MCHS boys' basketball team beats Hanson at the Palace

The Mitchell Christian boys’ basketball team’s eight-point halftime lead quickly turned into a seven-point deficit in the third quarter Thursday night against Hanson.

Mitchell Christian coach Tom Young was interested to see how his team would deal with the adversity.

He said saw something he hasn’t seen from his team this year — the ability to deal with adversity.

Mitchell Christian came back to beat Hanson 51-47 Thursday at the Corn Palace for its 12th win of the year. The victory came two days after the Eagles upset No. 4-ranked James Valley Christian in triple overtime.

“I was really proud with how the kids responded,” Young said. “I was very encouraged with how the team dealt with adversity and came back in the fourth quarter.”

The matchup was between two of the top three teams in District 10B. Mitchell Christian is second and Hanson (9-6) is third. Mount Vernon leads the district.

But Young said the outcome of this game has no bearing on a possible future district matchup.

“It seems like we play Hanson every year in the district,” he said. “They are going to learn from us and we are going to learn from them.

“It’s almost foolish for us to talk about districts at this point, because there’s a lot of season yet. We have three big games yet.”

Hanson coach Josh Oltmanns said he told his team that this game isn’t as important as a potential district matchup.

“This isn’t the end of our season, but in three weeks this loss would be,” he said. “I hate losing and every loss hurts.”

MCHS had a 30-22 halftime lead, but Hanson went on a 17-2 run in the third quarter to take a 39-32 lead.

Hanson senior Pierce Smith keyed the Beavers’ run as he scored 15 — including three 3-pointers — of his 26 points in the third quarter.

“Pierce came out and just took over the third quarter,” Young said. “He’s just such a tough matchup for us or for anybody.”

The teams traded baskets and Hanson had a 44-38 lead with 25 seconds left in the third quarter.

But MCHS went on a 9-0 run to take a 47-44 lead with 2 minutes, 53 seconds left in the game and the Eagles held Hanson to one field goal in the fourth quarter, which came with 10 seconds left in the game.

“I think we got a little tired, and we had a lot of games in the last two weeks, which isn’t an excuse,” Oltmanns said. “We didn’t execute very well, and they took the high post away from us.

“They got the lead in the fourth quarter, and you can’t get down to a team like that. They take care of the ball and make free throws. That’s what they do.”

Mitchell Christian hit seven of seven free throws, six of which were in the fourth quarter.

Jared Feiner led Mitchell Christian with 15 points on five 3-pointers. Luke Olsen — who sat out most of the third quarter in foul trouble and eventually fouled out late in the game — scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds.

Olsen’s biggest points may have been his last two. With about four-and-one-half minutes left in the game, Olsen snagged an errant Hanson pass to dribble the length of the court and finish with a layup. The bucket gave MCHS the lead for good at 45-44.

“I think it was a big steal, and Luke really anticipates well,” Young said. “He’s aggressive and uses his speed. It was a big play for us.”

Mitchell Christian plays Tuesday against Bridgewater-Emery in Emery.

MITCHELL CHRISTIAN 51

HANSON 47

MCHS (12-5)

Christ Christopher 3-8 2-2 9, Joe Bosworth 3-9 2-2 9, Luke Olsen 6-12 1-1 13, Jared Feiner 5-15 0-0 15, Wes Vander Pol 0-0 0-0 0, Cody Perman 1-1 2-2 5, Jacob Frey 0-0 0-0 0, Caleb Mueller 0-0 0-0 0, Nick Feistner 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-25 7-7 51.

Hanson (9-6)

Pierce Smith 11 0-0 26, Reid Smith 0 0-1 0, Cole Wenande 1 0-1 3, Andrew Gross 1 1-2 3, Jacob Bartscher 3 0-1 6, Paul Paradeis 2 2-3 7, Justin Schaefers 1 0-0 2, Alex Kayser 0 0-0 0, Trey Persson 0 0-0 0, Matt Huber 0 0-0 0, Nick Steilen 0 0-0 0, Derek Koler 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 3-8 47.

H 14 22 44 47

MCHS 18 30 40 51

3-point goals: MCHS 8-21 (Feiner 5-13, Christopher 1-4, Bosworth 1-3, Perman 1-1), H 5 (P. Smith 4, Wenande 1); Rebounds: MCHS 20 (Olsen 6), H 11; Assists: H 13, MCHS 11 (Christopher 5); Steals: MCHS 11 (Three players with three), H 9; Blocks: H 4, MCHS 0; Turnovers: MCHS 12, H 15; Total fouls: H 11, MCHS 16; Fouled out: Olsen

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