SPRINGFIELD — In Friday’s nonconference boys basketball game, Springfield scored 44 points on seven 3-pointers in the first half, but fell to 15 points on three 3-pointers. , lost 66-59 to Red Rock Central on Friday.
Springfield was playing the second night of a back-to-back after a 76-70 win over Bold on Thursday. Springfield head coach Lance Larson said his team struggled to continue playing in the second half without the benefit of a rest day.
“I think they were a little bit better than us physically.” Larson said. “They worked hard and beat us on the boards. You can’t get out and run without getting rebounds first. To their credit, they had a good game plan. I thought we were a little gassed from last night’s game.
“We got out in the first half and shot the ball well, but then the shots stopped going in and we stopped doing other things. You live and learn.”
For the Tigers, Noah Vogel had 18 points and eight rebounds, and Isaac Fredin-Jensen had 17 points. For Springfield, Ben Potter had 13 points, five rebounds and three steals.
Jayden Long led the Falcons with 24 points, while Isaac Simonson had 20 points and Corey Arkell had 10 points for RRC.
Springfield led 44-28 at the half and had a lot of success getting the ball to the open man in the corner. However, that shot disappeared in the second half as the Tigers struggled to make field goals.
“My feet were separated, I got tired, and I couldn’t get my shots in.” Larson said. “It’s going to happen. [RRC] Their defense was also very good, but their length bothered us. ”
A long alley-oop dunk gave RRC a 4-3 lead, but that early advantage quickly disappeared on a midrange jumper from Ferdin-Jensen. Verden-Jensen’s 3-pointer gave Springfield a 14-12 lead that lasted until the remainder of the second half, when the Tigers opened the scoring with a 13-0 lead. The Falcons cut the lead to 24-18 on Long’s six unanswered points, but Vogel’s pull-up jumper kept Springfield in the lead. Vogel made another corner 3 to give Springfield a 44-28 lead at halftime.
Simonson opened the second half with a converted-and-one, sparking a comeback for the Falcons. With the score 51-41, RRC went on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to one point, but Potter’s kickout 3-pointer stopped the run. Simonson made another 1-and-1 to cut the lead back to one point, and Urkel’s layup gave the Falcons their first lead of the half.
From that point on, RRC outscored Springfield 10-2 until Brayden Sturm hit a 3-pointer off an inbounds play with 16.5 seconds left in the game. But with a 63-59 lead and a double bonus, RRC only needed to hit free throws to claim the victory, and Urkel and Simonson accomplished that in a 66-59 victory.
Springfield (2-2) hosts Buffalo Lake vs. Hector Stewart on Tuesday, Jan. 2.