Besides senior Zac Bredman, who started last season, and junior Brady Nosal, who came off the bench for some spot minutes here and there last year, the entire rotation consisted of guys that played on the JV team last year.  “I know we will go through some growing pains to start and throughout the season as these guys get accustomed to the speed of the game.  Unfortunately, we had to play one of the best teams we will play all year in the first game of the season.”

Nosal and Bredman led the Trojans with 10 and 9 points, respectively.  Isaiah Zajac added 9 points and 9 rebounds, and Bredman had a team high 4 assists.  Barnesville hit 34% (15-44) of their shots from the floor.

“Detroit Lakes has a lot of speed, size, length, and shooters,” said Askegaard.  “That’s an excellent combination for a good, solid basketball team.  I felt our first 10 to 12 minutes was pretty good.  We were solid defensively, forcing the Lakers into some tough shots and we rebounded fairly well.  Offensively, we were getting the looks, but missed some easy buckets, which you can’t do against a really good team.  They zone pressed us which sped us up and we made some poor decisions, but playing a team like this gives you something to shoot for.”

DL had 4 players in double figures, led by Mason Carrier with 26 points.  Devon Berg had 16 points and 10 assists, Tyler Bye had 14 points and Caden Strand added 10.  The Lakers had 26 assisted baskets.  Detroit Lakes shot 49.3% (34-69) on the night, making 53% (17-32) from 3-point range.  They also forced 27 Barnesville turnovers and held a 38-28 advantage on the boards.

“I’m excited to see how these guys continue to grow and develop,” added Coach Askegaard.  “In the two weeks we have been together, they have already come a long way.  We have a lot of very good pieces and once we put them all together we will be fine.  They are a group of highly competitive young men that will continue to push each other to get better.”

Barnesville (0-1) travels to Breckenridge on Thursday night.