Game Report: River Falls 92, Heritage Christian (MN) 80

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>KEYS TO THE GAME</strong><br><br>Two minutes into the lone contest in the Wisconsin vs. Minnesota Border Battle outing at River Falls, the Wildcats had zoomed to a 13-1 lead. Heritage Christian, a Class A school located in the Twin Cities, was unable to recover, although coach Tim Herman's squad did play competitively the rest of the way. River Falls moved the ball well, shot it well and got some quick three-point baskets in transition to improve to 11-9. The Wildcats got a big game from junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2410538' first='Brody' last='Graetz'] (6-1), who finished with 23 points and a staggering 14 assists in just his second game back after missing seven games with an injury. Steady senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2452073' first='Preston' last='Johnson'] (6-2), a four-year varsity performer, added 17 points and set up his teammates while consistently getting into the lane off the dribble. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2415504' first='Eli' last='Johnson'] (6-7) had eight points and did a nice job defending senior [player_tooltip player_id='2109935' first='Abu' last='Tarawallie'] (6-3), who had to work extremely hard for his 17 points. It was a fun matchup to watch as [player_tooltip player_id='2415504' first='Eli' last='Johnson'] will play college football at Iowa while Tarawallie will play on the gridiron for Minnesota. River Falls led 53-33 at intermission and remained in complete control for the entire second half, handing Heritage Christian just its fifth loss in 21 games. <strong><br><br>STAR OF THE GAME</strong><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2410538"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b398b30bc0f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The skinny on Graetz is that he is an outstanding shooter. But he's far more than just a shooter as he proved on Saturday with his 14 assists in River Falls' win over Heritage Christian. Graetz did bury five three-point shots, but he also scored off the bounce and did an incredible job of locating his open teammates with his court vision and passing skill. Graetz continues to lead River Falls in scoring at 17.6 points per game, but he's also putting up 5.1 assist per outing. He is shooting 45 percent from three-point range, 48 percent from the field and 73 percent from the foul line for the Wildcats. His return to the lineup after missing seven games is crucial as the Wildcats prepare for the upcoming WIAA post season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>EMERGING PLAYERS</strong><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1417497"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b398b30bc9f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">As a four-year varsity performer for River Falls, Johnson may not be an "emerging player" per say, but he is one of the better lead guards in the state and sets the tone for the Wildcats with his physicality, unselfishness and ability to defend on the perimeter. His time with the Wildcats basketball program is coming to an end and he is playing like he knows his time is limited. His sense of urgency was apparent in the win over Heritage Christian as he scored early and often to help his squad to a commanding 13-1 lead just two minutes into the contest. Johnson finished with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists while also using his lateral movement and strength to make things difficult for the Eagles on the perimeter. Johnson will play college football at NCAA Division II Minnesota State-Moorhead in the fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2109935"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b398b30bd17"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A defensive tackle recruit for the University of Minnesota football program, Tarawallie showed off his athleticism, strength and skill for Heritage Christian in its loss to River Falls. With senior guard Jonah Moulton (5-11) dropping seven three-point baskets and leading the Eagles with 23 points, Tarawallie did his damage closer to the basket. He battled some trouble and big [player_tooltip player_id='2415504' first='Eli' last='Johnson'] of River Falls the entire game and still managed to score 17 points and earn multiple trips to the free throw line. He also made a three-point basket in the first half when the Eagles were struggling to put points on the board. Tarawallie moves well for a player with his size and weight, and could very well be an outstanding football player for Minnesota over the next several seasons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>THE BIG PICTURE</strong><br><br>River Falls is getting healthy at the proper time as the WIAA playoffs begin in a couple of weeks. Having Graetz back in the lineup is huge for the Wildcats as he gives coach Zach Turpin another scorer and playmaker to go along with the experience and talent of Eli and [player_tooltip player_id='2452073' first='Preston' last='Johnson']. River Falls has four games remaining in the regular season to get Graetz fully acclimated tand could prove to be a difficult out in Section 1 of Division 2 as players like Cal DuMond, Tanner Bottolfson, [player_tooltip player_id='2140922' first='Gavin' last='Carufel'] and Austin Stellrecht continue to take strides in their games.<br><br>Heritage Christian returns to league play Tuesday with a game against Spectrum, and hopes to return to the Minnesota State High School League Class A State Tournament for the second year in a row next month.<strong><br><br>BOXSCORE<br><br>Heritage Christian (33-47 = 80)</strong><br>Sokeye 16, Moulton 23, Haag 16, Booms 3, Tarawallie 17, Palmer 4, Synstelien 2, Sather 0. Three-point field goals: Moulton 7, Haag 2, Sokeye 2, Tarawallie 1. FT: 13-22. Fouled out: None. Record: 16-5.<br><strong>River Falls (53-39 = 92)</strong><br>Graetz 23, E. Johnson 8, Bottolfson 5, P. Johnson 17, DuMond 13, Carufel 13, Stellrecht 9, C. Johnson 2, Radloff 2, Tiffany 0, Quinn 0. Three-point field goals: Graetz 5, DuMond 2, P. Johnson 2, Carufel 2, Bottolfson 1. FT: 10-12. Fouled out: None. Record: 11-9.<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->