Hot Start Leads Stewartville Past PEM In Section Quaterfinal
The #3 seeded Stewartville Tigers had a hot start and it was too much for #6 seeded Plainview-Elgin-Millville Bulldogs to overcome in the Section 1AA Quarterfinal Monday night in Rochester.
The Tigers big first-half run solidified the lead, and then ended the game with a 75-56 win.
Will Tschetter was great in the first half, and his shooting ability led the way for the Tigers, including the final three minutes of the half, when the Tigers went on a 23-11 run to finish out the half with a 42-27 lead.
Tschetter had 23 first-half points to lead Stewartville, while Noal Stier added in five. The Bulldogs battled throughout the half and did a great job in transition, attacking the basket, and were led at the break by Conner Schumacher's 10 points.
PEM battled back in the second half and cut the lead down to nine after Blake Herber attacked the lane for 2, but Stewartville answered right back and pushed the lead to 15 quickly.
When the Tigers needed a shot to fall, they seemed to find it. With key contributions down the stretch from Kaleb Hellickson and Eli Klavetter, the Bulldogs were not able to climb back into the game.
It was a great season for PEM, who battled tough all year long. The Bulldogs were led by Schumacher and Herber, who both finished with 19. Schumacher was our Kingsley Mercantile Game Ball winner.
Tschetter had 41 for the Tigers to lead the way, while Hellickson added 9 and Klavetter 8.
Stewartville will take on #10 Pine Island who beat #2 Lake City in the quarterfinals Monday night. The HVL foes will play Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Mayo Civic Auditorium. The game will be broadcasted on 103.1 KFIL.