(Atlantic) Kuemper jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, rolling past Atlantic 85-40 in a boys basketball game Tuesday night in Atlantic.
Gavin McLaren opened the scoring with a layup to give the Trojans a brief 2-0 lead, but it would be their only advantage of the night. Kuemper answered with a 13-0 run and raced out to a 27-9 lead by the end of the first quarter. Brock, Jack and Tanner Badding each knocked down three-pointers to fuel the early surge. The second quarter mirrored the first, as the Knights again outscored the Trojans 27-9 to take a commanding 54-18 lead into halftime. Kuemper connected on five three-point shots in the opening half, while McLaren scored 10 of Atlantic’s 18 first-half points.
Atlantic Head Coach Dalton Franken afterwards.
Averaging 81 points per game, Kuemper kept the pressure on in the third quarter, pouring in 21 points to Atlantic’s 14. The Trojans held a 10-8 edge in the fourth quarter, which moved quickly under the 35-point running clock. Coach Franken says the Trojans will get back to work, and get ready to host Lewis Central on Friday.
Eleven players scored for Kuemper, with four finishing in double figures. Griffin Glynn led the Knights with 18 points, followed by Dylan Schon with 13, Brock Badding with 12 and Ryan Clair with 11. Jordan Tryon added six points, Theodore Perkins and Jack and Tanner Badding each scored five, and Easton Gifford and Nash Leonard chipped in four apiece.
McLaren led Atlantic with 21 points. Kale Jensen added nine, Grant Petty scored six, and Trevor Ellison and Hudson McLaren each finished with two.
Atlantic falls to 2-3 on the season and hosts Lewis Central on Friday. Kuemper improves to 4-1 and will face Dakota Valley in the Bomgaars Invitational at the Tryson Center on Saturday.
