The Raider boys basketball team defeated Prescott Thursday in the Hastings Holiday Tournament, advancing to the championship game against St. Louis Park on Friday night. St. Louis Park got the best of the Raiders in that contest.
Hastings takes a 5-4 overall schedule into Metro East Conference play, which gets underway this week. The Raiders were set to travel to Simley for a Jan. 3 game before returning to the home court Friday at 7 p.m. to take on St. Thomas Academy. They travel to Mahtomedi Tuesday.
Hastings has been led in the early season by Owen Bernatz, who is averaging 20.3 points per game. Two other Raiders average in double figures, with Kyan Esterby scoring 13.8 points per game and Matthew Foss at 13.2.
Weston Schult guides the offense with an impressive 8.2 assists per game. Leading rebounder is Kellen Nuyten, who averages 6.3 board per game to Bernatz’s 6.2.
Against Prescott, the Raiders shut down everyone except University of Nevada commit Dallas Wallin, who scored a game high 28 points. He was the only Cardinal in double figures, and he led Prescott to an early lead. The Raiders trailed 36-20 at halftime and turned things around in the second half to win 67-57.
Hastings kicked the defense into gear, forcing 18 Prescott turnovers.
Hastings’ offense was paced by 18 points by Esterby, 16 from Nuyten and 12 from Bernatz. Payton Dean added seven, Schult and Matthew Foss had five apiece and Lukas Foss scored four. Dean and Nuyten each had nine rebounds, while Schult led the team with five assists.
On Friday against St. Louis Park, just five Orioles scored, but they were all in double figures in the high-scoring 86-76 Hastings loss.
For the Raiders, Matthew Foss had the hot hand, draining 7-9 three-pointers to finish with 23 points. Bernatz scored 18 points and Lukas Foss scored 13. Nuyten and Esterby had eight points, Dean had six and Schult added two but dished out 10 assists on the night. Schult and Dean also had three steals to help the Raiders.