OHS defeats East, 79-77

The Owatonna Huskies boys basketball team defeated Mankato East, 79-77, in an offensive battle over the weekend.
Owatonna shot 60.9% from the field in the  first half, finishing 14 of 23 shots.
Of Owatonna’s 14 field goals, five were three-pointers for 62.5% from beyond the arc.
However, Mankato East nearly matched the Huskies’ totals with five of 11 shooting from three-point range and connecting 50% of its field-goal attempts in the first half.
Owatonna took a tight 35-34 lead into halftime.
Owatonna got back to work in the second half, shooting 59.3% from the field, connecting on 16 of 27 attempts.
But it was Mankato East that found the edge in shooting percentage, completing 66.7%  from the field.
Despite this, Owatonna was able to once again edge Mankato East in points 44-43 thanks to converting free throws throughout the half.
The Huskies’ shot 76.9% from the charity stripe compared to Mankato East’s 69.6%.
The Cougars held an edge on the Huskies with 10 more free throw opportunities, however, the team left seven potential points off the board compared to Owatonna’s three missed free throws.
It was a collective effort on offense for Owatonna as four Huskies scored in double-digits.
Leading the way was senior Evan Dushek with 22 points and nine rebounds.
Also reaching double digits were senior Ty Creger, junior Blake Burmeister with 18 points and senior Brayden Williams with 16 points.
Burmeister made his mark from beyond the arc for Owatonna, shooting 85.7% from three-point range on six of seven attempts.
Burmeister’s six three-pointers accounted for his 18 points.
Up next for Owatonna is a road matchup against Albert Lea on Friday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m.