Bulldogs fall 60-42 in semifinal game
Bulldog sophomore Carver Blietz-Bentien shoots over a Panther player in the Feb. 22 semifinal loss. He scored four points and also led the team in rebounds. (Photos by Audrey Posten)
Senior Cullen McShane made three of MFL MarMac’s five shots from behind the arc against Monticello.
Freshman Zach Driscoll looks to make a move inside in the game versus the Panthers.
Sophomore Wyatt Powell edges past a Monticello defender.
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
A 60-42 loss to Monticello in the Feb. 22 Class 2A Substate 5 semifinal closed out the 2021-2022 season for the MFL MarMac boys basketball team.
The Bulldogs kept pace with the Panthers through the first half but fell behind by double digits late in the third quarter and couldn’t narrow the gap down the stretch.
Monticello had a 10-point field goal advantage over MFL MarMac, at 47.5 to 37.2 percent, and was also able to pull away thanks to the foul line. The Panthers made 16 of 20 free throw attempts, while the Bulldogs hit five of only seven chances. Monticello had a 28-15 rebound advantage, as well, limiting important second chance scoring opportunities for MFL MarMac.
Freshman Zach Driscoll tallied 19 points for the Bulldogs, and grabbed a team leading three steals along with two rebounds and an assist. Senior Cullen McShane made three of the team’s five shots from behind the arc, for nine of his 11 points, and added three rebounds, two steals and a block.
Fellow senior Kaden Stocker contributed six points—both from three pointers—as well as two assists, a rebound, a steal and a block, while sophomore Carver Blietz-Bentien picked up four points and a team-high five rebounds. Sophomore Wyatt Powell rounded out MFL MarMac’s scoring with two points, and also had four assists, two rebounds, a steal and a block.
The loss put the team’s season record at 18-5. It’s the best finish for the Bulldogs—who won the Upper Iowa Conference championship—since they went 19-4 in 2016-2017.
