Parkston boys edge Sisseton at own classic

PARKSTON — For Parkston it wasn’t quite David vs. Goliath, but it was pretty close.

The Trojans, whose tallest starter is 6-foot-4, faced a Sisseton Redmen lineup that ran 6-foot-8-, 6-foot-6, 6-foot-5 and two players at 6-foot-1.

But the Trojans boys’ basketball team overcame the disadvantage and edged Sisseton 51-48 Saturday at the Parkston Classic.

“We were outsized a little bit but we rebounded well,” Parkston coach Craig Bruening said.

Leading 42-40 with just under five minutes to play, Parkston went on a 7-0 run on baskets by Jalen Hurley and Spencer Lucas and a three-point shot by Tanner Weber. With three minutes left, it looked like Parkston would cruise to the win, building a 49-40 advantage.

But the Redmen battled back. Led by Wyatt Youngblom with six points, and two free throws by Jordan Rolstad, Sisseton pulled to within 49-48 with 1:02 left.

Things looked even worse later for the Trojans as Lucas missed two free throws, giving the Redmen a chance for the lead.

But with 39 seconds left to play, Weber blocked a Sisseton shot. Weber, who was fouled after the block, proceeded to hit both free throws and Parkston held on for its fourth win of the season.

“I thought we might have got a little lazy the last four minutes of the game,” Bruening said.

The Trojans jumped to an early 7-3 lead only to see Sisseton battle back to get to within one-point at 16-15 to end the first quarter.

Lucas hit a basket to open the second quarter, but the Redmen’s Jordan Cornelius hit a free throw and two baskets to give Sisseton a 20-18 lead.

The teams traded leads the rest of the period and Sisseton led 26-25 at halftime.

Parkston gained the advantage to open the third quarter with a 35-30 lead with 3:36 left in the period. A basket by Weber gave the Trojans a 40-34 lead going into the final, exciting period.

“It’s a big, big win for our kids,” Bruening said. “I think we deserve to be talked about with some of the top teams. “

Free throws have been a problem this year for the Trojans, who hit 4 of 13 foul shots in the second half.

“It’s not as if they’re bad shooters, it’s just hard to figure out,” he said. “We’ll figure it out.”

Lucas led the Trojans (4-1) with 16 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Weber with 15 points.

Sisseton (4-2) was led by Youngblom with 15 points and Cornelius with 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

In its next action, Parkston takes on Vermillion Friday on the road.

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