R-P Boys Run Streak to Six

Section 1A beware (not that they aren’t anyway); R-P boys basketball is again looking like R-P boys basketball.  Tom Vix’s Trojans defended and offended their way to wins on back-to-back nights in Rushford, bringing their win tally to six in a row.  The Trojans subdued Spring Grove in a re-match of last year’s 1A East title game.  Short of down 2-0, R-P led the duration.  SG cut into the Trojans’ 28-18 halftime lead, narrowing it to 30-27 early in the second.  R-P replied by going up by as many as 19 (54-35).   The Lions didn’t go away.  Top player, junior guard Alex Folz, scored all 20 of his points in the second half.  And the Trojans were perfectly average (6 of 12) at the free throw line late.  SG only got as close as six though.  The Trojans prevailed 64-57.  Four guys hit double figures; Landon Skalet (career-high-tying 18 pts, 4-5 FTs, 6 assists), Jake Paulson (16 pts, 7-10 FGs, 6 rebs), Ben Ansell (11 pts, 5-6 FGs), and Payton Hahn (11 pts, 3-5 threes, 4-6 FGs).  Folz (20 pts, 7-7 FTs, 3-8 threes) and Sam Sanness (16 pts, 7-9 FGs, 6 rebs) led the Lions.  As a team, R-P shot a season-second-best 55.6% (25 of 45).  SG shot 44.6% (21 of 47).  Team green won the turnover battle as well, 16 to 21.  A night later, Chatfield came to town.  The Gophers entered coming off their worst loss (FC), R-P arguably their best win (SG).  For 18-plus minutes, it was a battle.  Chatfield senior Cole Hines had 10 first half points, the Gophers led by as many as five (19-14), but went to half down two (28-26).  Reid Johnson hit a three early in the second to give Chatfield a 29-28 lead.  Then the lug nuts spun off.  The Gophers had eight straight, mostly live-ball, turnovers.  Trojan senior Jake Paulson was a defensive menace (9 steals).  R-P literally transitioned into a 19-0 run.  In the span of five minutes, it went from “a game”, to, “game over.”  The Trojans prevailed 62-42.  R-P again had four in double-figures; Paulson (career-high 20 pts, 7 rebs, 3 assists, 9 stls), Skalet (14 pts, 4-8 threes), Ansell (11 pts, 4-5 FGs), and Hahn (10 pts).  The Trojans hit a season-high 80% (16 of 20) at the line.  Johnson and Hines (12 pts each) led Chatfield, which finished with 28 turnovers.  R-P then fell to PEM to end the week, 75-60.  Skalet (new-career-high 23 pts, 9-12 FGs, 5-7 threes) was highly efficient.  Paulson (13 pts, 7 rebs) and Hahn (10 pts, 5 rebs, 4 assists) helped The Trojans (3-4, 9-4) are 5-0 at home, 4-4 on the road or at a neutral site.   Over the past three games, R-P starters Paulson, Skalet, Ansell, Hahn, and Dawson Dahl have scored all but five of the teams’ total points (181 of 186).