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Battlers Season Ends with Loss to Parkers Prairie

By Craig Olson, 03/18/21, 10:00PM CDT

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The Battle Lake boys' basketball team was eliminated from the Section 6A tournament by Parkers Prairie on Thursday night as the Panthers recorded a 78-62 win over the Battlers. 

"The game was closer than the final score shows,” commented Battle Lake Head Coach Tyler Owen. “We were down by as much as 22 points in the second half, but we battled back to reduce the Panthers' lead to just 6 points. At the end of the day, we just ran out of time. We had to foul to get the ball back, and Parkers Prairie knocked down their free throws. Micah Arens showed why he is one of the best players in the conference tonight. He was 9 for 9 from the line in the second half, and that was all it took for them to win the game. I am very proud of how we fought tonight. We knew we could play with them, and we definitely did for a good chunk of the game."

The Battlers had three players in double digits. Owen Buehler led the way with 13 points, senior Kayne Cameron had 12 points, all in the first half, and senior Brady VanErp finished the game with 11 points.

"Our seniors did an outstanding job of leading on and off the court this season. Brady, Nick, Kayne, and Durb (Drew Durbin) are some of the most amazing young men I have ever met. I'm incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to coach them, and I can't wait to see what lies ahead for those four seniors,” said Owen. “While the season didn't end the way that any of us had hoped it would, I feel good about how much we improved as a team. We finished the regular season with a three game win streak, and we were competitive in the playoffs against a team that is definitely a threat to win section 6A. The future of our program is bright, and a lot of that is due to our seniors."

Battle Lake ends their season with a 6-12 record.

Parkers Prairie (15-4) will travel to Hancock (14-5) on Saturday.