Eagles end season with record of 1-26 overall

Photos by Cheri Kopveiler
Finn Roder takes a contested shot in the lane during New York Mills’ opening rond game against Battle Lake.

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

New York Mills was down early in their sub section opener against Battle Lake, but the Eagles clawed their way back into the game and found themselves down by just 3 points at halftime. 

Gage Brasel drives the ball up the court during Monday’s sub section opener against Battle Lake.

Head coach Mike Baune sad he was pleased with how the Eagles kept their composure and fought back to get back into the game in the first half. 

“I liked how we matched up with Battle Lake and that along with our grit and grind from the boys the entire game kept it close until the last 5 minutes or so,” said Baune. “We had to find our footing a bit as we got down by 14 right away but clawed back to within 3 at halftime.”

The game was tied with approximately 10 minutes left on the clock, but seventh seeded Battle Lake got hot down the stretch to come away with a 60-47 win over the 10th seeded Eagles. 

Teagan Lausten takes a contested shot in the lane during Monday’s game against the Battlers.

Baune said the seniors on the team had their hands full scoring against some tough matchups, but they continued to lead the team despite all of the challenges on the floor. Sophomore Jacob Thorsrud finished with a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while fellow sophomore Finn Roder had one of his best games of the season with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Seniors Teagan Lausten chipped in with 8 points, while Sam Kopveiler had 11 rebounds in the loss. 

Despite finishing the season with a record of 1-26 overall and 0-14 in the Park Region Conference, Baune said the team remained competitive throughout the season and hopes the underclassmen continue to find time on the court throughout the summer. 

“While we finished with less wins than last season at 1, we were a much more competitive team throughout the entire season. All of the boys really dedicated themselves over the summer and off season in general and that truly did show in our play on the court despite the lack of victories,” said Baune. “We played many close games where we just couldn’t quite get over the hump to pull out the win… some against some high quality teams as well. We look forward to building on the culture of hard work, dedication and love for one another that has been created and will trust the process that the victories will come in due time.”