Linn battled a good Harrisburg team on Friday in a well-attended Courtwarming game at the Dome.

“We played them less than a week before at their place in their tournament, where we got beat up pretty good with Gus (Peters) and Tony (Peters) getting hurt,” said Coach John Viehland. “We were down 36 last time and got it to 12 at their place. We tried to carry that same energy until this game, along with Courtwarming energy. We hung with them the whole game. They are a very physical team, but we stepped up and kept it within a reachable score, hopefully to make another run late, but we fell short.” 

Linn trailed 13-4 after the first quarter and faced a 31-17 halftime deficit in the 70-50 loss.

“In the first half, we struggled rebounding and keeping them from getting second-chance points,” said Viehland. “It may not have been a win in the books, but we are doing things people don’t see every day. We are winning in different areas in each game, but haven’t put a complete game together yet.”

Overall, Linn shot 36.7%, hitting two three-pointers while converting 12-19 at the line. Points in the paint were relatively even as Linn scored 30 and the Bulldogs posted 36.

G. Peters hit one of Linn’s long-range shots and went 2-4 at the line en route to a team-high 15 points. Craig Laughlin also reached double figures with 11 points, including a 3-4 mark at the FT line.

Cody Heckman added the team’s other trey and scored nine, as Dawson Sprenger (4-4 FT) put in eight, Colton Leivian (2-3 FT) added four, Aaron Starke scored two, and Kahne Brandt finished with one.

“Craig’s getting healthier each game, which will help a lot,” said Viehland. “We need Tony to score like we all know he can; we see it every day at practice. My younger boys, Aaron, Colton, Dawson, and Nash (Tyree), step up every game, getting better and better, making next year even more exciting. Building a program isn’t easy, but it’s coming around. Cody has been stepping up more and more each game, being a scorer. These young men are winners on and off the court; it’s just a matter of time before everything will click.”

In the JV game, Linn had the last shot but missed in a 38-35 loss.