Linn needed a quarter to get moving in last Monday’s game against Eldon, but once the Wildcats hit their groove, it was a good offensive effort on the way to a 57-52 win.

“We started off slow, which seems to always happen in Monday games, but we battled back and played pretty well for the second and third quarters,” said Coach Clay Crouch.

After posting just nine points in the first quarter and trailing by six to start the second, Linn combined solid defense with offense to score 14 in each the second and third while holding Eldon to just 10 points over the two periods.

At that point, the Wildcats led 37-25.

“They played a slower tempo than we would like but we held them to just 25 points through three quarters,” said Crouch.

“Unfortunately, we gave up 27 points in the fourth quarter. We had some breakdowns on defense that we will be able to fix in practice. Overall, I was pleased with our effort and that’s the main thing. Play hard, always. It was a good road win for our kids and I’m proud of them for battling and finding a way to win.”

Linn converted nearly 49% of its shots from the floor, including a 4-11 mark from three-point range, while hitting 17-24 from the stripe.

Alek Peters drilled two three-pointers and went 6-7 from the FT line on his way to a team-high 18 points, as Caleb Maassen (trey) added 13, Andy Hueste (trey) scored nine, Jackson Voss posted seven, Austin McKim and Drew Voss each put in four, and Caden Robinson and Alex Grellner finished with one apiece.

In the assists column, J. Voss and McKim led with four apiece, as Peters dished the ball twice, and Maassen, Parker Patterson, Robinson and D. Voss each added one.

Maassen’s five rebounds led the way, with four apiece by Peters, Grellner and J. Voss, as D. Voss pulled down three, Hueste snagged two, and McKim and Patterson finished with one each.

Peters had two steals to lead the defense, with one each from McKim and J. Voss, while Maassen, Grellner and J. Voss counted
one block apiece.

In the JV game, Linn claimed a 37-28 win over the Mustangs.

“This was one of those tough, grind it out kind of games,” said Coach Ryan Rost. “We struggled offensively but made up for it with really good defense for all four quarters. The boys showed a lot of toughness even when shots weren’t falling, and found a way to grind it out for a win.”

Leading scorers were Austin Grellner and Hayden Phillips, each with 12, and Aiden Kline with nine.

The Wildcats C team pulled out a 39-34 win.

Leading scorers were Keegan Heywood (15), Zach Dodson (11) and Cody Leivian (6).

“We shot the ball much better and had a very balanced attack,” said Coach Mike Nolting. “We did a great job of recognizing how our offense presented opportunities against their defense.”

The JV and C teams also played Centralia.

Linn’s elder group won 65-55 as Austin Grellner posted a team-high 21, Kline put in 18, and Hayden Phillips added 13 to lead the Wildcats.

“This was a good offensive showing to start the year,” said Rost.

“The boys played really hard and did a lot of good things offensively.”

In the C game, Linn fell 38-30.

“This game showed a lot of the promise we saw in practice, but we had a hard time getting the ball to fall,” said Nolting. “We’re doing a lot of things right and played a good hard game.”

Leading scorers were Heywood with 18, and Leivian with six.