Pelican Rapids Head Coach John Gullingsrud said, “We got down big early in the first half and were never able to recover after that.  Hillcrest is a big, strong, and physical team and we didn’t handle that very well on either end of the floor.” The Comets did a great job limiting the damage done by Vikings standout Timmy Guler, holding him to just 12 points.  Grady Larson and Charlie Larson added 8 points apiece, while Luke Sjolie and Ethan Isaman each had 6.

“I was pleased with our pressure on the perimeter and our help in the paint from ALL of our guys tonight,” said Garvin. “I thought we did a great job at least making Timmy Guler's night difficult and it was a team effort largely led by Gabe Swedenburg. But Preston Berge, Sean Berge and, at moments, Luke Christensen.”

Noah Brumfield was able to garner 14 of his game high 27 points in the first half off of myriad opportunities: at the rim, from 3, and off the glass. Ethan Swedberg added 8 significant points in the paint to go along with six from Luke Christensen. “We were able to go into halftime with a 38-20 lead and good momentum knowing that Pelican can score in bunches and would definitely enter the second half with a sense of urgency and purpose,” added Coach Garvin.

Rebound leaders were Brumfield with 8, Christensen with 6 and Swedenburg with 6.  Christensen and Sean Berge distributed 5 assists apiece and Christensen delivered 3 blocked shots.

“We were pleased that our defensive intensity continued into the second half,” added Garvin. “We were able to open up a 54-26 lead with buckets from five different players.  As expected, Pelican didn't go away quietly. They went on their own 12-0 run in a three minute stretch that cut our lead to 16 and then had a couple of other runs to get it to 11. It was a battle to the finish, but we were able to close out with the stops we needed and some very big rebounds.”

Hillcrest will open Section 6A play Thursday at home against Rothsay.

“To be playing at this level at this part of the season and hear them say "we can play a full game like we played in the first half" is encouraging,” concluded Coach Garvin. “That they want to do that is so honoring to themselves and each other. I'm thankful for this group of guys and am excited to spend some more time with them during the post season.”

Pelican Rapids is the top seed in the North and will host either Perham or Thief River Falls on Saturday at 7:00pm in the quarterfinal round of the Section 8AA playoffs.