Adam Papin/MDN
Our Redeemer’s Payten Lindbo (5) shoots through a trio of Central McLean players. Lindbo, a sophomore, led all scorers with 23 points in the contest.
It might not be possible to make too many three-pointers in a game, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Our Redeemer’s boys basketball head coach Brock Teets wants his young squad shooting from behind the arc as much as they did on Monday night.
When asked if the Knights were going to ‘live or die’ by the three, Teets said, “I hope not. We’re a team that can shoot and that’s a strength of ours. We also have guys inside that can score, and we have to get those guys involved inside.”
It’s hard to argue with the results though.
The Knights made 14 three-pointers in the game to roll past the Central McLean Cougars in the opening game of the first ever Our Redeemer’s Christian School Invitation Boys’ Basketball Tournament, 66-42.
Our Redeemer’s sophomore guard Payten Lindbo made four of his seven three-pointers in the first quarter, as the Knights jumped out to a 19-7 lead at the end of one. Lindbo led all scorers with 23, and his teammates Jace and Wyatt Weekley each added 11 points for Our Redeemer’s.
“We pride ourselves on our three-point shooting,” Lindbo said. “They’re going to drop a lot of the time, but we also have to work is some post opportunities in there too.”
The Cougars saw three players reach double figures in scoring, led by Owen Anderson’s 13. Jacob Wolf scored 11 and Aiden Hanson had ten for Central McLean. Cole Makeef scored eight.
Our Redeemer’s outscored Central McLean by 12 points in the second quarter to take a 37-13 lead into halftime. The Knights continued their hot shooting in the second half to maintain their lead.
Central McLean used their physicality to keep the game close in the paint. Unfortunately for the Cougars, the Knights were consistently able to get the ball back out to their sharpshooters on the perimeter. In total, five different Our Redeemer’s players made at least one three in the game.
Marques Overby added eight points for Knights. Other players scoring for them included Andrew Eby (4), Colin Swenson (3), Ethan Brown (2) and Nolan Schmidt (2).
Our Redeemer’s message after the game was that everyone realizes there is plenty to improve on, but the team keeps their expectations high.
“We need to get more physical throughout the year,” Lindbo said. “I think we’re a bit scared of contact right now, but I think we’ll get used to it. It’s just a good first win, and we’re going to look to keep building on it.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Teets.
“We need to improve on a lot of things. We have a laundry list of things we need to work on, trust me, but this why I love playing games like this. You learn so much as a coach,” Teets said.
The Knights won’t have long to wait for their next challenge. They take on the South Prairie-Max Royals tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the second game of a double-header in the tournament. Bishop Ryan will play the South Prairie-Max junior varsity team in the opening game.
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Adam Papin/MDN
Our Redeemer’s Connor Rudland (34) extends behind Central McLean’s Aiden Hanson (22) to deflect the basketball, as Rudland and Ethan Brown (12) battle Hanson for a rebound during the two teams’ matchup Monday night.
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Adam Papin/MDN
Our Redeemer’s Payten Lindbo (5) shoots through a trio of Central McLean players. Lindbo, a sophomore, led all scorers with 23 points in the contest.
