MCHS boys beat Plankinton in 10B district action

The Mitchell Christian boys’ basketball team defeated Plankinton in the quarterfinals of the District 10B playoffs 61-36 on Monday night at Mitchell Christian School.

The Eagles trailed early in the game but scored the last five points of the first quarter to grab an 11-10 lead.

“We did come out a little slow,” Mitchell Christian head coach Dennis Martin said. “But as every coach knows, good defense sometimes feeds your offense, and I think that’s what happened.”

Plankinton got a 3-point play to start the second quarter to regain the lead, but Mitchell Christian put up the next eight points and never looked back.

Mitchell Christian’s Wes Vander Pol outscored the Pirates in the first half, putting up 19 points in the first 16 minutes. The Eagles led 30-18 at the break.

“My shots were falling,” Vander Pol said. “They seemed to back off me, and I just put (shots) up.”

Vander Pol knocked down four 3-pointers in the first half and the team had six 3-pointers at the break. The Eagles finished the game with seven 3-pointers.

“They played zone on us in the first half, which got us the open looks,” Vander Pol said. “When they went to man in the second half we started pounding it inside which is what really worked for us.”

The Eagles outscored Plankinton in every quarter of the game. MCHS takes on Mount Vernon in the District 10B semifinals on Thursday at the Corn Palace.

“It’s a cliché that we’ve got nothing to lose, but it’s true,” Martin said. “They play physical and our kids are going to have to come ready to play.”

Vander Pol finished with a game high 22 points on the night, while Adam Rasmussen came off the bench for the Eagles and scored 10 points in the win.

Mitchell Christian won the rebounding battle 18-11 and turned the ball over 19 times compared to Plankinton’s 24.

Plankinton’s leading scorer was Kellam Karst with 17 points.

Plankinton finished the season at 2-17, while Mitchell Christian improved to 5-16.

MITCHELL CHRISTIAN 61,

PLANKINTON 36

MC (5-16)

Jackson Feiner 0 5-6 5, Caleb Mueller 1 0-0 2, Jacob Frey 3 1-1 7, Wes Vander Pol 8 2-2 22, Cody Perman 0 7-10 7, Adam Rasmussen 3 3-3 10, Aaron Lemon 2 2-2 8, Chandler Nelson 0 0-0 0, Cody Gromer 0 0-0 0, Craig Van Zee 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 20-24 61.

P (2-17)

Kellam Karst 5 5-6 17, Garrett Lawson 3 0-0 8, Tom Harris 1 4-4 6, Nick Lawson 1 0-0 2, Jordan High Elk 1 0-0 3, Matthew Fry 0 0-0 0, Anthony Vearrier 0 0-0 0, Max Moore 0 0-0 0, Justin Krell 0 0-0 0, James Mayclin 0 0-0 0, Devon Moore 0 0-0 0. Totals: 11 9-10 36.

MC 11 30 44 61

P 10 18 26 36

3-point shots: MC 7 (Vander Pol 4, Lemon 2, Rasmussen), P 4 (Karst 2, G. Lawson 2). Rebounds: MC 18 (Feiner 4, Lemon 4) P 11 (Karst 4). Turnovers: MC 19, P 24. Personal Fouls: MC 15, P 17. Fouled Out: Garrett Lawson (P). Technical Fouls: None.

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