Noah Noffsinger saves a loose ball from going out of bounds during Friday’s home opener against Wadena-Deer Creek.

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

New York Mills ended its five game road streak with a 80-59 win over the Sebeka Trojans on Tuesday night. With the win, as well as a loss to Wadena-Deer Creek on Friday night, the Eagles improved to 4-2 on the season and 3-1 in the Park Region Conference. 

This week the Eagles will host Menahga on Thursday as part of a four game homestand.

Tuesday

NY Mills hit the road for the fifth straight time to open its season on Tuesday night as the Eagles defeated the Sebeka Trojans by a score of 80-59. The Eagles started the season with a 4-1 record on the road thanks to another hot night of shooting from the floor.

The Eagles held a 41-26 lead at halftime and never looked back as they outscored the Trojans by a 39-33 margin in the second half. 

Head Coach Jason Boe said he was pleased with how well the team played on the defensive end of the court in the first half, but would like to see the team keep up their intensity in the second half of the game.

“We handled their zone and shot the ball well.  Our defensive intensity started off good but lagged off considerably in the second half,” said Boe. “We still need to get in better game shape, but it was a good conference win.”

Derin Gaudette had a big game for NY Mills as the senior scored 24 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Jonah Johnson finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, while Noah Noffsinger just missed out on recording a double-double with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. 

Breck Hensch finished with 8 points, 3 steals and 2 assists; Chase Keskitalo scored 8 points 5 rebounds and 1 steal; Isaiah Laudenbach scored 4 points, 4 rebounds and took 3 tough charges in the win.

Friday

NY Mills had the chance to play on their home court for the first time all season on Friday and fell by a score of 59-55 to Wadena-Deer Creek. After trailing by a score of 27-23 at halftime, both teams finished the second half with 32 points to leave the Wolverines on top and hand NY Mills its first Park Region Conference loss of the season.

Just three days after having an impressive night from the field, the Eagles struggled a bit to get their shots to fall on Friday as WDC kept the Eagles away from the rim throughout the night. 

“We shot poorly from the outside and found it extremely difficult to find any shots by the rim.  You have to give them credit. Their 3-2 defensive was tough,” said Head Coach Jason Boe. “We’re going to have to shoot and move the ball better against these sorts of defenses in the future.”

Tate Olson led the way offensively as he scored 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, while Jonah Johnson finished with 14 points and 3 rebounds. Derin Gaudette also reached double figures with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. 

Also scoring for the Eagles were Noah Noffsinger with 6 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists and Breck Hensch who scored 4 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

Chase Keskitalo tries to get position for a rebound on Friday.