it’s no surprise that high school kids can have these setbacks. We really let one get away here. The concerning stat for the night was 17 turnovers. Against a team that didn’t pressure that’s giving away too many possessions. Hopefully it’s out of our system and we can make a few adjustments and charge on.”
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