BROOKINGS – Tuesday’s 61-52 triumph over Sioux Falls Lincoln may not have been the prettiest of the Bobcats’ 10 wins this season, but it did show that the 2017 ‘Cats can keep their composure in a tight game.
“I would definitely say this group, that’s kind of their MO – they’re just kind of even keel,” Brookings head coach Travis Engebretson said of his squad. “First half, we kind of panicked during the first quarter – had seven turnovers – and then seven the rest of the game.
“We haven’t really seen that kind of pressure before; got acclimated after that first quarter and then (had) a really good second half – both offensively and defensively.”
The Patriots took advantage of seven Brookings turnovers to build a 17-13 lead after a quarter, but the Bobcats regrouped – and committed just one turnover in the second frame –to tie the game at 31-31 heading into the intermission.
Brookings scored the first four points of the third quarter to take control as Jameson Meyer put back an offensive rebound and Devin Coughlin converted a pair of free throws after a Carter Holm steal.
Lincoln’s Alex Glanzer answered with two tosses before Meyer scored in transition and Holm dropped a bucket in the paint as the ‘Cats went up by six points, 39-33, with 4:45 to play.
Diang Gatluak put in a second-chance basket in the lane, but Josh Mohs knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Bobcats their biggest lead of the game after Coughlin kept the possession alive with an offensive rebound.
Simon Higgason matched Mohs’ 3 with one of his own and then Drew Cole drained a trey inside of a minute to give Brookings a 45-38 lead through three.
The ‘Cats went on a 7-0 run over the first two minutes of the final frame – a free throw by Sam Wilber; another Meyer offensive putback; a Brennan Carlson fadeaway basket in the lane; and two more charity tosses by Holm – to push the margin to 14 points, 52-38.
From there, the Patriots cut the lead to single digits – 56-48 – following a pair of Gatluak free throws with 1:29 to play – but Brookings converted 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch for the nine-point win.
“We’ve got good enough ball-handlers out there –(Lincoln’s) style is helter-skelter – there were a couple of possessions where we needed to slow it down,” Engebretson said. “I felt we did enough in those possessions to take care of the ball, run some time off the clock and we did a pretty good job of managing those late possessions where we got good shots – we didn’t always convert those – but we got good shots.”
Mohs led a balanced Bobcat attack with 17 points, to go along with two assists and two steals, while Holm finished with 12 points, five rebounds, two takeaways and two dimes. Coughlin added nine points and a game-high eight boards as Carlson contributed eight points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists. Meyer chipped in with eight points and four boards; Wilber notched four markers; and Cole finished with three points.
Gatluak and Higgason led the Patriots, 4-7, with 12 points apiece while Christophe Bwanya had 11.
Brookings, 10-2 on the season, plays host to Harrisburg on the back end of a doubleheader on Thursday at Bob Jostad. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
