By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball team regained its winning form in Edgerton Monday.Four days after losing its first game of the year to Fulda Thursday, H-BC turned things around in Edgerton by recording a 54-40 victory over the Flying Dutchmen.The Patriots, however, had to fight hard to get the win.H-BC players had to overcome cold shooting from the floor (28 percent) by playing outstanding defense in the second and third quarters, when they limited the hosts to 11 points."We were a little frustrated offensively, but we didn’t give it up defensively," said Patriot coach Steve Wiertzema. "We held them to four points in the second quarter and seven in the third quarter. That gave us a comfortable lead, and we just battled it out from there."H-BC, which was nine of 39 (23 percent) from the field in the first half, found itself trailing 15-9 after eight minutes of play before outscoring Edgerton 13-4 in the second quarter to gain a 22-19 halftime lead.The Patriots padded their lead to 12 points (38-26) by outscoring the Flying Dutchmen 38-26 in the third quarter before winning the game by 14 points in the end.Kale Wiertzma, who led H-BC with 10 rebounds and seven assists, scored all 12 of his points in the second half. Tyler Bush, who had eight rebounds and five steals, netted 11 of his 18 points in the second half.Trey Van Wyhe added 14 points to the winning effort. Travis Broesder chipped in three steals.The 5-1 Patriots will compete at the Albert Lea Tournament Friday and Saturday.Box scoreBush 5 0 8-10 18, Wysong 1 0 1-2 3, Broesder 2 0 0-0 4, Wiertzema 2 0 8-13 12, Van Wyhe 6 0 2-3 14, Spykerboer 0 0 0-0 0, LeBoutillier 1 0 1-4 3.Team statisticsH-BC: 17 of 60 field goals (28 percent), 20 of 32 free throws (63 percent), 33 rebounds, 12 turnovers.Edgerton: 16 of 47 field goals (34 percent), four of eight free throws (50 percent), 22 rebounds, 23 turnovers.
