Glenville-Emmons  stifles Alden-Conger in 50-point win

GLENVILLE — Derek Olson had 21 first-half points, and the Glenville-Emmons boys’ basketball team held Alden-Conger scoreless for 18 straight minutes on Tuesday in a 66-16 rout.

The win was the Wolverines’ seventh in eight games after starting the season 0-3, and the winless Knights matched its lowest point total of the season.

“The plan tonight was to focus and compete the whole game,” Wolverines coach Dan Fredrickson said. “We wanted to keep our focus level high defensively.”

Fredrickson said he was looking for improvements on defense after the team allowed 71 and 65 points in its last two games against Lanesboro and Lake Mills, Iowa, respectively. The Wolverines held the Knights nine points below its scoring average of 25 points per game.

“We wanted to get back to reinforcing what keeps our program rising up every year and that’s defense,”

Fredrickson said. “I thought the kids did a nice job staying disciplined.”

The Wolverines (7-4, 3-4 Southeast) played its best defense late in the first half and deep into the second when it held the Knights at the 11-point mark for 18 minutes. Alden-Conger’s Tommy Geesman made a jump shot with 3 1/2 minutes left in the first half and the Knights didn’t score again until 3:30 remained in the game when Elijah Rinehart made the first of two foul shots.

The Knights’ (0-11, 0-6 Valley) lone senior, Kody Schoppers, who had a team-high five points, converted a three-point play 45 seconds later, and Matt Erickson made a free throw in the closing seconds to hit 16 on the scoreboard.

The Wolverines opened the game with a 19-3 lead and led 44-11 at the break after a hot-shooting first half.

Olson led Glenville-Emmons with four of the team’s five 3-pointers in the opening half and scored 14 of the team’s 16 points during a stretch late in the half. Olson scored just two points after halftime with limited playing time and finished with 23.

“He’s a very, very explosive offensive player,” Fredrickson said, of Olson, who also had three rebounds and an assist. “He’s definitely a guy we lean on. He can create his own shot, and when he gets an open 3-pointer every time he shoots I think the thing is going in.”

Trent Thoms had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolverines, and Wyatt Madson had eight points and four steals.

After beginning the season with three straight losses on the road, the Wolverines only blemish over its last eight games was a 72-71 loss to Lanesboro (6-4) in overtime on Jan. 13. The Wolverines went 4-1 over the past eight days, which began with a 64-42 win over Immanuel Lutheran (1-4) on Jan. 13.

“The kids are getting more confident offensively,” Fredrickson said. “We weren’t comfortable against pressure early in the season, but being on the road against two of the top teams in our conference didn’t help either.”

By the numbers

• 7 wins for Glenville-Emmons over its past eight games
• 16 points for Alden-Conger tied a season low, which was previously set on Dec. 20 against Maple River
• 21 first-half points for the Wolverines’ junior guard Derek Olson on five 3-pointers

Glenville-Emmons 66, Alden-Conger 16

A-C 11 5 — 16

G-E 44 22 — 66

Alden-Conger scoring: Tommy Geesman 2, Zach Behrens 2, Matt Erickson 1, Dom Ofsdahl 3, Kody Schoppers 5, Elijah Rinehart 1.

Glenville-Emmons stats: Christian Voss 2 points; Derek Olson 23 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist; Donta Wills 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block; Wyatt Madson 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block; Tyler Belshan 8 points, 1 rebound, 8 assists, 1 steal; Trent Thoms 12 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal; Tommy Kirsch 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals; Blake Lundmark 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal; Perry Kirsch 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals; Andrew Everson 1 rebound, 1 steal; Aaron Dempewolf 1 block.