(Atlantic) The Atlantic boys’ basketball team closed out the regular season on a high note, securing back-to-back wins, including a thrilling 51-50 comeback victory over Denison-Schleswig on Tuesday night in Atlantic.
Gavin McLaren led the Trojans with 16 points, followed by Shelton Mualia with 13. Grant Petty added eight, Sawyer Tarrell chipped in six, while Kinnick Juhl and Hudson McLaren rounded out the scoring with two points each. Blaine Grady paced the Monarchs with 15 points, Owen Galvin contributed 14, and Roman Bygness added 11. Linkin Beeck finished with five.
Atlantic started strong, jumping out to a 10-2 lead before Denison-Schleswig responded with a 9-0 run to close the first quarter trailing just 11-10. Tarrell’s three-pointer briefly extended Atlantic’s lead to 13-10, but the Monarchs answered back, outscoring the Trojans 13-7 to take a 23-20 advantage into halftime. Grady was instrumental for Denison-Schleswig, scoring eight first-half points, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
The Monarchs controlled the game until the closing moments. Galvin’s three-point shooting helped push Denison-Schleswig ahead 41-33 early in the fourth quarter. However, Atlantic switched to a 1-2-2 zone defense with Mualia at the point, and the 6’4″ junior forced several turnovers that led to key baskets. Atlantic Head Coach Dalton Franken says the Trojans found a way.
The Trojans clawed back, cutting the deficit to 47-46 behind crucial three-pointers from Petty and 10 second-half points from Mualia. With seconds remaining, Atlantic took the lead, and the Monarchs’ final three-point attempt missed the mark, sealing the Trojans’ dramatic 51-50 victory.
Coach Franken says the ball movement got much better down the stretch. Franken mentioned Cael Jensen’s effort off the bench as a major contributor.
Coach Franken mentioned Grant Petty’s two three-point baskets down the stretch as factors in the outcome.
The Trojans will now turn their attention to the postseason. They travel to Ballard on Monday night for a 7:00 p.m. tip. Denison-Schleswig opens postseason play at Storm Lake on Monday.
