Panthers tumble to Trojans in season opener, 62-34
BELOIT — Opening the season on the road against a team that was ranked second in Class 3A in the preseason poll, the Concordia High School boys' basketball team trailed Beloit by just three points late in the first half.
Beloit scored the final six points of the second quarter, and then outscored Concordia 31-12 in the second half to pull away to a 62-34 victory Friday night.
Concordia, hampered by cold shooting and turnovers, was limited to just five field goals over the final two quarters.
“Through 14 minutes we were right there where we needed to be. We were down just three against a really good basketball team,” Concordia coach Michael Roe said, “Our turnovers came at bad times. We would do some good things, and then we would have a string of turnovers and kind of kept digging ourselves a hole.”
A pair of baskets by junior Chas Carlgren got Concordia out to a 6-4 lead in the game.
The Panthers would then go more than four minutes without scoring as Beloit went on a 9-0 run to go up 13-5.
A three-point basket by Nick Vignery ended the scoring drought for Concordia, and made it 13-8.
Bryce Mason, a 6-6 senior, scored to put Beloit on top 15-8.
Mason led all scorers with 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
“The big kid (Mason) inside has improved a lot in one year,” Roe said.
Easton Atwood buried a three-point shot as time ran out in the first quarter, and the Panthers were down just 15-11.
Beloit would push the lead to eight points in the second stanza.
Concordia was trailing 25-17 when Jacob Rosenbaum knocked down a three and Wyatt Trost scored on a drive to close the gap to three points, 25-22.
Carson Cox, who finished with 15 points for Beloit, hit a three.
Vincent Palen completed a three-point play to put the Trojans’ lead to 31-22 with 1:33 to play in the first half.
Beloit took that nine-point lead into the second half.
Baskets by Cox and Mason put Beloit up 35-22 early in the third period.
Vignery connected on his second three of the game, and Concordia trailed 35-25.
The two teams would trade baskets, and Kyle Vahle made one of two free throws to give the Trojans a 38-27 cushion with 4:47 to play in the third period.
A three by Cav Carlgren pulled the Panthers to within eight points.
Concordia would then go nearly nine minutes without scoring.
Beloit scored the final seven points of the third quarter, and led 45-30 when Cox hit a three.
A three by Caleb Burk and then consecutive baskets by Hudson Gray and Mason extended the Trojans’ lead to 52-30 three minutes into the fourth period.
Chas Carlgren’s first basket since early in the first quarter ended Concordia’s lengthy dry spell and made it a 52-32 game with 4:45 remaining.
Trost would then score for the Panthers' final points with 3:35 to play.
Beloit tacked on 10 points down the stretch.
“They are going to be a very good team,” Roe said of the Trojans.
Concordia had eight player score in the game, led by Carlgren with seven.
Vignery with his two threes finished with six points.
Chase Parker came off the bench to score six points.
Concordia finished 14 of 48 from the field for 29 percent and missed all five of its free throw attempts.
The Panthers turned the ball over 16 times in the game to 11 for Beloit, and were out-rebounded 41-27.
Palen joined Mason and Cox in double figures with 12 points.
The Trojans shot 46 percent (25 of 45) from the floor and 50 percent (8 of 16) from the line.
Concordia will play a second straight road game at Republic County on Tuesday night.
“We need to be a little more consistent,” Roe said.
CONCORDIA (34)
Vignery 2-0-1 6, Trost 2-0-1 4, Cav Carlgren 1-0-2 3, Atwood 1-0-1 3, Owen 0-0-3 0, Rosenbaum 2-0-1 5, Chas Carlgren 3-0-3 7, Parker 3-0-2 6. Totals: 14-0-14 34.
BELOIT (62)
Burks 3-0-0 8, Palen 5-2-2 12, Vahle 0-1-0 1, Eilert 0-0-1 0, Gray 4-1-1 9, Cox 6-1-1 15, Mason 7-3-0 17. Totals: 25-8-5 62.