Green Wave dominate Knights
Steve Guststeve@page1publications.com
A big first half carried the Green Wave to a win over Climax-Fisher last Tuesday evening.
Taking advantage of its size and athleticism, the Green Wave jumped out to a 37-10 halftime lead before cruising to a 68-38 victory over the Knights.
“Our defense created a lot of opportunities for our offense,” Green Wave head coach Jay Frydenlund said. “We executed well.”
Brandon Brekke used his size advantage to score a game-high 20 points. He added 10 rebounds.
Jake Burris added 14, Matt Bauduin 12 and Derek Schmidt 11 for the Wave.
Frydenlund was especially impressed with Bauduin, a sophomore who has been consistent all season.
“He played well defensively, scored and made passes,” Frydenlund said.
Climax-Fisher head coach Mark Oscarson left the game impressed with the Green Wave.
“Eastside was the tallest and most athletic team we played all year, and they are well-coached,” Oscarson said. “They were a tough match-up for us.”
The Knights improved in the second half. The Wave out-scored C-F just 31-28 in that span.
“They worked their butts off,” Frydenlund said. “Climax-Fisher isn’t that bad of a team. They played with something to prove in the second half.”
Oscarson was equally impressed with his team in the second half.
“I thought our kids played hard,” he said. “I was pleased with our effort. We just made too many mental mistakes.”
Lance Tinkham led the Knights with 10 points. No other Climax-Fisher player had more than six points.
The Knights are now 1-17 on the season.
The Green Wave couldn’t carry the momentum into Thursday’s game against rival Grand Forks Red River.
Red River took advantage of 23 EGF turnovers en route to a 82-75 win over the Green Wave.
The score stayed close for most of the game until Red River’s Justin Soleim took charge late. He had a game-high 24 points.
“We lost sight of their shooters late,” Frydenlund said.
Schmidt led the Green Wave with 18 points. Brekke added 14 and Bauduin 13.
The Green Wave are having trouble winning the close games. Of their eight losses, seven of them have been decided by 10 or less points.
“Our weakness is our mental preparation,” Frydenlund said. “We just haven’t learned from our mistakes. We need to get better in that respect before tourney time.”
The Green Wave are now 14-8 on the year.