Seniors: Dustin Werner, Ben Bogenrief, Zach Riedeman, Sam Miller, Doug Sewall, Parker Winning, Tyler Bey
| Record |
W-L |
(Conf) |
| Varsity |
24-6 |
(16-2) |
| Junior Varsity |
15-11 |
(11-7) |
| Sophomore |
10-16 |
(4-14) |
SUBURBAN EAST CONFERENCE STANDING (Final)
1 Forest Lake (Suburban East Champs)
2 Cretin-Derham Hall
3 Stillwater
4 White Bear Lake
5 Mounds View
6 Hastings
7 Woodbury
8 Roseville
9 East Ridge
10 Park of Cottage Grove
2009 - 2010 Game Summaries
Current News
Loss 51 - 74
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Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
Section Game 3: Rangers vs Duluth East
Win 71 - 64
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Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
They've done it. Forest Lake's basketball boys erased an 11-point halftime deficit to beat Duluth East 71-64 in a thrilling section final in Elk River Friday night. The win earns the program its fourth trip to state and its first since 1999. Sam Miller converted two critical three-point plays in the paint down the stretch to give the Rangers a lead. Greyhound star Dyami Starks hit two straight three-pointers to pull Duluth East within one at 62-61 with 2:20 remaining, but junior Phil Hegseth responded with a three-pointer with 1:40 left to give the Rangers a cushion they would not relinquish. Doug Sewall had a team-leading 20 points, and Zach Riedeman scored 16 of his 19 in the second half. Forest Lake will open the state tournament at the Target Center on Wednesday.
Win 88 - 86
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Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
The Forest Lake basketball team survived another tough sectional challenge Tuesday night, beating third-seeded Anoka 88-86 in Elk River. The Rangers now move on to face top seed Duluth East in Friday night's section final. The Greyhounds got past fifth-seeded Coon Rapids 66-60 in Tuesday's first semifinal. Anoka used free throws to stay with Forest Lake. The Tornadoes cut a 12-point deficit to one with less than a minute remaining, but Forest Lake made all their free throws down the stretch to hang on.
Win 84 - 71
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Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
Second Article
The Forest Lake boys’ basketball team knew going in that its section opener against Blaine may be tougher than the usual No. 2-vs.-No. 7 pairing. Despite a 6-20 record – which included a 74-41 home loss to the Rangers – the Bengals had beat four teams from Section 7AAAA. And just last year, Blaine entered postseason play with a record of 12-14, only to sweep through the bracket, beat Forest Lake in the title game and earn a trip to the state tournament.
“We knew they were capable of putting it together over the course of the year,” said Ranger coach Dan Cremisino. “They have as much talent as anyone else.”
For much of Thursday’s first-round game at Forest Lake, the Rangers’ worst fears were realized. Blaine came out hot, especially the talented duo of senior guard Jesse Briggity and junior forward Zach Romashko. The Bengals led 38-31 at the break and the game remained knotted until the final minutes of the second half.
Though it took 34 or so minutes to get going, the Rangers finally pulled away with a 16-3 run to finish the game. With the 84-71 win, they advanced to play third-seeded Anoka (18-9) in a semifinal on Tuesday, March 16.
Senior post player Doug Sewall led Forest Lake with a season-high 24 points. With the Bengals running a triangle-and-two defense to keep Zach Riedeman and Phil Hegseth in check, Sewall stepped up, shooting 9-17 from the floor and 6-8 at the free throw line. Riedeman, Hegseth and Sam Miller chipped in 13 points apiece.
Briggity scored 23 and Romashko 19 for Blaine.
Cremisino had hoped to avoid Blaine by either getting the top seed or having the Bengals be seeded higher than Cambridge-Isanti, so he was not surprised that they played a good game.
“We were trying to be the No. 1 seed in the section and have a bit of an easier first-round game, and that didn’t work for us,” he said. “We knew they’d be good and we knew they’d be a test for us.”
Anoka is set up to be another major hurdle. The Tornadoes cruised by Cambridge-Isanti in the first round on the strength of 35 points from senior forward Lomumba Ismail. The other semifinal saw top seed Duluth East take on fifth-seed Coon Rapids. The final is set for 7 p.m. Friday in Elk River.
First Article
Forest Lake rolled to an easy opening round win in the Section 7AAAA boy's basketball playoffs Thursday night, slamming the door on visiting Blaine, 84-71. Doug Sewall, Forest Lake's 6-foot-5 senior center, led a balanced Ranger scoring attack with 24 points. Phil Hegseth, Sam Miller and Zach Riedeman all hit for 13 points. The Rangers (22-5), the No. 2 seed in the tournament, will now take on Anoka, the No. 3 seed, on Tuesday, March 16 in Elk River.
The Tornadoes took care of Cambridge-Isanti, 76-61 in the quarterfinals on Thursday night. In the other bracket, No. 1 seed Duluth East routed St. Francis, 84-44 while Coon Rapids knocked off Andover, 78-68. Duluth East and Coon Rapids will now meet in the semifinals. The Section 7AAAA title game will be played in Elk River on Friday, March 19
Win 76 - 53
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Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
Forest Lake wrapped up its Suburban East Conference boy's basketball championship run on Friday night, rolling over Park of Cottage Grove, 76-53. The Rangers claimed the SEC title with a two-game bulge over second-place Cretin-Derham Hall. In the convincing win at Park, Zach Riedeman pumped in 21 points and Phil Hegseth dropped in 16 points as the Rangers closed out the regular season. The team will now prepare for sectional playoffs which begin next week. The tournament field will also include powerful Duluth East which has knocked off the Rangers twice during regular season play.
Game 24: Rangers vs East Ridge (Conference)
Win 77 - 59
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Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
They say all good things must come to an end, and for the Ranger basketball boys, that meant they eventually would have to lose. The squad had an 11-game win streak snapped at Woodbury last Tuesday. On Friday, they got back in the win column against East Ridge on Senior Night.
Forest Lake rolled out to a 15-point halftime lead at home against the Raptors and won 77-59. The squad hit 10 three-pointers. Zach Riedeman led the way with 28 points, and he became the school’s single-season scoring lead on a breakaway dunk. His 554th point of the year surpassed the record set by Todd Poepard in 1995.
The Rangers played at Hastings on Tuesday and wrap up the regular season Friday at Park. Going into Tuesday’s game, they held a one-game advantage over Cretin-Derham Hall atop the Suburban East Conference.
Raptors 28 31 59
Rangers 43 34 77
Pts. Reb. Asst.
Riedeman 28 6 3
Sewall 14 8 2
Hegseth 8 1 1
Berner 6 3 0
Miller 6 3 1
Winning 4 6 1
Bogenrief 3 2 1
Bey 3 2 1
Rosenberger 3 0 1
Percentages: FG-39, FT-85. Three-pointers: 10-22. Turnovers: 12. Steals: 13.
Game 23: Rangers vs Woodbury (Conference)
Loss 66 - 68
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Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
Hans Backlund hit a three-pointer with five seconds left to give host Woodbury a 68-66 upset last Tuesday. The Rangers trailed by two at the break, as the Royals shot 51 percent from the field. Woodbury had three players with at least 14 points, led by Joe Rizzardi with 20. Riedeman led Forest Lake with 19, and Phil Hegseth added 16.
Rangers 31 35 66
Royals 33 35 68
Pts. Reb. Asst.
Riedeman 19 4 8
Hegseth 16 5 1
Sewall 12 8 1
Miller 9 7 1
Bey 5 2 1
Rosenberger 2 0 0
Winning 2 2 2
Johnson 1 2 1
Percentages: FG-40, FT-60. Three-pointers: 6-18. Turnovers: 17. Steals: 13.
Game 22: Rangers vs Mounds View(Conference)
Win 79 - 50
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Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
Coming off a pair of thrilling overtime wins, the Ranger basketball boys made sure there was no drama in Friday’s home matchup with Mounds View. An early 21-0 run ensured that the team’s 11th straight win would be an easy one.
Trailing 18-17, the huge spurt led to a 40-20 halftime lead. Seven Rangers scored during the rally, which was capped by Phil Hegseth’s second three-pointer of the span. The junior ended up with a team-high 17 points.
Coach Dan Cremisino felt the key was that the Rangers were able to impose their tempo on the Mustangs, who wanted to keep a slower pace.
“Their guard play found trouble with our trapping,” he said. “They love to slow it down and play in the halfcourt. We needed to make it to a full-court game.”
Senior Sam Miller was key at both ends of the floor – forcing turnovers atop the defense and getting to the rim to finish breaks. The forward had 15 points is shooting 55 percent on the year.
The Rangers played at Woodbury on Tuesday. They host East Ridge on Friday and travel to Hastings next Tuesday. They have a two-game lead in the conference race with four games remaining.
Mustangs 20 30 50
Rangers 40 39 79
Pts. Reb. Asst.
Hegseth 17 2 1
Miller 15 3 3
Riedeman 14 7 7
Rosenberger 7 0 1
Winning 7 2 0
Sewall 6 8 3
Berner 4 4 0
Bey 2 2 1
Edelen 2 1 0
Johnson 2 4 2
Colling 2 0 0
Bogenrief 2 3 0
Percentages: FG-47, FT-72. Three-pointers: 7-17. Turnovers: 15. Steals: 11.
Game 21: Rangers vs White Bear Lake(Conference)
Win 72 - 70 3OT
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Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
Riedeman sets career scoring record, then hits game-winner
It seemed like Forest Lake had no business being in the game at No. 8 White Bear Lake Tuesday night, much less having a chance to win it.
Yet there they were, with the score knotted at 70 and the ball in hand with 10 seconds left in the third overtime. Zach Riedeman dribbled toward the top of the three-point line, took a few quick steps toward the hoop, then suddenly pulled back and arched a jumper. Nothing but net.
Indeed, it feels more and more like a charmed season for this batch of Rangers. Their 10th straight win came just four nights after another heart-stopping overtime win in which they knocked off No. 4 Cretin-Derham Hall at home.
The comparisons to Friday end in the win column, though. Whereas the Rangers (17-4) led the Raiders for the bulk of the night and stemmed off several runs, on Tuesday they looked sloppy and uninterested for the first two-thirds of regulation.
They allowed an early 12-0 run and scored just 22 points in the first half. Riedeman set the school’s career scoring record towards the beginning of the contest, but the senior forward had far more turnovers in the first half than his four points. And yet, the game was tied at the half.
But the Bears (14-7) charged out of the locker room with eight straight points and stretched the lead to 18 at 44-26 with 12 minutes to go. To top it off, Riedeman picked up his fourth foul.
Junior Phil Hegseth gave Forest Lake the kick start it needed, though, draining back-to-back threes to cut the deficit to 12. After a White Bear bucket, Riedeman finally came to life. He hit his second field goal of the game, stole the inbounds and made a layup.
Though the Bears regained a 14-point lead, Riedeman had awoken. He scored six points on an 8-0 Ranger run that brought them within 50-44. After a White Bear three-pointer, a five-point Forest Lake spurt culminated with a steal and a two-hand slam by Sam Miller.
Shortly thereafter, two free throws from Doug Sewall cut the lead to three with 1:13 remaining. Forest Lake earned a stop, and Riedeman swished a three to tie the game at 57 with 35 seconds left.
White Bear senior Richard Azevedo responded by pivoting his way to an open look in the paint, giving his team the lead with 10 seconds on the clock.
Riedeman walked the ball up the court and waited until the last second before firing a long two-pointer. His 21st point sent the game to overtime.
The four-minute period made regulation seem tame. The Bears won the tip, and the teams proceeded to go scoreless and turn the ball over six times. White Bear threw away a pass with about 10 seconds left. With six seconds left, the Bears blocked an inbounds pass and called a timeout. David Rademacher’s three-pointer struck well off the mark as time expired. It was the only shot attempt of the period.
Tied at 65 in the waning seconds of the second overtime, the Bears got another chance to win in dramatic fashion. The hosts could not get the shot they wanted, though, and Colton Smit missed a three-pointer from the corner.
Down three with 1:34 left in the third extra session, Riedeman drew a foul on a three-point attempt. White Bear’s star big man Spencer Cummings fouled out, and Riedeman hit all three free throws.
The Bears drained the clock down for over a minute, but ended up taking an ill-advised, off-balance fadeaway near the hoop. The ball came to Riedeman with 10 seconds left.
“I just got the ball to the top of the key, coach looked at me and told me to go,” he said. “They were sitting in the lane, so I decided to pull up and let it go.”
Ranger coach Dan Cremisino learned his lesson in the first overtime, when the timeout he called preceded the White Bear steal in the closing seconds.
“All I want is the ball in his hands and I want him to go,” he said. “Why would we do anything different?”
Riedeman’s final basket won the game, while his first set the scoring record. The early free-throw gave him 1,231 points, passing the career mark Todd Poepard set in 1995. Riedeman’s 30 points on Tuesday give him 500 on the season, just 53 back of Poepard’s single-season record.
“It’s an honor to be part of Forest Lake history now,” Riedeman said. “When I was a freshman I remember telling my mom that I was going to break the all-time record at Forest Lake, so it’s nice now that it’s actually happened.”
The win in White Bear may also find its way into Ranger lore. Besides keeping alive the win streak and avenging the loss that came before it, Tuesday’s victory maintained Forest Lake’s two-game edge over Cretin-Derham Hall atop the conference with five games to go. It also knocked the Bears three games back.
“How that all shook out was pretty incredible,” Cremisino said. “You just got to kind of ride this out and enjoy it. It doesn’t get any better, it’s a lot of fun.”
Win 80 - 79 OT
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Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
It will take an upset or two to keep Forest Lake from winning the Suburban East Conference. The Rangers extended their win streak to nine games and their cushion in the SEC to two with a thrilling overtime win over second-place Cretin-Derham Hall in town Friday night. Just six games remained on the schedule after the 80-79 victory. The squad played at White Bear Lake (14-6) on Tuesday night, seeking to avenge their only conference blemish. Senior forward Zach Riedeman needed just one point to break the school’s all-time scoring mark of 1,230. The Rangers host 12-8 Mounds View on Friday, then finish against the conference’s bottom four teams.
Friday night’s showdown lived up to the billing that comes when two ranked teams meet for conference supremacy. Sixth-ranked Forest Lake led nearly wire to wire, but No. 4 Cretin-Derham Hall charged back time after time.
The hosts held their biggest lead of the first half after a Riedeman drive made it 27-18 with 4:30 to go. Raider guard Raijon Kelly banked a three-pointer in at the buzzer, though, to pull his team within five at the break.
Cretin-Derham Hall continued to chip away in the second half, and a pair of free throws by University of Southern California football commit Seantrel Henderson knotted the game at 51 with 7:45 remaining.
Forest Lake immediately responded, as senior center Doug Sewall scored four straight and Riedeman converted a wild three-point play to open up a seven-point lead. Three minutes later, the margin hit 11 after a Sewall free throw with 3:25 on the clock.
Once again, the Raiders clawed back. Forest Lake helped the cause with missed free throws and turnovers as Cretin-Derham Hall went on an 8-0 run to make it 65-62 at the 2:05 mark.
The Rangers led 69-64 with one minute left, but the Raiders scored four points on their next trip down the floor. After Kelly made a free throw, they got the offensive rebound of his second attempt. Sophomore C.J. Neuman hit a layup, was fouled and made the free throw to cut the lead to one.
After Forest Lake junior Phil Hegseth converted two free throws with 39 seconds remaining, Henderson scored off an offensive rebound to make the score 71-70. Riedeman then went 1-2 from the line, and with eight seconds left, Kelly swished a runner in the lane to tie it up.
Forest Lake got trapped at half court and called a timeout with four seconds left. An off-balance three-pointer by Riedeman bounced out as time expired.
Riedeman and Henderson exchanged buckets to open overtime. After a pair of free throws by Sewall gave Forest Lake a 76-74 lead with 2:28 on the clock, shots stopped falling. Combined with a flurry of turnovers, the clock wound down with no points being scored. Down two and without the ball, the Raiders finally had to foul. Riedeman hit two to stretch the lead to four, but Kelly answered with a pair of free throws at the 29-second mark.
Hegseth hit two more nine seconds later to give Forest Lake an 80-76 lead, but Neuman stroked a three-pointer to cut the lead to one with eight seconds remaining. Sitting on 34 points, Riedeman then missed two chances to break the scoring record at the free throw line, and the Raiders suddenly had a chance to win. Kelly drove to the top of the lane and fired just before the buzzer, but his shot glanced off the rim.
Proclaiming Cretin-Derham Hall to be as good as any team in the state, Forest Lake coach Dan Cremisino had nothing but praise for how his own squad survived the Raiders’ rallies.
“They are a very mentally tough group,” he said. “Besides talent, that’s the biggest thing they have going. They really expect to win.”
Sewall, who finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds, agreed.
“We feel like we can’t be stopped,” he said. “We think we can go into state and actually win a couple of games.”
Hegseth was perfect from the free throw line and went 3-4 from beyond the arc on his way to a season-high 15 points. For the Raiders, Kelly, Henderson and sophomore Taylor Montero scored 17 apiece.
Sewall compared guarding the 6’8”, 330-pound Henderson to banging with an NFL player.
“But on offense I got him a couple of times,” he added.
Raiders 27 45 7 79
Rangers 32 40 8 80
Pts. Reb. Asst.
Riedeman 34 4 2
Sewall 20 16 2
Hegseth 15 3 2
Miller 4 3 1
Rosenberger 3 1 0
Johnson 2 2 2
Berner 2 0 0
Bey 0 4 6
Percentages: FG-55, FT-72. Three-pointers: 8-15. Turnovers: 23. Steals: 3.
Win 67 - 58
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
Forest Lake earned a season sweep of Stillwater with a 67-58 road win last Tuesday. Ranked eighth at the time, the Ponies suffered their third defeat in four games. They would go on to lose in Woodbury on Friday and fall to 7-5 in the SEC.
The Rangers held a six-point lead at the half and hit their free throws down the stretch. Riedeman alone made 13 free throws in the second half. He finished with 22 points and Sewall added 15 and 11 rebounds. Hegseth and Sam Miller each scored 10 points.
Rangers 30 37 67
Ponies 24 34 58
Pts. Reb. Asst.
Riedeman 22 5 4
Sewall 15 11 0
Hegseth 10 1 1
Miller 10 3 3
Rosenberger 6 3 0
Bey 2 1 2
Winning 2 3 0
Percentages: FG-42, FT-69. Three-pointers: 12-18. Turnovers: 7. Steals: 7.
Win 63-61
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
As time wound down in a toe-to-toe battle Friday night, both Roseville and No. 10 Forest Lake put the ball in the hands of their biggest weapons.
With his team trailing 61-59, Raider junior David Stanley calmly fired a jump shot. It went through the net to tie the game with eight seconds left.
The Rangers had a timeout left, but instead of using it, they quickly inbounded the ball. Zach Riedeman worked his way to the top of the key, spun away from a defender and shot. The ball hit the front of the rim, the buzzer sounded, the ball bounced off the back of the rim and finally fell through the hoop to give Forest Lake a hard-fought, 63-61 road win.
Coach Dan Cremisino was glad he kept his clipboard at his side and let play continue.
“At that point, with a tie game, the worst-case scenario is that it would be tied,” he said. “I didn’t want the defense to get set up, when we have the player to create his own shot.”
The thrilling ending capped a game that had a strange flow to it. Roseville (8-10) scored the game’s first seven points and ran out to a 15-point lead early in the first half. The Rangers did not necessarily play bad, but missed some open shots and Riedeman found foul trouble.
But the Rangers threw in some different defensive looks and went on a 32-10 run to go up 39-30 in the second half.
It was nip-and-tuck from there. Roseville charged back to go up by four with four minutes left, then the Rangers responded and took a 59-56 lead. Roseville hit a big three-pointer to tie the game in the final minute, but Sam Miller then got loose for a dunk.
After a steal, Riedeman had a chance to ice the game, but missed a free throw, setting up the final exchange of buckets.
Cremisino had been wary of the Raiders, and especially of playing at Roseville. Forest Lake lost there last season and earned close victories in the two years prior.
“They have as much talent as anybody,” he said. “They’re very athletic and they can beat you if you don’t come to play. They definitely made it very, very close.”
Forest Lake remains one game ahead of No. 7 Cretin-Derham Hall and White Bear Lake in the Suburban East Conference standings. The Bears have won nine in a row, including a win over Stillwater last week which knocked the Ponies back to fourth in the league.
The Rangers (14-4) brought their seven-game win streak to Stillwater on Tuesday. On Friday, they host Cretin-Derham Hall with first place on the line. Leading scorer and top football recruit Seantrel Henderson will be back in the post for the Raiders after going to New York City to commit to the University of Southern California.
It is also possible that Riedeman could set the school scoring record on Friday. He sat 56 points away from tying the mark heading into the Stillwater game.
Forest Lake also travels to White Bear Lake on Tuesday.
Rangers 31 32 63
Raiders 30 31 61
Pts. Reb. Asst.
Riedeman 14 5 10
Miller 12 5 0
Sewall 10 10 2
Hegseth 10 5 2
Winning 7 6 0
Johnson 3 1 0
Bey 3 2 1
Rosenberger 2 0 0
Berner 2 2 0
Percentages: FG-42, FT-61. Three-pointers: 3-13. Turnovers: 23. Steals: 10.
Win 72-45
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
It would really take some nitpicking to find any flaws or concerns on the Ranger boys’ basketball team right now. Forest Lake is cruising, having won six games in a row by an average of 22 points. Hastings and Park were the latest to get in the way of the Ranger Express, and each suffered heavy defeats last week. The Wolfpack lasted about five minutes Friday before the game entered blowout mode. Leading 6-5, Forest Lake rattled off a quick 10-0 run. Tyler Rosenberger got a hoop off a nice feed from Doug Sewall to start the spurt. A jumper by Zach Riedeman and a layup by Jordan Berner made it 12-5. Sewall then hit two free throws, and after Riedeman stole the ball and scored, the Rangers were suddenly staked to a 16-5 lead.
They didn’t let off the gas, extending the lead to 40-15 at the break. The second half brought more of the same, highlighted by a one-hand, tomahawk putback slam by Sam Miller. The Wolfpack never clawed closer than 22 points and fell 72-45.
Coach Dan Cremisino said such games are often traps – not for losing, but for losing focus.
“Those are tough situations,” he said. “[Park is] well coached and play as hard as they can, but sometimes it is difficult to play against a team that is overmatched. When you can do whatever you want, sometimes you can develop bad habits.”On the other hand, the Rangers (13-4) emptied their bench and several backups logged significant playing time.
Riedeman had a game-high 15 points, while Sewall and Phil Hegseth added 11 apiece. Riedeman – one of 25 candidates for Minnesota’s Mr. Basketball – has 400 points on the year and now sits 70 back of Todd Poepard for the school’s career record.
The Rangers head to Roseville on Friday and play at No. 10 Stillwater on Tuesday. Thanks to Roseville’s win over No. 3 Cretin-Derham Hall on Friday, Forest Lake has the outright conference lead with a mark of 8-1 in the Suburban East Conference.
“Every game is for the conference championship because if we keep winning, there’s no one that can beat us,” Cremisino said.
Wolfpack 15 30 45
Rangers 40 32 72
Pts. Reb. Asst.
Riedeman 15 3 2
Sewall 11 7 2
Hegseth 11 2 1
Miller 9 4 3
Rosenberger 8 2 0
Berner 7 1 1
Bey 3 1 1
Colling 2 0 0
Larson 2 2 0
Werner 2 0 1
Winning 2 4 1
Percentages: FG-44, FT-58. Three-pointers: 7-22. Turnovers: 17. Steals: 19.
Win 98-73
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
FL 98, Hastings 73
The Rangers reached their highest scoring output of the season in a 98-73 home win over Hastings (7-9, 4-5 SEC) Tuesday night. Cremisino credited good shooting, transition scoring and tight ball control for the big margin of victory.
The Rangers shot 53 percent from the field and got to the free throw line 30 times, converting 22 attempts. Riedeman scored 31, while Sewall added 18 to go with 13 rebounds. Miller had 12 points and nine rebounds.
Raiders 34 39 73
Rangers 46 52 98
Pts. Reb. Asst.
Riedeman 31 8 5
Sewall 18 13 1
Miller 12 9 2
Hegseth 11 3 2
Winning 8 6 0
Johnson 7 0 0
Bogenrief 5 0 0
Werner 3 0 1
Bey 2 0 0
Berner 1 1 1
Percentages: FG-53, FT-73. Three-pointers: 8-19. Turnovers: 18. Steals: 14.
Game 15: Rangers vs Eau Claire Memorial (Non Conference)
Win 61-48
SCORING: Riedeman 19, Sewall 13, Hegseth 12, Miller 8, Bey 3, Winning 3, Rosenberger 2, Werner 1
REBOUNDING: Sewall 12, Miller 6, Bey 4, Bogenrief 1, Winning 1, Riedeman 1, Johnson 1, Hegseth 1, Rosenberger 1
>> See Game Stats
>> Video clip of game
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
Three lopsided wins last week brought the Ranger basketball team to 11-4. The latest also helped earn the state some bragging rights – Forest Lake beat Eau Claire Memorial 61-48 Saturday in the fourth-annual Border Battle pitting five Minnesota squads against Wisconsin counterparts. The Land of 10,000 Lakes swept The Badger State this time around.
Forest Lake took a 38-25 halftime lead before the Old Abes drew within five. They used a box-and-one defense to limit Zach Riedeman to three second-half points after he went for 16 in the first. But other Rangers stepped up, as Tyler Bey and Phil Hegseth hit three-pointers to quickly extend the lead again.
As they have throughout their four-game win streak, the Rangers manufactured good shots in many ways. They took advantage, shooting 56 percent from the field.
Hegseth and Sam Miller kept up their recent hot streaks. Hegseth went 4-5 from three-point range and Miller added eight points, six rebounds and four steals. Doug Sewall scored 13 points and had 12 rebounds. The team turned the ball over just nine times.
Forest Lake hosted Hastings on Tuesday and welcomes Park to town on Friday.
Rangers 38 23 61
Old Abes 25 23 48
Pts. Reb. Asst.
Riedeman 19 1 4
Sewall 13 12 4
Hegseth 12 1 1
Miller 8 6 3
Winning 3 1 0
Bey 3 4 2
Rosenberger 2 1 0
Werner 1 0 0
Percentages: FG-56, FT-58. Three-pointers: 6-12. Turnovers: 9. Steals: 7.
Win 86-51
SCORING: Riedeman 22, Hegseth 13, Berner 11, Bey 8, Sewall 8, Miller 7, Werner 6, Johnson 4, Winning 3, Rosenberger 3, Bogenrief 1,
REBOUNDING: Riedeman 5, Johnson 5, Berner 5, Winning 3, Miller 3, Sewall 3, Werner 2, Bey 1, Bogenrief 1, Rosenberger 1
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
The Rangers made their first visit to the Raptors’ gym a forgettable one for the hosts Friday night. Forest Lake jumped out to a 13-0 lead in front of a big crowd at East Ridge’s new gym and never looked back.
“We just jumped out and jumped on them right away,” said coach Dan Cremisino. “We played, really, really well.”
Before East Ridge (5-10) knew what hit them, Forest Lake led 53-27 at half. The Rangers shot 58 percent from the floor for the game, including 10-20 from deep. Riedeman scored 22 points on 7-11 shooting. Hegseth added a trio of three-pointers on his way to 13 points. The team had 23 assists and 13 steals while turning the ball over only seven times.
Rangers 53 33 86
Raptors 27 24 51
Pts. Reb. Asst.
Riedeman 22 5 5
Hegseth 13 0 1
Berner 11 5 0
Bey 8 1 0
Sewall 8 3 1
Miller 7 3 3
Werner 6 2 2
Johnson 4 5 1
Rosenberger 3 1 4
Winning 3 3 3
Percentages: FG-58, FT-58. Three-pointers: 10-20. Turnovers: 7. Steals: 13
Win 87-69
SCORING: Riedeman 34, Miller 16,Hegseth 12, Bey 8, Sewall 6, Bogenrief 4, Rosenberger 4, Johnson 3
REBOUNDING: Riedeman 11, Sewall 8, Miller 6, Winning 4, Bey 3, Bogenrief 2, Rosenberger 1, Johnson 1, Hegseth 1, Berner 1
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
What started as a close game got away from Woodbury in Forest Lake last Tuesday. They Royals held a lead of 31-30 with less than five minutes remaining in the opening half, but the Rangers went on a tear in the middle of the game. An alley-oop dunk from Riedeman to Miller early in the second half highlighted the run.
Nick Quicksell almost singlehandedly kept Woodbury (3-10) in the game early on, and he finished with 31 points. For Forest Lake, Riedeman had 34 and 11 rebounds, and Miller added 16 on 8-10 shooting.
Royals 37 32 69
Rangers 42 45 87
Pts. Reb. Asst.
Riedeman 34 11 5
Miller 16 6 1
Hegseth 12 1 5
Bey 8 3 2
Sewall 6 8 5
Rosenberger 4 1 1
Bogenrief 4 2 0
Johnson 3 1 1
Percentages: FG-48, FT-81. Three-pointers: 7-17. Turnovers: 15. Steals: 12
Win 68-55
SCORING: Riedeman 27, Bey 13, Miller 8, Johnson 7, Sewall 6, Hegseth 5, Berner 2
REBOUNDING: Riedeman 12, Miller 3, Winning 3, Bey 3, Hegseth 3, Johnson 3, Sewall 2, Berner 1
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
After White Bear Lake handed Forest Lake its first Suburban East Conference loss last Tuesday, the Rangers remained in the thick of the SEC title hunt with a key win in Mounds View Friday night.
Battling for a share of first place, Forest Lake held on to an early lead for a 68-55 victory. The Mustangs (8-5) endured their second straight loss after starting conference play 3-0.
“First of all, it’s a fun place to play, but it’s also not an easy place,” Ranger coach Dan Cremisino said. “You generally shoot pretty well, generally the student section can be kind of intimidating your first time, you got a coaching legend on the other bench and he does such a good job getting kids ready. It’s always a challenge to go in there and get a win.”
Shooting 56 percent from the floor, including 6-11 from three-point territory, helped the cause. So did 13 steals, as the Rangers trapped and tried to speed up the tempo.
Forest Lake held a 31-22 lead at halftime. It could have been much bigger but for sloppy free throw shooting. At one point, the squad was 6-21 from the charity stripe.
The Mustangs opened the second half with a 14-7 run to cut the lead to two, but never got closer. Forest Lake hit 10 of its last 13 free throws to help seal the win.
Zach Riedeman scored 27 points and hauled in 12 rebounds, while Tyler Bey went 3-4 from deep and had 13 points. Jordan Berner filled in admirably when Doug Sewall got in foul trouble, and Evan Johnson starred on defense, Cremisino said.
The Rangers are tied with Stillwater and Cretin-Derham Hall at 4-1 in the SEC, but they own wins against both the Ponies and the Raiders. Forest Lake hosted Woodbury on Tuesday, plays at East Ridge on Friday and hosts Hastings next Tuesday.
Also, the team will take part in the fourth-annual Border Battle in Eau Claire, WI on Saturday. The event features five games pitting Minnesota teams against Wisconsin foes. The Rangers close out the showdown with an 8 p.m. contest against Eau Claire Memorial. Wisconsin won the first two years, but Minnesota prevailed 3-2 last year.
Game 11: Rangers vs White Bear Lake (Conference)
Loss 47-67
SCORING: Hegseth 13, Sewall 11, Bogenrief 6, Bey 4, Miller 4, Winning 4, Johnson 2, Berner 2, Vidlund 1
REBOUNDING: Miller-7, Winning-6, Sewall-6, Bogenrief-3, Johnson-3, Bey-1, Rosenberger-1, Hegseth-1, Berner-1
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
White Bear Lake shut down the Ranger offense last Tuesday in a 67-47 win in Forest Lake. Playing without Riedeman, the hosts struggled to find a rhythm, scoring over 20 points less than their season average. The Bears also stole the ball 18 times and forced 24 turnovers overall.
The combination of turnovers, poor free throw shooting and lack of offensive flow accounted for a second half in which the Bears outscored Forest Lake 41-24.
“We didn’t have anybody that picked up the scoring slack,” Cremisino said.
The Rangers shot 38 percent from the floor. Phil Hegseth scored a team-high 13 and Sewall added 11. Forward Spencer Cummings had 20 points to lead the Bears.
Zach Riedeman 1000th Career Point
January 8, 2009 against Cretin-Derham Hall
Win 62-58
SCORING: Riedeman-20, Sewall-17, Winning-6, Miller-6, Johnson-6, Bey-5, Hegseth-3
REBOUNDING: Sewall-12, Bey-9, Winning-6, Miller-6, Johnson-4, Hegseth-3, Riedeman-2, Vidlund-1
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
Last week will go down as a historic one for the Ranger basketball program. Forest Lake beat two conference opponents ranked in the top 10 and senior Zach Riedeman became the third Ranger to cross the 1,000-point threshold for career scoring.
“It was a nice week for us because after not playing well in the loss to Osseo and losing to Duluth East again and then having to face the No. 6 and No. 3 teams in the state, we could have played well in both games and still be at 5-5 on the season,” said coach Dan Cremisino, hearkening back to the losses suffered in a St. Cloud tourney over the holidays.
Instead, wins over Stillwater and Cretin-Derham Hall have the Rangers at 7-3 overall and tied for the Suburban East Conference lead at 3-0.
Forest Lake overcame a nine-point halftime deficit on Friday at Cretin-Derham Hall, a notoriously difficult place to earn a road win. The Rangers finally grabbed the lead in the last minute. Parker Winning made two free throws to get within a point, and the visitors forced a turnover after trapping on the ensuing inbounds play. Riedeman cashed in the go-ahead bucket with 30 seconds left, and the Raiders threw the ball away again with 15 seconds remaining. From there, Doug Sewall and Tyler Bey hit free throws to ice the win.
Forest Lake also struggled holding onto the ball, committing 27 turnovers. They trailed by as much as 13 in the second half. But Riedeman limited Raider point guard Raijon Kelly to 0-9 shooting, and accuracy from the foul stripe kept the Rangers in the game. They went 20-23 from the free throw line.
“We didn’t play particularly well but we did what we had to to claw back,” Cremisino said.
Doug Sewall had 12 boards as Forest Lake owned a rebounding advantage of over 20. He also shot 6-9 and scored 17 points.
Riedeman swished home his 1,000th point on a free throw in the first half. It tied the game at 24, but Cretin-Derham Hall rattled off nine straight to end the half, including a three-pointer at the buzzer. Riedeman needs 219 points to pass Todd Poepard for the school record for career points. He has scored 252 through 10 games this season.
Post player CJ Neuman led the Raiders (7-2, 2-1) with 19 points, while fellow sophomore Cortez Tillman added 18. Center Seantrel Henderson missed the contest while in San Antonio to compete in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Game 9: Rangers vs Stillwater (Conference)
Win 65-39
SCORING: Riedeman-23, Hegseth-11, Johnson-8, Miller-6, Sewall-6, Bey-5, Berner-4, Winning-2
REBOUNDING: Sewall-9, Miller-6, Johnson-6, Bey-5, Riedeman-5, Berner-4, Winning-3, Hegseth-2
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
(1/6/10) From start to finish, the Rangers left no doubt as to the outcome of Tuesday's showdown with sixth-ranked Stillwater. The matchup in Forest Lake was highly anticipated, as the Ponies came in at 7-1, but the Rangers (6-3) dominated all phases of the contest and won 65-39. They led by 15 at the half, and Stillwater never came closer than 13 from there on out. Look for complete coverage in next week's Forest Lake Times(1/13/10) The Stillwater Ponies marched into town ranked sixth in the state, coming off a tournament win in Rochester and bearing a record of 7-1. Indeed, Cremisino feared the worst when he saw their lineup which includes two football stars and a 6’9” center who has signed to play D-II basketball next year.
“I thought, ‘Oh my god, they look better in their warmups than we do,’” Cremisino said.
But once the game tipped off, Forest Lake made Stillwater look pretty ragged. The Ponies shot 28 percent from the floor, including 1-15 from beyond the arc. They trailed by 19 late in the first half and never got closer than 14 the rest of the way.
Riedeman scored 23 points and Evan Johnson added eight points and six rebounds in a starting role. Phil Hegseth scored seven of his 11 points when the Rangers were breaking the game open in the first half. Forest Lake committed just eight turnovers.
“You kept on expecting [Stillwater] to make a run, and they never brought the energy to do that, and credit our players, they never really let them come back,” Cremisino said.
Forest Lake hosted White Bear Lake on Tuesday. The Rangers were without the services of Riedeman, who served a one-game suspension handed down by the school for his role in a lunchroom prank.
The team heads to Mounds View on Friday to meet the co-conference leading Mustangs. The boys then host Woodbury on Tuesday.
Game 8: Rangers vs Osseo (Granite City Classic Tournament)
Loss 94-68
SCORING: Riedeman-23, Hegseth-11, Sewall-8, Bey-7, Miller-5, Bogenrief-4, Winning-3, Edelen-3, Vidlund-2, Johnson-2
REBOUNDING: Sewall-8, Johnson-7, Miller-3, Riedeman-3, Winning-3, Bogenrief-2, Edelen-2, Bey-1, Hegseth-1, Larson-1, Vidlund-1
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
Tough tournaments usually get tougher round by round. That proved true for Forest Lake in the Granite City Classic in St. Cloud last week. After a solid opening-round win over Rocori on Dec. 28, the Rangers lost a tight semifinal to Duluth East and fell big to No. 9 Osseo in the third-place contest.
The Orioles (5-2) held just a six-point advantage at the half on Wednesday, but Forest Lake couldn’t keep up the scoring spree the rest of the way. Osseo scored 47 points in the first half, so the Rangers went to a 1-3-1 defense, but did not play with the energy necessary to make it work. Behind North Dakota State-bound point guard Aaron Anderson, the Orioles put up another 47-spot in the second half. Meanwhile, Forest Lake managed just 24 points after the break and fell 94-68.
The Rangers got 23 points from Zach Riedeman on just 15 shots and Phil Hegseth chipped in 11 points on 50 percent shooting.
Game 7: Rangers vs Duluth East (Granite City Classic Tournament)
Loss 78-72
SCORING: Riedeman-34, Miller-9, Hegseth-8, Sewall-7, Winning-5, Johnson-4, Bey-2, Larson-2, Bogenrief-1
REBOUNDING: Riedeman-7, Sewall-6, Winning-6, Miller-5, Bogenrief-3, Hegseth-2, Bey-1, Edelen-1
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
The rematch from the Greyhounds’ 68-64 victory on Dec. 12 played out much like the first go-around in Forest Lake. The Rangers dug a big hole, charged back, but could not convert opportunities to take the lead down the stretch. This time, Duluth East charged out to a 14-0 lead. Forest Lake responded with a 24-10 run, but Riedeman was slapped with a technical foul after he hit a shot to tie it up and the Greyhounds opened a six-point lead at half.
The Maroon and Gold was dealt a blow when starting post Doug Sewall left with an injury at the 14-minute mark. Still, they held possession with chances to tie several times down the stretch.
Down three, Forest Lake fouled with 11 seconds left, and the Greyhounds hit one of two. The Rangers then turned it over off the inbounds pass to seal the loss.
Riedeman shot 12-20 and was the only Ranger in double-digits, scoring 34. He sat 31 points from 1,000 for his career entering the game on Tuesday, Jan. 4.
Coach Dan Cremisino felt the Greyhounds are yet to see his team’s best effort.
“We didn’t shoot well and they shot 50 percent again and played very well,” he said.
If the squads meet again, it may be in the section final, which is no place to dig the deep holes that the Rangers have found themselves in in both meetings.
“That is a pattern we definitely have to get out of,” Cremisino said. “We’re giving too many possessions away.”
The Greyhounds went on to lose 92-83 to No. 4 St. Cloud Tech in the championship, falling to 6-3 on the year.
A brutally tough portion of the schedule continues for Forest Lake. The team hosted No. 6 Stillwater on Tuesday and plays at No. 3 Cretin-Derham Hall on Friday.
Game 6: Rangers vs Rocorri (Granite City Classic Tournament)
Win 67-56
SCORING: Riedeman-14, Hegseth-12, Sewall-11, Johnson-7, Winning-7, Miller-6, Werner-4, Bey-2, Bogenrief-2, Edelen-2
REBOUNDING: Sewall-12, Riedeman-6, Miller-4, Winning-4, Johnson-3, Hegseth-2, Larson-2, Edelen-2, Berner-1, Bey-1
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
Forest Lake advanced to the semifinals of the Granite City Holiday Classic in St. Cloud with a 67-56 win over Rocori in a first-round matchup Monday evening. The victory earned the Rangers a rematch Tuesday with section rival Duluth East, who departed Forest Lake with a narrow win earlier this month.
Both the Rangers and Spartans played rather flat in the opener, though Forest Lake maintained a commanding lead through most of the game.
“We didn’t play great,” said coach Dan Cremisino. “Rocori is a very good team, and they didn’t play great, either, so I hope we had something to do with that.”
Leading 33-20 at half, the Rangers extended the advantage to as much as 24 down the stretch. Cremisino felt his team’s athleticism won out, as Forest Lake held a big advantage in rebounding and was able to score in transition. The team also shot over 50 percent from three-point range, led by junior Phil Hegseth’s 4-5 effort.
Senior Zach Riedeman had a team-high 14 points despite playing only 15 minutes and fouling out with eight minutes remaining. Senior Doug Sewall kept his season-long double-double streak alive by scoring 11 and grabbing a dozen rebounds. Junior Parker Winning scored seven points and junior Evan Johnson added seven off the bench.
The win makes it three straight years that Forest Lake has beat Rocori in the tournament. The Rangers lost to Osseo in the opening round last season.
The Spartans, who came in 5-1, faced St. Cloud Apollo in a consolation game on Tuesday. Apollo fell to Duluth East 65-63 on Monday, as Greyhound star Dynami Starks hit a jump shot with two seconds left.
No. 9 Osseo and No. 4 St. Cloud Tech advanced in the top half of the bracket.
Game 5: Rangers at Blaine (non-conference)
Win 74-41
SCORING: Riedeman 15, Miller 13, Sewall 12, Bey 7, Winning 6, Hegseth 5, Johnson 4, Bogenreif 4, Larson 4, Edelen 2, Vidlund 2.
REBOUNDING: Riedeman-5, Sewall-5, Bey-4, Winning-3, Larson-3, Edelen-3, Johnson-3, Miller-2, Werner-1
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
Everything came together for Forest Lake as they romped Blaine 74-41 last Tuesday. The road win provided a measure of revenge, as the Bengals upset the Rangers in the section final game last winter. With their main weapons from a year ago now gone, the Bengals put up little resistance to an efficient Ranger attack. Forest Lake took a commanding lead midway through the first half and led by 16 at the break. Cremisino called it the best team effort of the season.
“When our bench came in, we didn’t miss a beat,” he said.
As a result, 11 Rangers scored. Riedeman had 15 and was joined in double digits by Miller and Sewall, who had 13 and 12, respectively.
Game 4: Rangers and Roseville
Rangers held a commanding lead for the majority of the game. Roseville increased their defensive stance and caused the Rangers to turn the ball over a staggering 32 times. Roseville was able to pull within 3, but was never able to gain the lead. The Rangers won the game by a score of 81 to 75.
SCORING: Riedeman-24, Miller-18, Sewall-12, Hegseth-12, Winning-6, Larson-5, Bey-2, Johnson-2.
REBOUNDING: Sewall-10, Riedeman-8, Larson-5, Winning-4, Miller-3, Bey-1, Hegseth-1, Johnson-1
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
Forest Lake likes to play up tempo, but Friday’s home contest with Roseville may have been a little too fast even for them. The Rangers committed 32 turnovers but shot well and held on for an 81-75 win. A nine-point halftime lead grew to 16 with 7:30 to go, but the Raiders nailed three straight from beyond the arc to make it interesting. Forest Lake made late free throws to move to 3-1 on the season.
The Rangers put together their most balanced game yet from a scoring standpoint. They shot 50 percent from the field. Zach Riedeman led the way with 24 points. Sam Miller had a season-high 18 points and finished well in the lane. Doug Sewall added a dozen points and 10 rebounds.
Phil Hegseth hit four three-pointers to add another 12 points. Rather than handling the point guard duties like usual, the junior played off the ball which created some open looks.
“I think Phil had his best game so far,” said coach Dan Cremisino. “If he’s hitting that [three], it really opens things up for everybody else.”
Forest Lake went exclusively with a 1-3-1 zone on defense to combat the athletic Raiders. It was the first time Cremisino remembers playing zone for a whole game, and he thought it worked well.
“We thought their quickness was going to be a problem for us, and felt they had two to three stars that we had to know where they were at all times,” he said.
Junior Lucas Brown led Roseville with 30 points, but the Raiders failed to take advantage of one of the 1-3-1’s weaknesses, as they went just 5-19 from three-point range.
The toughest part of the schedule is approaching for the Rangers. They played at Blaine on Tuesday. Having already lost to Duluth East, it was an important game for sectional seeding. The team heads to St. Cloud for the Granite City Classic next Monday-Wednesday. Forest Lake opens with Rocori and could face Duluth East again in the second round. After the New Year, they return to Suburban East Conference play by hosting No. 8 Stillwater and visiting No. 4 Cretin-Derham Hall.
Game 3 : Rangers and Duluth East (Non-conference)
Some reporters have anticipated this matchup as the possible final game for the 7AAAA Section Chamionship. The preview game goes to Duluth East as they were able to pull out the win against the Rangers by a score of 68-64. The Rangers trailed this one for most of the game. Behind by 10 at the half, the Rangers did make a run at it in the second half, cutting the lead to as little as 3 points. The Rangers were unable to convert some pivotal shots, and make the defensive stops when needed. The Rangers were able to hold Duluth East top scorer Starks (ave 35 ppg) to 22 points. The Rangers have another chance to play Duluth East during the Granite City Classic Tournament in St. Cloud. If both teams win their first game, the Rangers will have a chance to settle the score.
SCORING: Riedeman-30, Sewall-17, Hegseth-7, Bey-5, Miller-2, Winning-2, Larson-1.
REBOUNDING: Sewall-14, Winning-9, Miller-5, Bey-2, Hegseth-2, Riedeman-2, Larson-1
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
By the time Forest Lake started playing well in Friday’s showdown with section rival Duluth East, the margin for error had become razor thin. After a 21-7 run that turned a 17-point deficit into a three-point game with two minutes left, the Rangers missed two chances to close within one point, and never got closer, falling 68-64. The road win for the Greyhounds (3-1) avenges a double-overtime loss to Forest Lake a season ago and establishes them as the team to beat in Section 7AAAA.
Going into the matchup, the Rangers had to worry about slowing down Duluth East’s electric duo of Dyami Starks and Johnny Woodard. By halftime, the duo outscored the Ranger team 26-25, and Duluth East held a 10-point lead. But the deficit was more a result of Forest Lake’s offense than its defense.
Doug Sewall took the opening tip for a quick layup and the Rangers held a lead of 18-14 with 7:30 remaining in the half, but the Greyhounds then went on a 15-2 run which got Forest Lake out of sync.
“Our response to their run was to shoot quicker and take shots that weren’t the best shots and get limited to one shot,” said coach Dan Cremisino.
Duluth East stretched its lead to 53-36 with less than 10 minutes to play before the Rangers made their move. A full-court press forced the ball out of the hands of the Greyhound stars and their teammates forced some quick shots. Sewall, Phil Hegseth, Parker Winning and Tyler Bey all scored during the run and Zach Riedeman’s second three-pointer of the spurt brought Forest Lake within three at 60-57.
But Riedeman’s layup did not fall the next time down, and Bey missed two free throws after that. Duluth East hit its free throws down the stretch to put it away.
“Everything has to go right for you to come back all the way,” said Cremisino.
Forest Lake passed the man-to-man defensive test against the athletic Greyhounds, leaving Cremisino to wonder what could have been.
“We just didn’t score,” he said. “Holding them to 68 should’ve meant winning by 10 or 12.”
Riedeman scored 30 points – the third time in as many games he has reached that mark. Sewall posted his third double-double in a row, going for 17 points and 14 rebounds. Sam Miller returned to the starting lineup after missing one game with a knee injury.
Forest Lake will gain a rematch with Duluth East if both teams win their first game at the Granite City Classic in St. Cloud over the holidays.
Game 2 : Rangers and Centennial (Non-conference) Something must have been put in the water bottles during practice after last weeks game against Coon Rapids. Or maybe that game was the reality check the Rangers needed, as they decided to not let the poor shooting performance of game 1 get them down during their commanding win over Centennial. This game was controlled by the Rangers from the tip off. The Rangers forced the Centennial staff to call time-outs early. Even with the early regrouping attempt, Centennial had no answer to the Rangers open post offense, and their beefed up defense. Riedeman couldn't miss, as it seemed all of his set shots, and even his off balance shots (at least one rumored to be a passing attempt turned into a shot) found their way to the bottom of the net. The final score of the game was 79 - 68, with a total of nine Rangers contributing to the scoring effort.
SCORING: Riedeman again lead all scorers with 34, followed by Sewall-20, Bey-7, Hegseth-5, Winning-4, Edelen-3, Bogenrief-2, Larson-2, Johnson-2.
REBOUNDS: Sewall lead in rebounds with 18, followed by Riedeman-8, Bey-6, Larson-4, Winning-3, Johnson-2, Edelen-1
>> See Game Stats
Forest Lake Times article regarding this game. Author Clint Reise, Sports Editor
Following a sloppy opening win against Coon Rapids, the Rangers put together a much cleaner effort in their second game of the season last Tuesday. Behind hot shooting from Riedeman and Sewall, they pulled ahead by double digits in the middle of the first half and never looked back.
“We beat Coon Rapids because we had better individuals. We beat Centennial because we were better as a team,” said Cremisino.
For the second game in a row, Forest Lake dominated the rebounding category, generating lots of second-chance opportunities while limiting those of their opponents. They pulled down 44 boards total and 17 on the offensive end. The Cougars had 21 and four. Sewall led the charge, grabbing 18 rebounds to go with 20 points on 9-14 shooting. Riedeman had 34, going 12-23 from the field and 9-11 at the line.
Bey, a senior guard, played well and keyed a run early in the second half that extended the lead to 20 points. He ended with seven points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
“He’s a solid player,” Cremisino said. “It has really surprised us how he has stepped up and really made our team better. That is a tough road to go to not play [on varsity] as a junior and not know what your future is going to be as a senior.”
The Rangers shot 51 percent from the floor, while Centennial struggled from the free throw line as they fell behind in the first half.
Game 1: Rangers and Coon Rapids (Non-conference) The first game of the season was a nail biter, as the Rangers were able to come back from a 15 point deficit to beat Coon Rapids by a score of 75-67 in OT. The Rangers started strong, and seemed to be in control of this game, however, the Cardinals were not to be shut down. They fought back to take a commanding 12 point half time lead over the Rangers, 24-36. Shooting only 15% for the Rangers in the first half accounted for much of the lead for the Cardinals. The second half did not start out well for the Rangers, when the Cards made two fast buckets. However, the Rangers were not going to let that get them down. The team went into a zone defense against the much smaller Cardinal team, and it seemed to take the game to a more manageable pace. In the second half, the Rangers out scored the Cards 40-28 to put this one into OT. In OT, it was all Rangers, led by key steals from Miller and Bey. The Rangers went on to a 11 point scoring spree to the Cardinals dismal 3.
SCORING: Riedeman-35, Miller-16, Sewall-11, Winning-6, Bey-3, Hegseth-3, and Larson-1.
REBOUNDS: Reideman-12, Sewall-11, Edelen-7, Winning-6, Miller-6, Johnson-4, Larson-3, Hegseth-2, Bogenrief-2, Bey-1
. >>see game stats
Forest Lake Times story about this game, Author Clint Riese, Sports Editor
If the first game is any indication, it’s going to be an interesting season for the basketball boys. The Rangers pulled off a late comeback on Thursday to beat Coon Rapids in overtime in a quirky game that the coaches would probably like to attribute to first-game jitters.
It is safe to say the 75-67 victory came in an unconventional manner. The Rangers scored the game’s first eight points before going stone cold for the rest of the half and falling behind 36-24 at the break.
“We started up 8-0 and were thinking ‘Is this game going to be close at all?’” said coach Dan Cremisino. “Suddenly, we can’t make a shot and they couldn’t miss a shot.”
With the offense out of sync and the Rangers turning the ball over, the Cardinals flourished on fast breaks and put together a 15-0 run to go up 30-16 at one point.
Forest Lake shot just 2-23 in the paint, 5-13 from the free throw line and 15 percent from the field overall in the first half.
The hosts came out in a 1-3-1 zone in the second half, and it helped to slow the tempo and keep Cardinal point guard Torren Dowdy away from the hoop. Still, Coon Rapids led by double digits with just four minutes to go. But the Rangers went on a late run and actually took a brief lead at 64-62 with under a minute to go before the Cardinals tied it with 3.9 seconds left.
Forest Lake drew up a play for senior Zach Riedeman to dribble the length of the floor. The play worked, but Riedeman’s layup rimmed out to force overtime.
The Rangers scored off the opening tip in the extra frame and went on to outscore Coon Rapids 11-3 in overtime.
Cremisino will take the win, but hopes not to see a similar contest for awhile considering some of the strange numbers. His squad ended up shooting an astronomical 89 shots, with 34 from Riedeman alone. Riedeman went 9-12 from the charity stripe, but the rest of the squad shot just 2-10 from the free throw line. The Rangers also hauled in 30 offensive rebounds.
All but four of Forest Lake’s points came from the starting lineup of Riedeman, senior Sam Miller, senior Doug Sewall, junior Phil Hegseth and senior Parker Winning.
Riedeman had 35 points, 12 rebounds, six steals and five assists but also turned it over seven times. Miller had a strong second half and overtime to finish with 16 points. Sewall had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Dowdy led Coon Rapids with 27 points and senior Aaron Lukitsch added 16.
With just one game in the books, Cremisino is not worried about bench production.
“We have guys stepping on the varsity court for the first time, and they found out it’s a little different,” he said.
2009-2010 Team Captains
Zach Riedeman, Doug Sewall, Sam Miller
B Squad
Front Row: Chase Chamberlin, Ryan Kuefler, Jackson McDowell, Mitch Kohler, Hunter Smith
Back Row: Coach Ryan, Nate Werner, Josh Rosenberger, Matt Hultgren, Mysticki LaPlante, Alek Zentzis, Austin Alm
Not Pictured: Bryce Kinder