(Atlantic) Hunter Gilleland and Max De Vries scored 28 and 25 points, respectively, to lead Red Oak to a 77-72 road win over Atlantic on Tuesday afternoon.
Colton Rasmussen, the Class 3A leading scorer, led Atlantic with 41 points to up his total to 329 on the season. Gavin McLaren had 14 points, and Nolan Waters had 10.
The game was close from the start. Atlantic opened a 16-10 lead in the first quarter, the Tigers answered with a 7-0 run, and the Trojans came firing back with Rasmussen’s three-point shot to lead 19-18 at the end of one. Atlantic held a narrow advantage throughout the second quarter and led 34-32 at the break.
The Trojans skirted out to a 47-42 lead in the third quarter but didn’t have an answer for Red Oak guard Hunter Gilleland, who consistently attacked the rim, drawing fouls, cashing in on five of six free throws, and the Tigers outscored the Trojans 10-5 down the stretch, knotting the game at 52-52 at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was a battle until the Tigers broke a 61-61 tie on a 5-0 run. Atlantic trimmed the lead to 66-65, but the visitors kept the Trojans at arm’s length on Max De Vries’s critical three-point shot and Hunter Gilleland’s three free throws to close the game with the 77-72 victory.
Atlantic Head Coach Dalton Franken had these comments after the game.
Red Oak is 1-4 in the Hawkeye Ten Conference, and Atlantic falls 0-5.
The Tigers travel to Shenandoah on Thursday. Atlantic hosts Harlan on Thursday. We will have the game on 95.7 F.M. and live video-streamed on westerniowatoday.com T.V.