The Arlington and Lincoln Lutheran boys basketball teams traded momentum and leads back-and-forth Tuesday during the opening round of the Warriors' holiday tournament.
The hosts led 15-6 after one period, trailed 25-24 at halftime and, ultimately, picked up a 55-52 win against coach Tyler Spitser's Eagles.
“We just got out of position defensively a couple of times,” the coach said. “And, offensively, we had our looks at the rim, but we've just struggled with finishing.”
The loss dropped AHS into the tourney's third-place game and to 3-4 overall. Final tournament results will appear in next week's Enterprise Media Group editions.
“Credit (the Warriors') defense, though,” Spitser said. “They're long and they move well.”
Arlington scored just six first-period points, but bounced back with 19 during the second as it took advantage of the referees' apparent decision to allow physical play.
“We came out not playing very aggressive in the first quarter, offensively or defensively,” Spitser said. “That was a big talking point, being aggressive with the ball in our hands and defensively, at the quarter break.”
The result was a 13-0 scoring run, which allowed the Eagles to take a one-point advantage into the second half. Dustin Kirk started the streak with a 3-point make, while Colby Grefe ended it with a steal and score at the 5.1-second mark.
Arlington led after three quarters, too. Grefe's last-second 3-pointer put Spitser's team out front, 40-35.
The advantage didn't last, though. Lincoln Lutheran found success with its full-court pressure again, pulling ahead by as many as five points during the 20-12 period.
The Eagles worked toward a 3-point shot at the end of regulation, but came up empty when it left Grefe's hands. He scored 13 points, while Barrett Nielsen notched a team-high 14 and Kirk scored 11.
Micah Schlueter led the Warriors with 19 points, respectively. They improved to 4-5 with the win.
