No. 5 Owatonna falls 76-60 to No. 4 Century
Owatonna’s Rielly Kleeberger, left, Leyton Williams, center, and Cole Dahl, right, sit in disbelief as time runs out in their 76-60 loss to Century. The loss to Century officially ended the Huskies’ season. Staff photo by Johnnie Phillips
No. 5 Owatonna hit a roadblock in Rochester last week when the Huskies opened their Section 1AAAA boys basketball tournament with a 76-60 loss to No. 4 Century.
The Huskies battled to keep the game at a 33-33 tie at halftime, but the Century offense proved to be too much to handle in the second half, resulting in a season-ending loss for Owatonna.
“They’re a team that’s one of the hottest teams in Class AAAA. They’ve been beating good teams very soundly, and they do present some issues with their quickness, speed, and athleticism… it frees up so many of their players. They‘re a good team. They’ve been playing well, and it’s a tough matchup for us,” said Owatonna head coach Josh Williams.
Century leaped out to an initial lead behind consistent offensive rebounding and some sharp shooting from the three-point arch, but Owatonna was not to be deterred.
Williams’ squad continued to play the fast-paced, gritty game that has proven to wear teams down, and managed to keep the score tied at 33-33 at the half.
The second half, however, was a different story for the Huskies.
Century attacked Owatonna’s post and effectively used its height to extend possessions.
Second-chance points eventually led Century to take a double-digit lead and dispatch the Huskies by 16 points.
Owatonna was relatively consistent with its shooting throughout the game, averaging 40% from the field in the first half and 32% in the second, but the Huskies’ decline in efficiency was amplified by the Panthers’ offensive successes.
Century shot 44% from the field in the first half and followed up with a 66.7% second half – shooting 16-24.
Rebounding was the root of all problems for the Huskies as the Panthers won the battle of the boards 39-24.
The loss officially ended the Huskies’ 2023-24 season with a 17-10 record.
|
Team |
1st |
2nd |
Final |
|
Owatonna |
33 |
27 |
60 |
|
Century |
33 |
43 |
76 |
Player Stats
vs. Century
P R A
N. Ginskey 16 4 8
Theis 14 1 0
Dahl 12 1 0
Kleeberger 8 4 4
Kraus 6 0 0
Stransky 4 4 0
Williams 0 5 2
J. Ginskey 0 1 2
Haarstad 0 1 0