Four players scored in double figures as Pines boys defeat Merrill 79-56

Four players scored in double figures as the Northland Pines boys defeated Merrill 79-56 in a Great Northern Conference (GNC) basketball game at Eagle River last Friday night.

It was the first GNC game of the season for the Eagles, who are now 1-0 in the conference.

Pines’ 6-foot-6 junior Ethan Miller led the way for the Eagles with 25 points, followed by Mylo Albrecht with 20, and 12 each from Nolan Huelskamp and Aiden Minx.

“We started the game off great, building a nice 14-point lead, but our turnovers have been allowing teams to stick around or come back in the games,” said Pines Coach Terry Klemett, noting the Eagles had 17 turnovers in the game.
At halftime, Klemett said the coaching staff made some adjustments offensively, and the Eagles took care of the ball better. And within minutes, Pines rebuilt a 14-point lead.

In addition to Miller leading the way offensively, he also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Miller shot 7 of 8 on two pointers and 2 of 3 on three pointers. He also was 6 of 8 from the free-throw line.

“Ethan Miller was a monster tonight,” said Klemett after the game. “He just keeps getting better and I think this was his second double-double of the season.”

While Albrecht scored 20 points, he also had 10 rebounds and four assists. Minx came off the bench to score his 12 points on 2 of 3 shooting from the field, 1 of 1 from 3-point range, and 5 of 6 at the line.

“Mylo Albrecht had a great second half with 18 points in the half,” said Klemett. “Aiden Minx came off the bench and gave us a spark and that’s what we need from him.”

The Eagles shot 50% in the game from the field and made 8 of 16 3-point attempts. The Eagles also hit 22 of 29 free throws for 76%.

“All and all we played well despite the turnovers,” said Klemett. “We will have to fix that problem. I am happy to be 3-1 overall and a 1-0 in the GNC.”

The Eagles will host Tomahawk in a GNC game this Friday, Dec. 12, at 7:15 p.m., and will play at Rhinelander Friday, Dec. 19, to close out the pre-holiday schedule. Northland Pines will then play in the Sentry Classic holiday tournament Dec. 27-28 at UW-Stevens Point, facing Auburndale in the semifinal at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27.