Boys hoops win opener at Waseca
The New Prague Trojan boys basketball team opened the 2012-13 season with a 69-56 win over Section 1AAA foe Waseca Friday, Nov. 30. Waseca took an early lead, but the Trojans kept plugging away and took the lead late in the first half and didn’t let go.
New Prague had four players in double figures, led by senior guard Luke Rynda’s 14. The Trojans’ twin towers, 6-foot, 7-inch junior Paul Friendshuh and 6-8 junior Michael Soderland, had 12 and 10 respectively, and senior Nick Johnson added 10. Other Trojans scoring include Joe Kneip (6), Kyle Zweber (5), Kyle Stepka (4), Jake Ryan (3), Greg Vogel (3) and Blake Wooten (2). Friendshuh pulled down seven rebounds while Johnson and Vogel had five each. Kneip and Ryan both had three assists and Kneip and Zweber both had four steals.
“There were a lot of fouls in the game,” Trojan Coach Aaron Jasperson said. “We are still trying to figure out how to play position defense.“ His team was whistled for 25 fouls and the Bluejays for 23. New Prague made 22 of 34 from the free throw line and hit 42 percent from the field on 22 of 53 shooting.
Jasperson said the Trojans got a big spark from Zweber who came off the bench and played well defensively. Soderlund also was impressive, going 4-for-4 from the field. New Prague had a 34- 30 edge in rebounds.
The Trojans were scheduled to play at Albert Lea Tuesday, Dec. 4. On Saturday they will take part in the Breakdown Tip-off Classic at Minnetonka High School, with 14 games played in two gyms starting at 11 a.m. New Prague faces Maple Grove at 5:30 p.m. in the east gym. Thirteen of the 26 Minnesota teams playing are ranked in the top 10 in their class.
The Trojans home opener is Tuesday, Dec. 11, against Holy Family Catholic.
