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Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor
Using last Thursday’s 60-49 victory over Stillwater as a vital piece of evidence, Forest Lake can confidently present its case as a legitimate team on Minnesota’s boys basketball landscape.
There was the outstanding start to the Rangers’ season, but there was also a period where the squad was losing six of seven, and not executing like it did in December. But a five-game win streak, capped by the defeat of Stillwater, has rapidly turned Forest Lake into a contender.
“Stillwater (19-4, 11-2) was a great win for our team,” head coach Dan Cremisino said. “They were ranked No. 7 coming into the game, but we have been ranked as high as nine.
“The key to the run was the win over Woodbury. I felt that we got our toughness back and our swagger back after that one.”
With the reappearance of the swagger, the Rangers have now defeated the Ponies in four of their last five meetings, and avenged the lone slip-up that occurred in January. What seems to be working is good old-fashioned basketball, and not giving the opposition an early lead.
When these two teams first met, Stillwater went into the break with a 16-point advantage. On Feb. 21, Forest Lake was up just four at halftime, but overall that’s a 20-point difference. The second half is rarely a concern for Cremisino’s club, and his boys were able to find a little more breathing room and put away another victory.
(Photo by TLC Digital Images)
DRIVING FORWARD: Tony Kuefler
has taken on a bigger role for the Rangers, and his performance has
been one reason why Forest Lake is enjoying a six-game winning streak
after Tuesday’s 76-64 final over Cretin-Derham Hall.
The Rangers shot 87 percent from the free throw line and better than 60 percent from the field.
“Excellent effort, balanced scoring, great bench play,” Cremisino said. “John Young did a great job defensively, Mike Person played with a ton of heart, (and) Zach (Riedeman) had another great game.”
The balanced scoring began with Riedeman’s 13 points, and he was followed by Brandon Phelp’s dozen, Griffin Lentsch with nine points, and both Ryan Brown and Brad Kopp getting eight points a piece.
Tony Kuefler added six points, and his play caught the attention of his head coach.
“He had some outstanding minutes,” Cremisino said.
“Our goal is the section 7AAAA No. 1 seed and this was a big win for us to achieve that goal.”
Two days before Thursday’s win, Forest Lake had Roseville (5-17, 2-10) in town, and the Rangers were able to sweep the season series by the score of 73-67.
A decent five-point lead swelled to as much as 20 for Forest Lake in the second half, but a loss of focus and the Raiders’ inside-outside combination of Erik Nockleby (27 points) and Mike Muscala (25 points), helped the final score look closer than the actual game.
Kopp was the top Ranger on offense with 17 points, and he had help from Brown (11 points, five assists), Lentsch (10 points), Riedeman (seven points, 11 rebounds), and Ty Cremisino (five assists, seven boards).
In a preview to the Stillwater game, Forest Lake shot over 50 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free throw line.
Duplicating those numbers would likely come in handy on Feb. 26, as fourth-ranked Cretin-Derham Hall paid a visit. The Rangers (15-7, 7-5) finish the regular season with Park at home on Friday, before hitting the road the following week at both Hastings and Mounds View.
Box Score
Stillwater 18 31 - 49
Forest Lake 22 38 - 60
Stillwater - Franklin 13, Walker 9, Mergens 7, Anderson 9, Armstrong 11.
Forest Lake - Lentsch 9, Brown 8, Phelps 12, Cremisino 2, Kuefler 6, Kopp 8, Riedeman 13, Person 2.
Fouled out - Mergens, Anderson. Free throws - Still 6-9, FL 20-23. Three-pointers - Still 7-18, FL 2-7.
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