The Chaska boys basketball team entered the Friday, Dec. 13, game at 3-0, having secured winning efforts over Shakopee, Lakeville South and Eastview. Prior Lake traveled to Chaska with a 3-1 record, with their only loss being to Class 6A powerhouse Wayzata.
Friday night was youth night, and the crowd was well represented by a large number of future Hawks. The ever energetic/boisterous Super Fan section (decked out in their favorite sport jerseys Friday night), was well represented for the first Friday night home game of the year. Both teams came out and showed their offensive and defensive strengths in a physical first half that saw Chaska take and hold the lead until halftime at 32-27.
Friday night’s halftime included the immensely popular “dunk-a-shot.” For a $1 donation, children attempt a three-point shot to win a two-liter bottle of soda. Profits from Friday’s event helped the Benefit Bashers, that provides services for families in need in the Chaska area.
The second half allowed both teams to dig deep and fight for every point and rebound to keep the game very competitive. Chaska led the game until 13:00 left in the half, when Prior Lake took a 41-38 lead.
The lead fluctuated back and forth from that time on. With the game tied at 59-59 with 2:08 left, Prior Lake positioned their floor play to push ahead and win, 66-62.
Tray Lenzen led the Hawks with 20 points and Tyler Forrest had 12. Lenzen and Forrest lead Chaska in scoring for the year as well.
After the game, the Hawks players signed autographs for their young supporters, a great gesture after a strenuous effort that the kids cherished and made the Hawks “winners” to them.
Assistant Varsity Coach Peyton Sanders commented on the game: “That was a tough team game. The guys played together, played hard and learned a lot. Prior Lake is a strong team, they play physical, and we do too. We like to have a challenging non-conference set of games so that we’re ready for conference play.”
Chaska’s next home game is next Friday against Minnetonka in the main gym at 7 p.m.
