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| Travis Rieland had a great second-half for the Streeters as they came back from down 15 to beat Albany 65-62. |
After taking a 9-2 lead, Albany went on a 25-3 run in the first half Friday and it looked like Sauk's chances of advancing in the sub-section playoffs were nil.
But a great second-half effort led to a 65-62 overtime win.
Terrence Ellis took over early in the second half, finishing with 27 points, and Nick Adams made several key free throws down the stretch as Sauk was able to pull away from the Huskies.
With the score tied 54-54, Travis Rieland, who played outstanding in the second-half,put up a desperation attempt at the buzzer, but it bounced off the rim, sending the game into the extra 4-minute frame.
Both sides of the gym were packed with fans. Sauk fans were wearing white shirts, courtesy of Minnesota National Bank and Gerards Sports bar and Knobby Sports. Albany fans were dressed in all black.
It made for great theatre, but nobody could out perform the boys on the court.
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| Patrick Knoblauch drives the lane. Knoblauch hit two key baskets to help the Streeters get back in Thursday's game. |
Sauk trailed 30-21 at the half, but were down by as many as 15 after Albany's run. Things didn't look too promising.
During halftime, head coach Mike Ellens questioned the team's effort. Quite simply, they were getting beat in all facets of the game, most importantly in rebounding. Albany had several offensive rebounds that led to easy baskets.
But the second half was a different story. Ellis got things going out of the gates with a three-pointer and then came up with a teal on Albany's next possession. Adams converted on the other end to close the gap to 31-25. The Huskies scored the next four to increase the lead to 10, but Ellis answered with a bucket and Patrick Knoblauch scored on a nice baseline runner. An Albany turnover led to another Ellis three, perhaps the biggest bucket of the night at that point.
But Albany wouldn't relinquish the lead. As Sauk stormed back, Albany always had an answer. It wasn't until Adams dropped a 10-footer with four minutes left before Sauk had their first lead in the second half. A Travis Rieland bucket gave Sauk a 52-49 lead, but Albany tied it on a 3-pointer. Rieland scored again, but Scott Litchy answered to tie it at 54-54. Neither team scored in the final two minutes, sending the game into overtime.
Once again it was Ellis who got things rolling. The senior guard knocked down a bucket for a 56-54 lead. Albany failed to make their free throws in overtime and Sauk did make theirs, giving them the advantage. Rieland hit two straight followed by Albany missing two. Knoblauch scored a big bucket for a 59-55 lead, but Litchy answered with two free throws to make it a one possession game with 20 seconds to play.
Adams was sent tot he line where he drained two, but Albany answered again with a bucket. Trailing by two, the Huskies had to continue fouling, putting the game in Adams' hands.
But the junior, who is averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds a game, answered the call, hitting four more free throws in the final 17 seconds to secure the win.
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| Nick Adams was 6-for-6 from the line in overtime to give the Streeters the victory. |
A desperation shot by the Huskies at the buzzer fell by the wayside, giving Sauk the incredible come-from-behind win.
The Streeters will travel to St. Johns' Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. tip against top-seeded Long prairie-Grey Eagle. Sauk defeated the Thunder in their last meeting 59-57.
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| Terrence Ellis was lights out Thursday, scoring a season-high 26 points as Sauk defeated Albany to advance to the sub-section semifinals Saturday against Long Prairie at St. John's University. Tip off is 5:30 p.m. |
