Cooper Roberts surveys the floor | Photo by Carol Colby
The Breckenridge Cowboys kept their unbeaten record intact Friday after holding off the Staples-Motley Cardinals at home, 70-64.
Breckenridge built a 14-point lead, only to watch the Cardinals tie the contest at 57-57 on a two-hand slam by Avandre Brandt, who scored a team-high 23 points.
Cooper Roberts, who also poured in 23 points, immediately answered with a three. Roberts was a force in multiple facets of the game, adding seven rebounds, six assists and four steals to the box score.
The biggest momentum shift came from a freshman newcomer. Breckenridge guard Paxton Yaggie made it a two-possession game with back-to-back clutch threes, as the Cowboy crowd erupted following the sequence. Yaggie scored eight points in total on 3-of-5 shooting.
Looking for a three to tie the game in the final minute, the Cardinals got the ball to Brandt on the left wing. Avery Smith closed out and elevated to block his shot. Smith also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and made a key layup late.
Defensively, Levi Christensen took a crucial charge in the second half while playing with four fouls. Joel Lopez and Aidan Sanchez swiped three steals apiece.
Charlie Kratcha reprised his sniper role for the Cowboys, knocking down a trio of threes and getting to the foul line after drawing contact on another, finishing the contest with 11 points. Connor Ernst also stepped into a big triple, rattling a corner trey around the rim and down for a key basket late in the game.
Breckenridge (9-0) travels to Perham (6-3) on Tuesday for a key Heart O’ Lakes Conference game against the Yellowjackets.
