By John George
The Yellowjacket faithful got a glimpse Tuesday night in the boys basketball home opener of what their team can be. Defensive minded, fast-paced, run and gun, and shoot 3-pointer after 3-pointer. Unfortunately, the fans also saw a team that went long stretches without scoring, and committed costly turnovers that allowed Breckenridge to leave Prairie Wind Gymnasium with a 65-52 win.
Perham shot just 8-for-20 on 2-point field goals, but they hit 11-for-27 three's, led by Sam Rutten who eight from beyond the arc and finished with 26 points.
Rutten scored eight of the team's first 10 points as the Jackets held a brief two-point lead. Breckenridge made their first run, an 11-0 spurt, midway through the first for a 19-0 lead. Rutten's third three and a pair of free throws by Jacob Hunter pulled Perham within two at 19-17.
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But the Cowboys took off again, this time going on a 13-0 run aided by a six-point possession thanks to a personal foul, a technical foul and a lay-up on the ensuing possession to go up 36-19. Rutten closed the half with another three to make the score 36-23 at the break.
The Jackets had Breckenridge in foul trouble throughout the first half. Perham was shooting one-in-one free throws with 10 minutes left in the half, and were in the "double bonus", two free throws for all fouls, with seven minutes to play. They missed three "front-ends" of the one-in-one opportunities, and went just 3-for-7 from the line in the first half and 0-for-2 in the second.
Despite 12-straight points from Rutten on four trey's coming out of halftime, Breckenridge was able to hold the Jackets off with a 8-12 point margin most of the second half.
Perham's next highest scorer was sophomore Ben Bucholz with seven points. He also pulled down four rebounds.
Jackets fall in season opener
Perham's defense wasn't quite up to par, according to head coach Dave Cresap, in the team's 66-57 loss against Park Christian in Moorhead last Friday.
The Jackets didn't help their cause by shooting just 24 percent from inside the 3-point arc (7-for-29) and connecting on only 43.5 percent from the free throw line (10-for-23).
Perham kept it close early on as they trailed by just three at the half, 31-28. Park Christian added on to that lead early in the second half and the Jackets could quite narrow the margin.
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Shooting from beyond the 3-point arc kept Perham in the game. They hit 11 three's altogether, six coming in the second half, with Rutten going 4-for-5 five from downtown. He finished with 13 points as did Nick Dockter, who was 3-for-5 from 3-point land. Bucholz led the Jackets with 12 rebounds and four assists.
Perham's final two games before the Christmas break will be on the road. They will play D-G-F (0-1, 0-0 HOL) in Glyndon on Dec. 14, then travel to Barnesville (1-0, 1-0 HOL) on Dec. 21.
Friday, December 7
Park Christian 66, Perham 57
Perham 28-29--57
Park Christian 31-35--66
Jackets--Nick Dockter 13, Sam Rutten 13, Kyle Mickelson 12, Todd Johnson 7, Jacob Hunter 6, Ben Bucholz 5, Anthony Ruther 1.
Falcons--Sehwandt 17, Fletcher 14, Nash 11, Gunkelman 6, Eggers 6, Schwandt 5, Gunhus 3.
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Field Goals--P 7/29, PC 19/48; 3-pointers--P 11/27, PC 4/14; Free Throws--P 10/23, PC 16/23; Rebounds--P 38 (Bucholz 12), PC 31; Assists--P 13 (Bucholz 4); Steals--P 6 (Johnson 2); Turnovers--P 21, PC 13; Team Fouls--P 23, PC 21.
Tuesday, December 11
Breckenridge 65, Perham 52
Breckenridge 36-29--65
Perham 23-29--52
Jackets--Rutten 26, Bucholz 7, Hendrickson 6, Dockter 4, Mickelson 3, Johnson 3, Hunter 2, Ruther 1.
Cowboys--Lipp 13, Allen 13, Snyder 10, Jacklitch 10, Steckler 7, Conzemius 6, Swenson 4, Bogenreif 2.
Field Goals--P 8/20, B 20/41; 3-pointers--P 11/28, B 2/7; Free Throws--P 3/9, B 19/26; Rebounds--P 29 (Dockter 6), B 26; Assists--P 14 (Dockter 5); Steals--P 7 (3 with 2 each); Turnovers--P 22, B 16; Team Fouls--P 23, B 16.
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Heart O' Lakes Conf. All
West Central Area 1-0 2-0
Hawley 1-0 1-0
Pelican Rapids 1-0 1-1
Breckenridge 1-0 1-1
Barnesville 1-1 1-1
Frazee 1-1 1-2
Lake Park-Audubon 0-1 0-1
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D-G-F 0-1 0-2
Perham 0-1 0-2
Ulen-Hitterdal 0-1 0-3
