Battlers hot shooting night propels them into sub section final

It was a back-and-forth affair early on, as the game was tied at 10 all. NCE/U-H led 16-15 before a 5-0 run gave the Battlers the lead, one that they would not relinquish for the rest of the game. It was 22-18 before Battle Lake ended the first half on a 36-13 run.

The trio of Jack Mekalson, Owen Buehler and Drew Johnson combined for 50 of the 58 first half points for BL.

Battle Lake would stretch their lead out to 35 points in the second half, prompting a run clock.

"Congrats to NCE-U/H on a great season. Before this game I watched a lot of film on them and got to see them live last Thursday. They are a well coached team and play extremely hard, we just shot the ball really well tonight against them,” said Battlers coach Brady Cameron. “When we shoot like that we are hard to guard because it's not just one guy scoring and making shots, it's the whole team.”

Mekalson finished with a game high 30 points. He also had seven assists and five rebounds. Buehler poured in 23 points, six steals, five assists and three boards. Johnson provided 17 points and Bradyn Roisum finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.

Battle Lake hit 11-19 shots from beyond the arc.

“One negative on the night was our lack of ball security and 20 turnovers. That's something we need to clean up before we play Henning,” stated Cameron. “Mason Dalluge had another phenomenal night holding one of their best scorers to four points tonight along with stuffing the stat sheet once again."

Wyatt Crompton and Cole Bentley led the Titans with 19 points each.

The win moved the Battlers to 24-4 on the season.

They will now take on the Henning Hornets in the sub section championship. The Hornets won the lone regular seasons meeting, 53-39. Game is scheduled for Mar. 15, in Fergus Falls.