A slow first half in which they managed just 19 points put the Austin Packers down by 11. Then a 5-0 run by Winona to start the second half put the Packers in a hole that was just too big. Although they battled hard for the rest of the game, they could get no closer than 10. The final score was 65-46.
As is our practice, here is a more comprehensive set of video highlights. Unfortunately, thanks to the social cluelessness of some younger Winona players, the camera view of an early 3-pointer by Zach Fadness was obstructed. But here’s the best of the rest:
Joe Aase had 15 points for the Pack, Matt Duren 12, Tom Aase 8, Zach Wessels 6 and Zach Fadness 5.
Next up is New Prague on Tuesday night in Packer Gym.
The Packers went on the road last night for their Big Nine conference opener, and came away with a convincing 82-50 win over Faribault.
Pressure defense and hot outside shooting, including 10 three-pointers in the first half, got the Austin boys out to an early 23-13 lead, which they stretched to 42-27 at halftime. The Pack scored first in the second half and never looked back.
Ten Packers got into the scoring act, led by Joe Aase (17), Zach Wessels (14) and Zach Fadness (11), followed closely by Tom Aase (9), Max Coffey (8), Andrew Kaiser (8) and Jay Ettinger (7). Colin Weisert (4), Matt Duren (2) and Goliath Oboyo (2). The Packers were also perfect (6-6) from the free throw line.
Here are the highlights. Note the expression of dismay at the Packers’ shooting by the Faribault coach just before halftime.
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Austin lost a close one to 7th-ranked Minneapolis Washburn Thursday night, dropping a 57-53 contest.
Plagued by foul trouble in the first half, the Packer boys hung tough against the Millers , trailing just 26-25 at halftime. The Pack got off to a strong start in the second half, building a small lead, before a Washburn run put them out front by double digits. A valiant rally brought the Pack to within two points in the last 30 seconds, but they couldn’t convert on their last possession and were forced to foul with two seconds left. The resulting free throws led to the final four-point margin.
The Austin Packers opened their 2010-11 season Saturday with a tough 75-64 home loss to Cedar Falls, Iowa. Cedar Falls made the state tournament last year, and have another strong team.
It was a game of runs: The Packers got off to an early 6-2 lead, but then the Tigers rallied to go ahead, before the Packers went on a tear to tie the game at 29. Unfortunately, the Tigers scored the remaining 14 points of the half to go into the locker room with a 43-29 advantage.
In the second half, the Tigers stretched the lead to as much as 19. The Packers put on a furious rally to cut the lead to 69-62 with 1:05 remaining, but fell short of making the comeback.
A few notes on this video, and what you’ll be seeing throughout the year.
You might wonder how the Packers ever lose. For the most part, I won’t be showing scores by the other team. This isn’t a balanced news site; it’s a booster site. An exception may be if an opposing player hits a game-winning buzzer beater. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
I generally won’t be showing free throws, because there isn’t much action involved. Saturday the Packers were something like 19 for 22 from the charity stripe, which is obviously excellent. The main exceptions to the “no free throws” rule are that I will include those of the “and 1” variety, in which an Austin boy is completing a three-point play after being fouled, and will show free throws made at the end of a close game.
For the the most part, I won’t be showing missed shots by the Packers; the exception is when a missed shot leads to a Packer rebound and score, so showing the missed shot provides context for the rest of the play.
I will typically show a few key defensive plays from each game, but generally won’t show defensive rebounds. I also won’t show Packer turnovers.
I will miss some scoring plays. I’m a dad and my first role is watching the game. Sometimes I get engrossed in the action and forget to follow it with the camera. Any field goal scores that don’t make the highlights are just because I missed them.
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