Stingy Defense Not Enough As Fillmore Central Falls To Wabasha-Kellogg
The #14 seeded Fillmore Central Falcons played some phenomenal defense and had some clutch buckets, but they came up just short, falling to #3 seeded Wabasha-Kellogg 51-44 in the Section 1A Boys Tournament.
An electric atmosphere in Wabasha and fantastic play on the court lead to a heated battle between Fillmore Central and Wabasha-Kellogg. W-K was able to hold a lead for a majority of the first half, getting some solid play from Zach Kjeseth as he worked in the paint.
Fillmore Central never let W-K get comfortable though, as they stuck with a man-to-man defense. Fillmore Central put the pressure on and kept the game close, as they tied things up at 19 with 1:44 left in the half. W-K was able to take a 20-19 lead into the break after a free throw, but the Falcons were confident they could come back in the second half.
They did just that, taking a 21-20 lead right out of the gate. After trading baskets, Fillmore Central built a 31-29 lead, but W-K went on a 7-0 run to take a 36-31 lead. That lead eventually turned into a 40-36 lead. Fillmore Central had a couple of possessions to cut the lead down even more but just couldn't connect.
After a foul call on Fillmore Central, that resulted in a technical for Fillmore Central which led to a technical foul on W-K turned into a 49-42 lead for W-K. Fillmore Central couldn't get any closers as they fell 51-44.
Luke Ristau was fantastic for FC, going for a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Josh Peters added in 16 points. Kjeseth had 15 for W-K while Jaxon Mickow added 11.
Fillmore Central ended their season with a record of 8-20, but they left it all on the floor.
KVGO Subway Player of the Game (Fillmore Central) - Luke Ristau
KVGO Subway Player of the Game (Wabasha-Kellogg) - Zach Kjeseth
Kingsley Mercantile Game Ball (Fillmore Central) - Josh Peters