Kernels come up short against ECS 74-61

SIOUX FALLS -- Poor shooting and an array fouls doomed the Mitchell Kernels on Monday.

Mitchell (4-2, 2-0 ESD) shot 32 percent from the floor and 22 percent from behind the arc and Evangelical Christian School (Tenn.) used a strong second half to pull away. ECS defeated Mitchell 74-61 to take third place in the "Coach Gary Munsen Tournament" at the Fifth Annual Mike Miller Classic at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. Mitchell finished fourth in the four-team bracket.

"We played like it was Monday afternoon, and we really showed it," Mitchell senior guard Tyler Houwman said after the game. "We came out flat with no energy. There was no talking and the bench had no energy. It was all-around bad, and it didn't go as we planned."

The Kernels committed 17 fouls and 11 turnovers in the first half but still took a 38-36 lead into the break. ECS took control in the second half, pulling ahead 45-42 early and the Patriots never faltered the rest of the way. Mitchell finished the game with 22 turnovers and 29 fouls.

"We tried a bunch of gimmicks in the first half with traps and presses, but we decided in the second half, we just needed to buckle down and play defense," ECS head coach Terry Tippett said. "They like the corner threes, and I thought we did a better job covering those and slowing down the dribble. Ultimately, it came down to us getting some stops and playing tough defense."

While the Patriot defense slowed down Mitchell's offensive attack, senior Marcus Lytle took over the ECS offense. Mitchell couldn't find an answer for Lytle, who finished with a double-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and three assists. Mitch Weatherford and Peyton Watts each contributed 13 points for the Patriots in the win.

"In the second half, they controlled tempo and they controlled energy," Mitchell head coach Erik Skoglund said. "There is no such thing as an average game from the three-point line, but we didn't shoot to our potential."

Senior Beau Brown led the Kernels with 19 points and eight assists, while senior Keegan Soukup and Houwman added 13 and 12 points, respectively.

"We let our emotions control our actions on the floor," Skoglund said. "We haven't been down too many times this year, and we couldn't find a shot that turned momentum in our favor."

ECS shot 44 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range, while only committing 13 turnovers.

"We can't throw too many games away, but we need to quickly learn from this and move on because we have three big games coming up," Skoglund said. "We need to lean on the guys to control the emotions and bring us through these tough losses."

Houwman agreed with his coach, saying the team needs to focus on improving.

"We need to work hard in practice this week, and hopefully see the results on Friday and Saturday," Houwman said. "We will get back into the swing of things."

Mitchell plays at Aberdeen Central on Friday before returning to the Corn Palace to host Yankton on Saturday.

NOTES: Carter Brewster suffered an ankle injury in second half. Skoglund said he wasn't sure how serious the injury would be. Mitchell has already lost junior starter Kanin Nelson to an injury earlier this season. ... Former Mitchell basketball coach Gary Munsen handed out third- and fourth-place plaques to both players and coaches after the game for the first-ever "Coach Gary Munsen Tournament" at the Mike Miller Classic.

Mitchell (4-2, 2-0 ESD)

Beau Brown 5-11 1-4 19, Tyler Houwman 4-11 3-8 12, Jaron Weich 1-5 1-5 3, Carter Brewster 2-5 0-0 6, Keegan Soukup 5-8 1-2 13, Connor Morgan 1-8 1-8 3, Ben Miller 1-6 1-6 3, Jed Schmidt 0-3 0-1 0, Gray Determan 0-2 0-2 3, Alex Hartman 0-0 0-0 0, Elijah Pommer 0-0 0-0 0; Totals 24-54 6-17 61.

ECS (12-4)

Mitch Weatherford 2-7 1-2 13, Christian Lewis 2-6 2-5 6, Peyton Watts 5-12 3-10 13, Marcus Lytle 11-18 0-0 29, Jack Oliver 2-4 0-0 7, Steven Oliver 2-6 0-0 6; Totals 24-54 6-17 74.

M 38 61

E 36 74

3-point goals -- MHS 8 (Houwman 3, Weich 1, Brown 1, Soukup 1, Morgan 1, Miller 1), ECS 6 (Watts 3, Lewis 2, Weatherford 1); Assists -- MHS 12 (Brown 8), ECS 13 (Lytle 3); Rebounds -- MHS 41 (Soukup 6), ECS 38 (Lytle 10); Steals -- MHS 7 (Brown 3), ECS 9 (Lytle 3); Fouls -- MHS 29 (Houwman 4), ECS 20 (Oliver 4); Fouled out -- MHS (none), ECS (none); Turnovers -- MHS 22, ECS 13.

1/8: Mitchell's Keegan Soukop (31) and Evangelical Christian's (Tenn.) Marcus Lytle (23) fight for a rebound during a game on Monday afternoon as part of the Mike Miller Classic at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. (Matt Gade/Republic)

2/8: Mitchell's Jed Schmidt (3) commits a charge on Evangelical Christian's (Tenn.) Noah Patton (20) during a game on Monday afternoon as part of the Mike Miller Classic at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. (Matt Gade/Republic)

3/8: Mitchell's Beau Brown (24) splits the Evangelical Christian defense for a layup during a game on Monday afternoon as part of the Mike Miller Classic at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. (Matt Gade/Republic)

4/8: Mitchell's Beau Brown (24) steals the ball from Evangelical Christian's (Tenn.) Mitch Weatherford (3) during a game on Monday afternoon as part of the Mike Miller Classic at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. (Matt Gade/Republic)

5/8: Mitchell's Carter Brewster (20) drives around a Evangelical Christian defender during a game on Monday afternoon as part of the Mike Miller Classic at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. (Matt Gade/Republic)

6/8: Mitchell's Beau Brown (24) goes to the basket during a game on Monday afternoon as part of the Mike Miller Classic at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. (Matt Gade/Republic)

7/8: during a game on Monday afternoon as part of the Mike Miller Classic at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. (Matt Gade/Republic)

8/8: The Kernels and Evangelical Christian tip off during a game on Monday afternoon as part of the Mike Miller Classic at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. (Matt Gade/Republic)