Tollefson reaches 1,000 points

Five days after reaching, 1,000 career points, Spencer Tollefson led the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva boys basketball team to an 83-63 victory over the Blooming Prairie boys.
“I thought the first 17 minutes we played our best basketball of the year,” said Panthers head coach, Pat Churchill. “Our offense was crisp and we were moving the ball and getting great looks.”
The Blossoms, down 20 late in the first half, did show signs of life throughout the game Tuesday, Jan. 13. In the final minutes before halftime, Blooming Prairie went on an 8-0 run, trailing by 12 at halftime. The Blossoms came within seven of the Panthers several times, before the Panthers took complete control of the game. 
“We let them get a little momentum,” said Churchill. “Fortunately, we had a nice lead, where it wasn’t tied. We were still up and able to start getting some stops.”
Poor shooting by the Blossoms in the first half allowed the Panthers to grab a large lead early on. Once Blooming Prairie made a run, high-percentage shooting by Tollefson and the Panthers kept the Blossoms at bay. 
“Spencer hit some big threes,” said Churchill. “We were able to push that lead back up and get the victory.”
Blooming Prairie’s coach, John Bruns, stated that the final score was not a perfect reflection of the entire game. 
“Although the final score was a 20-point win for NRHEG,” said Bruns, “most of the game was much more competitive. Tollefson had a monster of a game,” said Bruns. “It was he, most of the time, who put a stop to any run we started.”
The Blossoms were not able to keep up with the Panthers, who shot over 50 percent Tuesday night.  NRHEG made 15 of 20 free throw attempts to 11 of 18 for the locals.  The Panthers also had a 40-29 edge in rebounding. 
The Blossoms committed 11 turnovers, three less than the Panthers. John Rumpza had a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Mitchell Jones had his career game with 18 points, a block, an assist and three steals.  
In addition to Tollefson’s 34 points, Trevor Tracy scored 14 and Oakley Bakers added 13.  The Panthers shot 52 percent from the field, with 30 of 57 attempts, while the Blossoms made 42 percent on 24 of 56 tries.  
The Gopher Conference victory lifted the Panthers to 10-2 overall, while the Blossoms fell to 7-7.  
“It’s always nice to get a win,” said Churchill.  “Our league is tough. We have a lot of good teams, so every night is going to be a battle.”
The Panthers next home game will be played against Bethlehem Academy on Jan. 23 at 7:15 p.m. The Blossoms play twice on the road before returning home, Jan. 27, against Medford at 7:15 p.m.