While the Bethany Lutheran Vikings used both ends of the floor to finish their pregame shoot-around on Wednesday, the Riverland Blue Devils gathered together in their locker room.

Thursday, January 06, 2000

While the Bethany Lutheran Vikings used both ends of the floor to finish their pregame shoot-around on Wednesday, the Riverland Blue Devils gathered together in their locker room.

They had a decision to make.

"Do we send four crashing to the boards and risk letting them run?" said Coach Dave Lillemon. "Or, do we get out of our game plan?"

The decision, it turns out, was an easy one. The Blue Devils chose to crash – crash hard.

And though the final rebounding margin wound up favoring Riverland by only three – 36-33 – the Blue Devils’ won their Minnesota Community College Conference opener, 85-76, in large part because they didn’t let the road team dictate the terms.

"We knew they liked to run," Brandon Kettner said, "and because of that we knew they weren’t going to box out as well."

In winning their seventh straight, the Blue Devils were particularly drawn to the offensive glass.

Riverland’s men in the middle – Kettner, Brett Rogers and Tom Yost – combined for 39 points. Kettner’s back-to-back high-flying putbacks to open the second half sent a strong message to Bethany that the Blue Devils weren’t content to sit on a 16-point halftime lead.

That lead grew to 22, 67-45, after consecutive three pointers by Zak Ulwelling and Garrett Ulrich, before Riverland fell cold for the first time, allowing Bethany to climb its way back.

But the Vikings simply found the slope too steep.

Riverland’s dynamite first-half carved out a hole that Bethany couldn’t overcome.

Rogers, a bull with a feathery touch, shined in the first half, going six-of-seven from the field; Ulrich, the team’s leading scorer with 21, hit five-of-six in the opening half; the team 19-of-31.

It all added up to a 45-29 halftime lead after the curtain raised to an even 18-18 start.

"I don’t remember, in all my years, finishing off a half like we did in the first half," Lillemon said.

After the game, Lillemon also couldn’t remember Bethany (7-5) getting out and running.

"They didn’t hurt us in transition," the coach said.

Proof that the Blue Devils, now 10-2, made the right call to when choosing to play the game on their own terms.

Bethany Lutheran (76)

Tony Orr 8, Adam Kotewa 2, Courtney Bell 13, Afolabi Runsewe 21, Matt Austen 5, Dave Siebrands 8, Mike Outing 2, Mike Outing 17. Free throws 7-of-12; Three pointers: 5 (Runsewe 3, Bell, Orr).

Riverland (85)

Zak Ulwelling 5, Beau Hartman 5, Nick Peters 2, Garrett Ulrich 20, Brandon Kettner 11, Jesse Heiny 14, Tom Yost 12, Brett Rogers 16. Free throws: 7-of-10; Three pointers: 7 (Ulrich 3, Heiny 2, Hartman, Ulwelling).