Bulldogs wrap regular season with two resounding wins
Zach Driscoll contributed 13 points in MFL MarMac’s resounding 75-39 win over Central on Feb. 7. (Photos by Audrey Posten)
Brock Hackett races past a Central defender in last week's Bulldog victory.
Wyatt Powell added seven points against the Warriors.
Parker Kuehl eyes the basket in the Feb. 7 game at Central.
Bryce Diehl puts up a shot in the MFL MarMac victory over Central
Hunter Meyer tries to work around a Warrior defender to score a basket.
A matching 12 points and 12 rebounds gave Carver Blietz-Bentien another double-double in the game against Central.
The MFL MarMac boys basketball team concluded its regular season schedule last week, with resounding wins over Crestwood and Central. The victories lifted the Bulldogs to 21-1 overall and 16-0 in the Upper Iowa Conference.
MFL MarMac defeated Crestwood 94-64 in a Feb. 6 non-conference match-up. The Cadets shot over 40 percent from the field and drained 10 shots from behind the arc, but couldn’t match the Bulldogs’ 50 percent shooting clip. The Bulldogs also heavily out-rebounded Crestwood 48-26 and snagged 16 steals, contributing to the Cadets’ 20 overall turnovers.
Zach Driscoll led the Bulldogs with 25 points and seven assists. His stat line also included seven rebounds, two steals and one of the team’s two blocks.
Twenty-three points and 15 rebounds gave Carver Blietz-Bentien another double-double. The junior came away with two assists and two steals as well.
Parker Kuehl netted 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block, while Bryce Diehl contributed 10 points, four rebounds and two assists off the bench. Wyatt Powell chipped in seven points and led MFL MarMac with five steals. He also had four rebounds and two assists. Hunter Meyer finished the night with six points, six rebounds and an assist.
The following night resulted in a 75-39 win for the Bulldogs, who held Central to just four points in the first quarter and nine or fewer in the subsequent two periods. The Warriors put 19 points on the board in the fourth, as MFL MarMac emptied its bench.
The Bulldogs out-shot Central 41.2 to 35.9 percent and hit 12 of 22 three-point attempts. The Warriors made only four.
Similar to the Crestwood game, MFL MarMac was responsible for a large rebound disparity, with 42 to Central’s 27. That total included just seven offensive rebounds for the Warriors.
Turnovers also hurt the Warriors, who committed 26 to MFL MarMac’s 11. The Bulldog defense had 18 steals and two blocks.
Kuehl was especially lethal from long-range, hitting four of five three-point attempts for 12 of his 15 total points. He also grabbed a team-high seven steals to go with three rebounds and three assists.
Driscoll drained two three-pointers of his own, contributing to his 13 points, and earned four rebounds, four steals, three assists and both MFL MarMac blocks.
A matching 12 points and 12 rebounds gave Blietz-Bentien another double-double, and he also had three steals and two assists.
Meyer’s stat line included 12 points and five rebounds, while Powell tallied seven points, six assists, six rebounds and a steal. Landyn Miene added six points, three rebounds and an assist off the bench.
The Bulldogs will start postseason play Thursday, Feb. 16, hosting a Class 2A - Substate 4 second round game against New Hampton. Tip off will be at 7 p.m. The winner will play the victor of the Beckman Catholic and Denver game on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
