Staff writer
The Goessel boys used good team effort Friday to grab the lead and hold on to it in a 49-39 home win over Pretty Prairie.
The Bluebirds opened up a 13-6 lead in the first quarter, and battled to maintain the advantage in the second.
Rhett Makovec opened the period with a 3-pointer, Zach Wiens hit for 6 points, and Chase Flaming dropped in a jumper to keep the Bluebirds in the lead 24-18 at halftime.
Five players scored for Goessel in the third period. Even though the Bluebirds missed 8 free throws, shooting woes plagued the Bulldogs, as Goessel extended its lead to 38-23.
Josh Schmidt and Matt Regier played tough defense, and Drew Lindeman, Jordan Griffin, and Wiens controlled the boards.
Another Makovec 3-pointer put the Bluebirds up by 19 points, 48-29.
Goessel turnovers in the last 3 minutes of the game allowed the Bulldogs to cut the deficit, but the Bluebirds were never seriously threatened as the game ended with a 49-39 Goessel win.
Balanced scoring for the Bluebirds found Wiens with 15, Makovec 12, Griffin 9, and Flaming 8.