“Hard fought win tonight,” said Head Coach Ryan Garvin of the Comets.  “I loved our physicality on the defensive side of the ball.  There were probably times where we almost played too hard and aggressively, but I’d rather have that problem than the opposite!  Our shots were falling early and then I think we fell in love with the 3 without getting a paint touch or a ball reversal.  We forgot how we were getting good looks.  The second half we were a bit better in our shot selection, but we didn’t ever seem to get into a good rhythm.  I’ll take the blame for that as I think my substitution patterns were ugly tonight.  We wanted to play some more guys some more minutes and it probably didn’t help our offensive rhythm together.”

Luke Christensen got into an offensive rhythm with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.  Justin Petersen and Noah Brumfield finished with 13 points apiece.  Brumfield added 5 rebounds and 3 assists.  Preston Berge secured 7 rebounds and dished out 3 assists, while leading the defensive effort.

“I thought Gabe Swedenburg, Noah Brumfield and Matthew Knutson did a great job out on top tonight on their guards,” added Coach Garvin.  “They’re so long and fast – fun to watch.  We got beat off the dribble a couple times, but I think our ability to guard the ball tonight was paramount.  They got a lot of looks at the rim, but I think we did a great job contesting.  Luke Christensen and Preston Berge really protected the rim well tonight.  We’re going to have to continue to rebound by committee as it looks like Justin Petersen will be out for a bit with a high ankle sprain.  I feel so bad for him, having already missed one game since we’ve been back from Christmas break.  Considering this is his senior season, we’re praying that he heals up quickly and can get back to playing with his boys.”

Hillcrest will host Rothsay on Thursday and Park Christian on Saturday.

Parkers Prairie (3-3) is at Battle Lake on Saturday night.

No Parkers Prairie stats were reported.